Coronavirus Australia live updates: Queensland announces 50 new COVID-19 cases

Two Australian states have confirmed their largest day-on-day surge in coronavirus cases.

Queensland and Western Australia have announced their biggest day-on-day surges in coronavirus cases.
 

Queensland has recorded 50 new cases, taking the state's total number to 144. 

Western Australia has reported 17 new cases, taking its total to 52. 

It comes after PM Scott Morrison announced a ban on all non-residents returning to Australia, to go into effect tomorrow night.

READ MORE: Keep up-to-date with the latest tally of Australia's confirmed coronavirus cases, deaths and recoveries

READ MORE: Follow more coronavirus pandemic updates and breaking news from Australia and around the world

Australia now has 709 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 307 in New South Wales, 150 in Victoria, 144 in Queensland, 42 in South Australia, 52 in Western Australia, 10 in Tasmania, three in the Australian Capital Territory and one in the Northern Territory.

Six people have died – one in Western Australia and five in New South Wales – and 43 have recovered.

Here's how the day's rolling coverage played out.

Updates

9:54 pm March 19, 2020 Highlight

'I felt like I was 80 years old': What it's like to have COVID-19

A young woman who tested positive for coronavirus has documented her isolation and recovery journey on social media.

Bridget Wilkins, 29, from Brisbane, tested positive for coronavirus after she came back on a Qantas flight from London via Singapore in early March.

She was one of the nation's first confirmed cases, and said she didn't know much about the virus at that time.

"It was quite scary when I got that phone call," she told ABC 7.30. "The first question I asked was, 'Am I gonna die?' That sounds a bit dramatic, but two weeks ago I didn't really know what coronavirus was."

Bridget started making video diaries on Instagram – originally just for her family and friends – and to give herself something to do.

She said the first six days were mild in terms of symptoms. "I had things you normally get when you have a flu or a cold… as the days wore on, I felt my condition deteriorated."

She said Days 8-10 hit her the hardest. "I felt like I was 80 years old," she said. "I definitely thought of my grandma at that moment because I recognised how hard it would be for her."

Bridget is now feeling better, but in a recent Instagram video she said she feels a "massive wave of emotion".

"We all know coronavirus is not gonna be as deadly as other things like SARS or bird flu or whatever else, but what it is is it's fearful, and fear is bred out of uncertainty," she said on Instagram.

"So I hope if I can provide certainty on what happened to me, it might provide it for others, and there'll be a little less fear in the world."

9:02 pm March 19, 2020 Highlight

31 infected at social media star's wedding

A total of 35 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 after the March 6 wedding of social media star Jimmy Niggles and Emma Metcalf.

31 people who attended the Stanwell Tops wedding have been confirmed to have the virus, as well as four others who were in contact with those guests, The Daily Telegraph reports.

“NSW Health has worked with other states and territories to notify attendees at a wedding held at Stanwell Tops on March 6 of their potential exposure to COVID-19 and the need to quarantine themselves until March 20,” a NSW Health spokesman said.

“To midday on 19 March, there have been 26 NSW residents who attended the wedding who have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

"There are another four people, NSW residents with COVID-19, who are close contacts of wedding attendees with COVID.

"NSW Health is aware of another five people with COVID-19 who attended the wedding but live interstate.”

8:09 pm March 19, 2020 Highlight

Another NSW school shuts over coronavirus case

Another NSW school has shut down after a positive coronavirus test.

St Columba Anglican School in Port Macquarie informed parents in an urgent email this evening.

"We have been informed by NSW Health that one SCAS community member has tested positive to COVID-19," principal Terry Muldoon said.

He did not say whether it was a student or staff member at the school.

"In the interests of student and staff safety, the school will be closed tomorrow, Friday March 20," he said.

"All students should remain at home. Before and After School Care will also be closed. The Columba Cottage Early Learning Centre will remain open."

Mr Muldoon said parents would be informed about the date and time of reopening.

"Thank you for your understanding as we work together to respond to this matter. Further information and updates will be provided as they come to hand from the relevant agencies," he said.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard last week said rolling school closures were “likely to be the new norm” whenever a new case was detected.

He said any more school cases will also see classes stopped.

"If a child, a staff member, or any other person within that school, is found to have the COVID-19 virus, then effectively a breather will be taken and a day out will be the immediate requirement," he said.

Mark Scott, from the NSW Department of Education, told parents to keep their kids away from school if they exhibited any cold or flu symptoms.

"If your child is presenting with symptoms you wouldn't want someone to have if they were sitting next to you on the bus, we don't want those kids in our classrooms," he said.

