Coronavirus Australia: 90 per cent need to adhere to new restrictions for them to have an effect

Australians have been given a stark warning that if just 10 per cent of people ignore strict new measures, they might not work.

The chief medial officer has said nine out of 10 Australians need to be “doing the right thing” if the threat of coronavirus is to be lessened.

Speaking yesterday, Brendan Murphy said the further restrictions announced by the Prime Minister may be “radical” but they were necessary if promising signs that Australia was flattening the curve are to continue.

This morning, his views were echoed by Health Minister Greg Hunt who said he was “desperately sorry” for the new measures but lives needed to be saved.

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Yesterday evening, PM Scott Morrison detailed a further ratcheting up of Australia’s COVID-19 related restrictions.

From today, no public gatherings of more than two people except family households are allowed. People aged over 70, those aged over 60 with medical concerns and indigenous people over 50 are advised to stay at home unless to attend medical appointments or buy essential supplies. Some outdoor areas such as gyms and playgrounds will now be closed and people are asked to only leave home for shopping, to attend medical appointments and for exercise.

Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy updates the public on the latest coronavirus measures from Parliament House in Canberra on Sunday. Picture: AAP Image/Guardian Australia Pool/Mike Bowers.

NINE OUT OF TEN

Last night, Prof Murphy said there were “early hopeful signs” the current restrictions were working and that most cases in Australia were being detected.

But it wasn’t enough. “We have to slow it further and we have to stop the thing that's worrying us most, which is community transmission. That is transmission without known links to a known case.”

That was of particular concern in parts of Sydney, Melbourne and south east Queensland.

“We have to change the way we, as people, interact with each other. It is very simple. This is radical.

“The vast majority of Australians have done the right thing in the last week. But we have also seen some very silly behaviour of people who haven't complied with that, particularly outdoors and sometimes indoors,” Prof Murphy said

“And that's why we feel that it is really important that every Australian does the right thing because for these interventions to take effect, the science shows that you need more than 90 per cent of the population to be doing it all of the time.”

Talking on Today this morning Mr Hunt acknowledged the measures were difficult, but he implored Australians to get behind them.

“I do believe with every fibre of my being from the information that we are getting that we are going to get through this. We are seeing positive signs of flattening the curve.”

He pointed to figures which showed that the growth rate in new cases had fallen from 25 per cent per day to the “low teens”.

“Now we have to see that continue which is exactly why we have had to take these agonising measures … and I am so desperately, desperately sorry that we have had to do this but we are doing this to save lives,” said Mr Hunt.

“What we are doing is yielding benefits but now we have to go further.”