The Informer: Modest tweaks but confusion lingers on border restrictions

NSW reported eight new locally-acquired cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday and that prompted tweaks rather than wholesale changes to restrictions before Christmas.

Essentially it boiled down to a quick lifting of the more than "10 people in your home" rule for Greater Sydney. For three days - December 24, 25 and 26 - kids under 12 are not counted as "people" and not included in that number. On December 27 it reverts back to only 10 people of any age to visit households in the restricted area.

There will be no changes to restrictions for regional NSW, where up to 50 visitors are allowed in private homes.

Clear? Well, maybe as clear as the text messages some people hoping to cross the NSW-Vic border have received.

Hundreds of people who travelled from Sydney south since Sunday have been told by Victorian authorities they are deemed "close contacts" of a confirmed coronavirus case and must quarantine - even though many have returned negative test results.

The Nine newspaper network is reporting on the situation as the text has understandably sent some travellers into a state of chaos.

Victoria's coronavirus logistics chief Jeroen Weimar has confirmed the state's border will remain shut to Sydneysiders for Christmas.

Meanwhile Albury's mayor has said he believes checkpoints on the Victorian side of the border will stay in place into 2021. Kevin Mack said he had been told the border clamps would be in place for a fortnight at a minimum after having been rolled out on Monday.

Internationally, another spanner has been thrown into the mix for Aussies trying to head home as Singapore Airlines has said it will no longer fly between the UK and Australia. Australia's High Commission in the UK is working to find "alternative options" for stranded Australians.

And in America, President Donald Trump and Speaker Nancy Pelosi managed to agree on something when the president demanded changes to Coronavirus Relief Bill.

The $900 billion coronavirus bill includes one-off $600 payments to most Americans, but Mr Trump (and Ms Pelosi previously) said the figure should be $2000. A Christmas miracle? Possibly.

Let's end on a note less morose than perhaps you might expect coming after a sentence that included the words "coronavirus" and "Americans".

Kindergarten Cop, that Arnold Schwarzengger film, is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Some of the child actors had a reunion of sorts (a V-E-R-Y long one) which was crashed by none other than "Mr Kimble". It's nonsense but their faces are glorious. Skip to the 35th minute, right here.

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