Coronavirus Australia live updates: WA Premier slams 'selfish, irresponsible' traveller

A Rio Tinto contractor has been slammed after testing positive for COVID-19 on his return from a Bali trip.

Premier Mark McGowan has slammed the state's only local new COVID-19 case as "selfish and irresponsible".

The third case is a male Rio Tinto contractor who recently travelled to Bali.

"It's pretty selfish and irresponsible to have travelled to Bali in the circumstances we knew we were facing during the March period," the Premier said at a press conference today. "The people who did that make me angry that they now come home and bring these problems."

RELATED: Follow more coronavirus news

There are more than 6500 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Australia, with 2936 in New South Wales, 1319 in Victoria, 1014 in Queensland, 435 in South Australia, 544 in Western Australia, 188 in Tasmania, 103 in the Australian Capital Territory and 28 in the Northern Territory.

The death toll stands at 69, after four more deaths were recorded today. 

Follow our live, rolling coverage below.

Updates

9:49 pm April 18, 2020 Highlight

Queen Elizabeth cancels birthday plans

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth will not celebrate her 94th birthday in any special way and has asked that there be no gun salutes to mark the occasion because it would not be appropriate while the country battles a deadly coronavirus outbreak.

Britain is at or near the peak of an outbreak in which more than 14,000 people have already died – the fifth highest national death toll of a pandemic linked to at least 150,000 deaths worldwide.

Ceremonial gun salutes, in which blank rounds are fired from various location across London, are typically used by the royal family to mark special occasions such as anniversaries and birthdays.

The Queen’s birthday is on April 21.

The Queen was keen that no special measures were put in place to allow gun salutes as she did not feel it appropriate in the current circumstances, a royal source said.

It is believed to be the first such request in the Queen’s 68-year reign. Britain is in its fourth week of a national lockdown, with businesses forced to close and citizens ordered to stay at home.

Earlier this month, the country’s longest-serving monarch made an exceptional address to the nation, promising “Better days will return.” Buckingham Palace last month said a parade to celebrate the Queen’s official birthday, which is celebrated in June, would not go ahead in its traditional form in light of restrictions on social gatherings.

– Reuters

9:08 pm April 18, 2020 Highlight

Tasmania triples testing to fight outbreak

Tasmania will triple its COVID-19 testing capacity in coming weeks as the state fights to contain an outbreak in the north west.

State and federal health ministers Sarah Courtney and Greg Hunt on Saturday announced a partnership to boost testing capacity, with mobile testing clinics to be set up in the north west and west coast from early next week.

The initiative comes as the island recorded its eighth coronavirus death on Saturday – a 74-year-old man, formerly a patient of the North West Regional Hospital, but who died in the Mersey Community Hospital.

The statewide number of confirmed cases stands at 184.

“We encourage people with flu-like symptoms to come forward and get tested,” the joint statement by Mr Hunt and Ms Courtney read.

“If in doubt, test.”

Meanwhile the Australian Defence Force re-opened the North West Regional Hospital on Saturday after completing a deep clean of the entire hospital over a number of days.

Medical professionals flown in from other states earlier this week will now run the hospital’s emergency department while local staff complete two weeks of isolation mandated last weekend because of the outbreak.

Lamenting the latest coronavirus death in his state on Saturday, Premier Peter Gutwein said: "We are taking every measure that we can."

More than 500 aged care residents and staff were tested for COVID-19 on Friday with results expected soon.

The blanket testing at the three facilities happened as a result of a healthcare worker who attended all three locations and then later tested positive for the virus.

Tasmanian police said on Saturday evening they had spent the day patrolling the Frankford, Bass and Lyell highways, as well as suburban streets and business districts.

More than 300 vehicles have been stopped in the past 24 hours and police said they had found most people were “trying to do the right thing”.

– Andi Yu

6:39 pm April 18, 2020 Highlight

Women caught on camera attacking Chinese students

Victorian police are on the hunt for two white women believed to be part of a gang that allegedly attacked a pair of Chinese students in Melbourne earlier this week.

The two University of Melbourne students were walking on Elizabeth St around 5.30pm on Wednesday when they were allegedly bashed and robbed.

The women were reportedly verbally abused and told to “go back to China”, before two other women allegedly punched and kicked them, dragging one to the ground.

A man at the scene but not involved in the attack allegedly stole one of the victim’s wireless headphones as well.

The pair were left with minor physical injuries.

Read the full story here.

5:19 pm April 18, 2020 Highlight

11,000 stranded Aussies need help getting home

Labor Senator Penny Wong has demanded the 11,000 Australians stranded overseas due to widespread coronavirus lockdowns be brought home immediately.