7:19 pm March 19, 2020 Highlight

Myer Castle Hill closes after employee infected

Myer Castle Hill has immediately closed after it was confirmed an employee had contracted COVID-19.

In a message to customers on Facebook, Myer said Castle Hill customers who had attended the store between March 11 and 17 should be on alert for symptoms.

“A concession employee at the Castle Hill store has returned a positive result for COVID-19," the message said.

“With the health and wellbeing of our employees and customers being our priority, we enacted our COVID-19 Plan and closed the store immediately as a safety precaution.

“During this time, we will commence a full sanitisation of the store, and isolate all associated team members.

“We would also advise anyone who was shopping in the store between 11–17 March, who has developed symptoms or has any concerns, that they should contact 1800 020 080, visit https://www.health.gov.au/."

6:54 pm March 19, 2020 Highlight

WA reports biggest jump in cases

Western Australia has reported its biggest jump in cases, with 17 people testing positive for the virus in the last 24 hours.

This takes WA's total number of cases to 52.

All the new cases are aged from their 20s to their 70s, with ten men and seven women.

The state has also recorded its first case outside of Perth.

Health Minister Roger Cook has confirmed the state has moved into the community transmission phase of the coronavirus.

6:51 pm March 19, 2020 Highlight

Doctors 'losing confidence' in government

Doctors are losing confidence in the Australian government's ability to handle the coronavirus crisis.

Dr Andrew Miller, President of WA's Australian Medical Association, said medical workers and the general public are increasingly losing faith in what they're told by the government.

"The doctors on the frontline are losing confidence in what they're being told by government because a couple of days ago they were told it was not possible to close our border and that we had to make national decisions on these things," he told a press conference this afternoon.

"They wake up this morning and Tasmania has done what our senior doctors in our hospitals called for a couple of days ago and was told was impossible.

"That's the sort of thing that causes panic and causes people to start to get scared because they wonder whether they can rely on the information from the government."

5:34 pm March 19, 2020 Highlight

Fiji confirms first case

Fiji confirmed its first coronavirus case today, sparking panic buying in major centres on the Pacific island nation.

The announcement followed rampant speculation across the country of 930,000 that the global pandemic had arrived on its shores.

“There is a single confirmed case of COVID-19 in Lautoka that was imported from a patient who had recently travelled abroad,” Health Minister Ifereimi Waqainabete said on Twitter.

“He was immediately isolated, where he remains under careful medical supervision.”

Authorities believe the man is a flight attendant who recently returned from the United States.

5:20 pm March 19, 2020 Highlight

50 new coronavirus cases in Qld

Queensland has announced 50 new positive cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the state's total to 144.

Queensland’s health minister Steven Miles has ordered everyone in the state who has been told to self-isolate to stay home.

"There are more than 7,000 Queenslanders returning home a day, and all of them are required to go into quarantine for 14 days," he said.

"They are returning from right around the world and, indeed, more than 153 countries are experiencing this pandemic.

"We want those Queenslanders to return home. We are of course urging them to return home, because if they get sick, we want to treat them in our hospitals, where we know they will get the best possible care."

4:43 pm March 19, 2020 Highlight

RBA expecting 'significant job losses'

RBA governor Phil Lowe says the bank is expecting "significant job losses" across the nation.

"We are expecting a major hit to economic activity and incomes in Australia that will last for a number of months," he said. "We’re also expecting significant job losses.

"The scale of those losses will depend upon the ability of businesses to keep workers on during this challenging period."

He also noted that rock-bottom interest rates aren't going anywhere:

“At its meeting yesterday the board agreed that we would not increase the cash rate from its current level until progress was made towards full employment and that we were confident that inflation will be sustainably between 2 and per cent.

"This means that we are likely to be at the current level of interest rates for an extended period of time.”

4:19 pm March 19, 2020 Highlight

'Life is not like it was before'

The PM has reiterated that our reality has changed, saying Australians will have to "behave differently" for up to "six months".

"I understand people are anxious. But for the next six months we need to work together. So we do need to moderate our behaviour and understand things need to change. Life is not like it was before.

"But the phones still work, the hospitals still run, the shops are still open, the trucks are still getting to the shops. All of that is there.

"What we're dealing with here is a virus and it will slow the country down. It will mean people will have to self-isolate. It will mean we will have to behave differently and that will happen for quite a period of time — six months, I believe, based on the advice I have, at least.

"We can do it. I have no doubt we can do it. We have to apply ourselves to it and encourage others to do the right thing."