As the day unfolded: NSW moves to shut down non-essential services as COVID-19 diagnoses surpass 1000 in Australia

It's been a day of drastic measures, major escalations and confusing messaging in the nation's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Australia surpassed 1300 cases of coronavirus, including 533 in NSW.
• The federal government announced a second, $66 billion stimulus package, which will double welfare amounts for those on Jobseeker, increase support for pensioners and carers and make $100,000 grants available to small and medium-sized businesses.
• NSW announced it would go into lockdown by Tuesday, with all "non-essential" services to be closed. Victoria flagged similar measures, and both states said they would push for tough restrictions at the national cabinet meeting held on Sunday night.
• Victoria said all its schools would close on Tuesday, two days ahead of when they were due to shut for school holidays. NSW was expected to make a similar announcement, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian still due to give an update on Monday morning.
• South Australia and Western Australia closed their borders to interstate visitors, following the lead of Tasmania and the Northern Territory.
• On Sunday evening, the national cabinet revealed tough new restrictions on places of gathering, with pubs, gyms, restaurants, cinemas and places of worship to close down as of midday on Monday.
• The Prime Minister remained insistent that schools will not close, and it appears that NSW and the ACT may not shut down their schools in the coming week, as earlier expected. Victorian schools will still close on Tuesday.

There's a lot going on. But as Scott Morrison said in his press conference this evening, one thing's clear: the situation is now "deadly serious".

Follow along with the latest developments on Monday, March 23.

At midday on Monday, the following types of venues will be forced shut, Australia-wide, in a drastic new effort to combat the coronavirus:

• Licensed parts of hotels
• Licensed pubs and clubs
• Casinos
• Cinemas and other places of entertainment
• Indoor sport facilities, including gyms
• Dine-in restaurants and cafes
• Places of worship

Cafes and restaurants will stay open for takeaway and delivery.

Nothing else will close. Supermarkets, hairdressers and beauticians, liquor stores and petrol stations will stay open.

Schools will also be open, except for individual schools forced closed due to staff or students testing positive for coronavirus.

The exception is Victoria, where schools will close on Tuesday for their Easter break, two days ahead of schedule.

Australians have no reason to panic buy, the prime minister has said, because the new restrictions announced on Sunday evening do not affect shopping centres or supermarkets.

"We are not putting in place lockdowns that put people and confine them to their home. That is not a measure that has been contemplated at this point. So there is no reason for anyone to do that."

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy announce drastic new bans.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

If Australians flood supermarkets and shops on Monday morning, they would be in violation of social distancing measures, the prime minister said.

The prime minister has announced all states and territories will force key places of "social gathering" to close, beginning at midday on Monday.

It's unclear whether these measures represent a backdown from the lockdowns of non-essential services urged by Victoria and NSW earlier on Sunday.

However, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian was quick to cast the national cabinet's decision as an endorsement of her state's position.

“NSW is pleased that our position has been adopted by the National Cabinet,” a government spokesman said.

At this stage, it appers that school closures in the NSW and the ACT, expected for sometime in the coming week, will not go ahead.

The Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy has reprimanded Australians for failing to observe social distancing measures, warning the nation that the only way to overcome the coroanvirus pandemic is living "very differently".

Dr Murphy singled out young people, many of whom were continuing to go out as though they were "unaffected" by the virus.

The prime minister said it was because of the failure to socially distance, mostly by young people, that new restrictions were necessary.

"What were doing here is we’re dealing with the principle places of social gathering," the prime minister said. "We don’t now have any confidence that those [social distancing] guidelines will be followed."

Our National Affairs Editor Rob Harris has filed this story on the restrictions announced by Prime Minsiter Scott Morrison tonight. 

The restrictions will see pubs, clubs, cinemas, places of worship and nightclubs closed. Restaurants and cafes will only be open for takeaway.

The restrictions will come into force at midday on Monday.

Only the venues listed will be affected, meaning a wide range of business including supermarkets, hairdressers and shopping centres will remain open.

Schools will remain open across Australia, the prime minister has announced, but parents will have the option to remove their children from class.

Victoria will still end its school term on Tuesday, two days ahead of schedule, before breaking for the Easter holidays.

It is unclear whether NSW will continue with its expected decision to close schools on Tuesday. Premier Gladys Berejiklian will make an announcement on the question on Monday morning.

All states and territories will implement "stage one" restrictions, the prime minister has announced, locking down a wide array of non-essential services across the country.

Indoor venues in the following categories will shut:

• Registered and licenced clubs
• Licenced premises in hotels and clubs
• Restaurants, which will become takeaway only
• Places of worship
• Cinemas and other forms of indoor entertainment

Home deliveries will continue, and supermarkets and grocery stores will remain open.

"These are very significant measures," the prime minister said. "They are done regrettably because they mean people cannot go to work."

The prime minister said the measures had to be introduced, because Australians were failing to observe strict social distancing arrangements.

"When we all don’t do the right thing, then it has real implications for others."

The national cabinet will continue to review the stage one restrictions and take advice on whether "stage two" measures are necessary. Mr Morrison did not detail what stage two measures would entail.

Addressing the media at parliament house, the prime minister has flagged "no change" to his stance on school closures, which he opposes.

That suggests the national cabinet has not reached a decision to close schools nation-wide.

It remains to be seen whether NSW and Victoria will push ahead with the school closures they flagged on Sunday.