Six new cases of coronavirus confirmed in Tasmania
Six more people were diagnosed with coronavirus in Tasmania in the last 24 hours, taking the state's total to 28.
The Tasmanian health minister Sarah Courtney said all cases in the state have been linked to overseas travel or cruise ships.
The Tasmanian premier Peter Gutwein this morning has announced the closing of the borders to non citizens, saying people trying to arrive in the state will be "turned around".
"If you are travelling to Tasmania and it's non-essential travel, do not come. Do not get on the TT line. What we will do is turn you around and ask you to go back," Mr Gutwein, the premier of Tasmania said this morning.
Australia's coronavirus numbers reach 1882
The number of people diagnosed with coronavirus in Australia has now reached a staggering 1882.
In NSW, 149 people were diagnosed with the virus overnight, bringing the number of cases in the state to 818.
The state again recorded its biggest single day increase after yesterday, when 136 people were diagnosed with COVID-19 over a 24-hour period. In NSW 13 people are in intensive care, according to Kerry Chant, the state's Chief Medical Officer.
Gladys Berejiklian speaks with the media today. Picture: Supplied
In Victoria, there were 56 new cases of coronavirus recorded since Monday morning, according to premier Daniel Andrews. It takes state's total to 411.
The increased tally comes as the first full day of Victoria’s shutdown sees all schools closed, empty courts and most of the hospitality industry crumbling. Mr Andrews said the measures were tough, but they have to be in order to curb the spread of the deadly illness, and implored people to follow the isolation, social distancing and shut down rules.
–with AAP
Girl, 8, approached in her front yard in Hunter region
Police are appealing for information after a young girl was approached in the NSW upper Hunter region last night.
The girl, eight, told police she was in the front yard of her house in Scone when a man got out of a ute and grabbed her wrist. The alleged incident happened about 6pm yesterday.
The child pulled away and ran inside and told her mum, but the man had left the scene in his ute, according to police.
The man is described as being Caucasian, about 40 years old, with a thin build, short brown hair and a tattoo on his right hand. At the time he was wearing a red shirt and green shorts. He left the scene in a red ute.
Police are appealing for anyone with information to contact Muswellbrook Police, or Crime Stoppers.
In a direct address to the nation, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has told the people of the UK they are to stay at home.
"No Prime Minister wants to enact measures like this," as he announced a raft of directives, that included all public gatherings being banned, and telling people to stop visiting friends and family members.
“Without a huge national effort to halt the growth of this virus, there will come a moment when no health service in the world could possibly cope; because there won’t be enough ventilators, enough intensive care beds, enough doctors and nurses," Johnson said.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson addresses the people of the UK. Picture: Supplied
“And as we have seen elsewhere, in other countries that also have fantastic health care systems, that is the moment of real danger.
“To put it simply, if too many people become seriously unwell at one time, the NHS will be unable to handle it – meaning more people are likely to die, not just from coronavirus but from other illnesses as well. So it’s vital to slow the spread of the disease.”
Johnson said people can still use public parks to exercise but if they gather in public they'll be moved on. Weddings, baptisms and other public gatherings are now banned, and retail shops including electronics and clothing stores have also been shut down.
A man has been charged after a child was allegedly stabbed in the chest in north west NSW overnight.
Officers were told a man, 24, was outside a home at Hamilton Place in Bourke when he allegedly stabbed a boy, 12, in the chest twice. The alleged attack occurred about 6pm.
The boy was taken to Bourke Hospital and treated before he was flown to the Children's Hospital and Westmead in Sydney. He remains at the hospital in a stable condition, according to NSW Police.
Police arrested a man about 6.45pm yesterday and he was taken to Bourke Police Station and charged with wound person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
The Mt Austin man has been refused bail. He will appear in Bourke Local Court today.
A man has been charged after a child was allegedly stabbed in the chest at Bourke overnight.https://t.co/8icxYOy7j1
A National Australia Bank employee whose apparently fake coronavirus test result led to an evacuation at the bank’s Melbourne head office has reportedly been sacked.
