Scott Morrison going on annual leave for one week as new Covid cases flare up

Scott Morrison is going on annual leave for a week following the arrival of new and more contagious Covid strains in Australia from the UK and South Africa.

The Prime Minister is handing over to Deputy PM and Nationals leader Michael McCormack until January 18, as health authorities plan the February roll-out of coronavirus vaccines.

After a tough year battling a pandemic Mr Morrison is entitled to take a break, as state premiers had been last week, but some of the PM’s harsher critics have regularly brought up his Hawaii holiday in December 2019 during the summer bushfires.

Scott Morrison is going on annual leave for a week following the arrival of new and more contagious Covid strains in Australia from the UK and South Africa. The Prime Minister is pictured with his wife Jenny and their daughters Abbey and Lily

With new UK and South African strains of coronavirus now in Australia, Mr Morrison said he would remain in contact with Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly even during his leave.

The Prime Minister’s Office released a statement on Monday explaining how Mr McCormack, a former newspaper editor, would co-ordinate the planned Covid vaccine rollout and preside over the Australian Defence Force.

The AstraZeneca vaccine is due to be be administered from mid-February, with frontline health and aged care workers to get priority after the Therapeutic Goods Administration gave approval in late January.

‘During my short absence, the Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack will be the Acting Prime Minister and undertake my duties for this period, including regular health and economic briefings, the planned roll-out of our vaccine program with the Minister for Health, as well as meeting requests from state and territory governments regarding the National Coordinating Mechanism and support from the ADF,’ Mr Morrison said.

‘While away I remain in contact with the Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly, who will brief me on COVID-19 issues as they occur.’

Mr Morrison’s leave was announced as Queensland’s Labor Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk ended the three-day lockdown in greater Brisbane, sparked by a hotel quarantine cleaner contracting the UK strain of Covid and travelling to and from work by train before visiting a Woolworths supermarket.

The Prime Minister is handing over to his deputy, Nationals leader Michael McCormack, until January 18 as health authorities planning the February roll-out of coronavirus vaccines. They are pictured together on December 17 with New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian at New Italy in the far north of New South Wales following the Pacific Highway duplication

With new UK and South African strains of coronavirus now in Australia, Mr Morrison said he would remain in contact with Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly (right) even during his leave. Health Minister Greg Hunt is pictured left

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The PM’s leave was also announced as New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian, a renowned workaholic, returned to work after a week of leave, after temporarily handing over to Nationals leader and Deputy Premier John Barilaro.

Ms Berejiklian’s annual leave coincided with the state’s Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant revealing ten returning overseas traveller had arrived in Sydney since November 30 carrying the either the more infectious UK or South African strains of the virus.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews took a week off during the first week of the New Year, with senior Socialist Left faction cabinet minister Jacinta Allan running the state just as it closed its border with NSW, following a spate of Covid cases on Sydney’s Northern Beaches and in the city’s west.

When Australia has a Liberal prime minister, the Nationals deputy PM traditionally runs the country during January. 

 After a tough year battling a pandemic Mr Morrison is entitled to take a break, as state premiers had been last week, but some of the PM’s harsher critics have regularly brought up his Hawaii holiday in December 2019 during the summer bushfires

That holiday to the United States with his wife Jenny is now a distant memory following the pandemic