On the topic of the WA border closure,Prime Minister Scott Morrison appeared on radio in the state earlier today.

He said the decision by the federal government to pull out a legal challenge by mining magnate Clive Palmer against the closure of the WA border is not about winning votes in the state.

Mr Morrison told Perth radio station 6PR on Thursday evening that he wasn't worried about the political ramifications after the federal government originally joined the High Court case but then withdrew.

"I mean,things changed a lot between when this case was first brought by Clive Palmer. So[WA Premier] Mark McGowan has a quarrel with Clive Palmer,"he said.

"I didn't want there to be any anxiety in Western Australia,and I didn't want that juiced up by any,anyone seeking to create any panic or anxiety. I think that would be very harmful. So I thought this was the sensible and wise thing to do."

Mining magnate Clive Palmer’s legal challenge to West Australia’s hard border should be subject to a retrial following the Commonwealth withdrawing its involvement,the West Australian government says.

An urgent application,to be heard during a case management hearing in the Federal Court on Friday,will consider whether to vacate July's four-day trial in favour of a new trial before a new judge.

Two days after the initial hearing,the Commonwealth withdrew its support of Mr Palmer’s position that WA’s"all-or-nothing"approach to the border closure was unconstitutional.

A spokesman for Premier Mark McGowan said the Premier had requested the federal government back WA’s application for a retrial.

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Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg acknowledged that Australia was at two different stages of dealing with COVID-19,and that Victoria’s recovery was vital to the recovery of the nation’s economy.

"We’re really a country at two different stages of dealing with the coronavirus. There is Victoria and the rest,"he said on Nine'sA Current Affair.

"It’s a difficult time for families right across the state.

"It is very important to the national economic recovery not just Victorian economy but the national economy that we get it under control."

Mr Frydenberg said the JobKeeper program had so far helped 3.5 million Australians and more than a million businesses,and that it would drop to $1200 after September,and $1000 from January to March next year.

Victoria's courts have imposed further restrictions for people attending hearings as they navigate the joint pressure of managing increasing case backlogs with adhering to the COVID-19 stage four restrictions.

On Thursday afternoon,all six of Victoria's jurisdictionsreleased a statement saying they intended to expedite their transition to completely online hearings,which began at the outset of the pandemic.

According to the statement,physical attendance will be limited to urgent or priority court or tribunal matters determined by the relevant head of jurisdiction.

The announcement comes as the state government's interim report into the coronavirus pandemic identified increasing case bottlenecks at some of Victoria's courts - in particular the Magistrates Court and VCAT - which may negatively impact people's timely access to justice.

They also indicated that criminal jury trials will not return in the foreseeable future,a trend which some barristers have raised significant alarm about.

The joint statement said the court was aware that the new rules would require lawyers to dial into court from home,and that it presented obvious challenges for some.

“The challenges this presents are acknowledged and the jurisdictions will be mindful of this,” the statement said.

“There is great confidence in the profession's capacity to continue to assist the courts and VCAT to progress as many matters as possible through this time utilising technology.”

The magistrates court will continue to hear urgent and priority matters relating to bail and remand,family violence and personal safety intervention orders,warrants,civil,Victims of Crime Assistance Tribunal and all other matters deemed a priority,including where an accused is in custody.

The result of the announcement means that an average Victorian who has been accused of a crime will most likely have the matter heard from home.

The Philippines health ministry on Thursday reported 3561 new coronavirus infections and 28 additional deaths.

In a bulletin,the ministry said total deaths had increased to 2150,while confirmed cases had reached 119,460,topping Indonesia's tally for the most infections in east Asia.

A strict lockdown in and around the capital brought the economy to its knees in the first half. The government placed the capital under lockdown until mid-August to stem surging infections.

Indonesia reported 1882 new infections and 69 new deaths.

Hong Kong reported 95 new coronavirus cases on Thursday,of which 91 were locally transmitted,as authorities tried to contain the virus,which has seen a resurgence over the past month.

About 3800 people have been infected in Hong Kong since late January,44 of whom have died. On Wednesday,85 new cases were reported.

The government on Thursday said it was extending the work from home period for civil servants until August 16.

Reuters

The number of confirmed new coronavirus cases in Germany has breached the 1000 threshold for the first time since early May,in the latest sign that slackening social distancing is raising the risk of a second wave of the disease.

According to data published by the Robert Koch Institute early on Thursday morning,the number of new infections rose by 1045 to 213,067,breaching a key psychological barrier after creeping up for weeks.

With Europe's largest economy only now starting to recover from the near-total lockdown that was imposed in March to stem the disease's spread,any sign of renewed restrictions on the horizon will dismay investors. The head of the German doctors'union said earlier this week that Germany was already contending with a second wave of the coronavirus and risks squandering its early success by flouting social distancing rules.

Officials,including Health Minister Jens Spahn,have warned that it will become far harder to control the spread of new infections from autumn onwards,making it all the more important to keep numbers down as the summer draws to a close.

The lockdown and social distancing pushed the number of new cases down to as low as 159 in mid-July but numbers have been rising since,fuelled by local outbreaks,including one centred on a slaughterhouse that required restrictions to be placed on the entire town of Guetersloh.

Ominously,a poll for Der Spiegel magazine showed four-fifths of Germans expect the further lockdowns to be imposed to control the coronavirus pandemic,with half of them expecting future measures to be more severe.

Spahn is due to give a news conference on the latest developments in infection numbers later on Thursday.

Reuters

Fast-food giants McDonald's have confirmed that any of their restaurants which are currently subject to stage four lockdown restrictions in Victoria will shut for everyone bar delivery drivers after 8pm.

“McDonald’s will be moving to delivery-only from this evening in accordance with further guidance received this afternoon from the Government,"a restaurant spokesperson said on Thursday evening.

“We’re all in this together and we expect our customers to comply with stage four restrictions.

“McDonald’s continues to engage with the relevant Government Departments to ensure we are meeting all required standards regarding our contactless takeaway,drive-thru and delivery services.”

All McDonald's locations in areas of the state that are in stage three restrictions will still allow drive-thru,delivery and takeaway to continue.

Earlier,several people sitting on the footpath eating McDonald's after curfew were among 176 fined by police on Wednesday,the most fines issued in a 24 hour period since Victoria's second lockdown began.