NAB‘s chief people officer Susan Ferrier emailed staff on Monday to tell them the worker at the Bourke St building had falsified their positive result for a COVID-19 test on March 17.
An employee at NAB was sacked after they lied about having contracted the coronavirus. Picture: James Ross/AAP
“We have since determined the testing information provided by the colleague appears to have been falsified,” she wrote, according to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
“The colleague subsequently undertook a test which was negative. Reflecting the severity of this matter, the colleague will not be returning to NAB.”
Last Monday, after the staffer lied about receiving the false positive test, NAB employees were evacuated from the head office building in Melbourne, over fears they'd been exposed to the potentially deadly virus.
Ms Ferrier apologised for the uncertainty and stress caused by the situation.
The headquarters, in Melbourne's docklands, is the workplace to about 6000 NAB staff.
–AAP
WA Border Force will monitor cruise ship as it refuels
West Australian police and Australian Border Force officers are on alert ahead of the arrival of the cruise ship Magnifica at Fremantle Port, to make sure no-one leaves the vessel.
Premier Mark McGowan says no one will be allowed ashore when the vessel docks to refuel following its arrival about at 5am on Tuesday, amid fears at least 250 of more than 1700 passengers are suffering upper respiratory illness. But ship Operator MSC denies any crew or passengers on the ship, which departed Italy in January and is on its way to Dubai, have respiratory or flu-like illnesses.
“There is no evidence to suggest anyone onboard may be infected with COVID-19,” the company said.
Mr McGowan has confirmed both police and border guards will monitor the Magnifica to make sure no one tries to disembark.
The government claims the vessel has given inconsistent reports about the health of its passengers.
The slow-moving ship was just west of Rottnest Island around 3am and was on track to swing southeast before heading to Fremantle Port.
Meanwhile, WA will clamp down on all interstate road, rail and port traffic and order all interstate arrivals to isolate for 14 days from 1.30pm on Tuesday.
On Monday, Health Minister Roger Cook said the state had 20 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 140.
Two people are in hospital in a critical condition.
–AAP
Man critical after being attacked in his bedroom with guitar
Picture: NSW Police
Picture: NSW Police
Police are investigating after a man and woman were assaulted inside their bedroom in Sydney's inner west yesterday morning, leaving the man fighting for his life.
The man and woman were sleeping in their bed in an apartment on Wharf Road in Gladesville, at about 8.25am, when they were woken by a man who climbed through the bedroom window, and stood beside the bed.
The intruder then grabbed a guitar inside the room and hit the man over the head before he ran from the unit. The man, 36, suffered a critical head injury and was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery.
The man remains in intensive care. The woman, 31, also at the home was not injured during the home invasion.
Police are now seeking help from the public to find a man they believe can assist with their inquiries. He's described as being of Caucasian appearance, between 30-35 years old, with light brown hair and a long beard.
Anyone with information is urged to come forward.
Londoners pack into trains despite social distancing advice
Photos have shown Monday morning trains in London were crammed full, despite workers being urged by the government to stay home if possible, and practice social distancing.
Despite the increasingly urgent warnings from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and health authorities in the UK, workers are still heading out each day in droves.
In the UK, 6650 people have tested positive for the coronavirus, and 335 have died.
Transport staff were angered by the large number of people using the transport network, despite being told by Johnson to avoid travel unless engaging in "critical" work. Those using the tube crammed into carriages, despite being warned that they're at risk of catching the coronavirus unless they practice social distancing.
Loads of people in London need to get to work. Mayor of london has a good idea let's lower the number of trains. this is the results!! pic.twitter.com/5KsWaeWpni
But workers have reportedly been bullied into continuing to commute and carry on working. Pictures also showed packed buses.
It comes after London Mayor Sadiq Khan and the Government warned people not to use public transport unless their job was critical to fighting the coronavirus crisis.
In the city the number of available transport services has been slashed to accomodate for more people working from home.
As part of a further plan in the city to battle spread of the coronavirus, some train stations in the city will be completely shut down for an indefinite period.
A father has revealed his tragic final call with his 16-year-old son before he died in a horrific crash in Buxton that claimed the lives of four other local children.