In a scathing attack on the government, Senator Wong said “enough is enough” for the thousands of people who have registered for consular support, stuck abroad with no commercial flight options available.

“Today marks one month since the Australian Government changed its travel advice to ‘Do Not Travel’ but it still has no coherent plan to repatriate those who have been stranded overseas,” Senator Wong, the Opposition’s foreign affairs spokesperson, said.

“They’ve spent the last month emptying their bank accounts on commercial flights that have been cancelled, while watching citizens of other countries rescued by their governments.”

Read the full story here.

4:30 pm April 18, 2020 Highlight

WA Premier slams 'selfish, irresponsible' traveller

Western Australia has recorded three new cases COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, taking the state's total to 544.

Premier Mark McGowan said this includes two cases from the Artania cruise ship, which left WA shores earlier today.

The third case is a male Rio Tinto contractor who recently travelled to Bali.

"It's pretty selfish and irresponsible to have travelled to Bali in the circumstances we knew we were facing during the March period," the Premier said. "The people who did that make me angry that they now come home and bring these problems."

He confirmed the man had self-isolated upon returning.

“He returned from Bali on a holiday and has obviously acquired the illness there. We are doing everything we can to track down who he has been in contact with but I just want to reiterate, all of those people who went to Bali were selfish and jeopardised the health and well-being of other Western Australians."

Mr McGowan says the man was tested by Rio Tinto prior to his return to work.

4:22 pm April 18, 2020 Highlight

93-year-old resident dies at Newmarch House

Anglicare has put out more details about the death of a Newmarch House resident, as reported earlier today.

"We are very saddened to inform that a 93-year-old male resident of Newmarch House, who was positive for COVID-19 and already suffering multiple serious health issues, has passed away this morning," it said in a statement.

"The resident’s cause of death will be formally confirmed in the coming days.

"The resident’s relatives have been informed.

"All Newmarch House residents were notified as were all staff. All relevant authorities have also been notified.

"Thank you to the Australian and NSW Health Departments in supporting us throughout this difficult time.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the grieving family through this very distressing time."

4:19 pm April 18, 2020 Highlight

Virus shield for those with disability

The more than four million Australians with disability in Australia have been assured of their safety during the coronavirus pandemic through their reduced exposure to the virus, while maintaining essential services.

The National Cabinet agreed on Thursday to a management and operational plan for people with disability during the crisis.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said the practical and comprehensive plan will save and protect some of Australia’s most vulnerable.

“Some people with disability are significantly more at risk of adverse health outcomes if they become infected with coronavirus than the general population,” Mr Hunt said in a statement on Saturday.

“This plan will ensure our support is joined up for these at risk groups."

The plan addresses factors such as the reliance on close contact with carers and support workers, having a compromised immune system, and the presence of multiple underlying health conditions.

Social Services Minister Anne Ruston said an advisory committee with expertise across the health and disability sectors and people with lived experience, including Disability Discrimination Commissioner Ben Gauntlett, had overseen development of the plan.

"All governments, the disability sector and the community play a role in minimising the risk of harm and protecting the rights of people with disability. This Plan provides us with the framework to do this during the pandemic,” Senator Ruston said in the joint statement.

– Colin Brinsden, AAP

4:08 pm April 18, 2020 Highlight

South Australia records zero new cases

South Australia has recorded zero new COVID-19 cases.

The state's total remains at 435.

3:34 pm April 18, 2020 Highlight

Australia has conducted over 400,000 tests

Australia has conducted over 400,000 COVID-19 tests to date, Prof Kelly said.

“We reached a milestone, we now have over 400,000 tests that have been done here in Australia, and so again, by sheer numbers, we are doing a lot of testing.

"But one of the challenges that was put back to the Australian health committee from the national cabinet on Thursday was for us to continue to look and consider what our testing strategy should be into the future."

He said authorities are now developing a "surveillance plan" to see testing expanded.

3:26 pm April 18, 2020 Highlight

Coronavirus 'can affect any of us'

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly says the death of a man in his 40s is a reminder that COVID-19 "can affect any of us".

The man, who was a crew member on the Artania cruise ship, was the youngest fatality on Australian shores.

"While it is true to say that the majority of cases – over 80 per cent – are mild, some of them can be very severe," he said from Canberra today.

"We still have 55 people across Australia in intensive care right now, some of those have been ventilated, some of them extremely sick, and now this young man has passed away.

"These are really strong reminders for us why we are taking this disease seriously and why, indeed, the whole world is taking this pandemic seriously."

The Artania cruise ship left WA earlier today.