As the day unfolded: Boris Johnson tests positive for COVID-19, Scott Morrison upgrades self-isolation restrictions for travellers

Goodnight and thank you for following the Herald's live coronavirus coverage. The United States became the new world leader in coronavirus cases and posted its biggest spike in unemployment claims in history, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tested positive for COVID-19, and Australia's number of cases surpassed 3000.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said COVID-19 cases in NSW are still increasing, and authorities are most concerned about community transmission. She reinforced reports that NSW was prepared to go it alone with tougher lockdown measures.

Randwick City Council will close Coogee Beach and eight eastern suburbs ocean pools from tomorrow, while Myer announced tonight it will close stores after this weekend and stand down 10,000 staff for at least four weeks.

Senior economics correspondent Shane Wright writes that Australia faces a deep recession or even a depression unless the Morrison government super-sizes any support package, with economists warning not enough money is being poured into the economy to save jobs.

Summarising developments in Canberra today, Eryk Bagshaw and Jennifer Duke report that schools will be effectively shut down after Easter but the national cabinet has held back on implementing an immediate wider lockdown.

The military will patrol hotels in Melbourne and Sydney filled with thousands of Australians returning, as the government tries to eliminate the threat of infections from locals coming home to escape the coronavirus crisis overseas.

Chief medical officers told Prime Minister Scott Morrison and state and territory leaders in a four-hour meeting on Friday that Australia was in a "unique position", with the majority of cases coming from returned travellers and limited evidence of significant community transmission.

We'll be continuing our free live coverage of the pandemic, both in Australia and overseas, in a new blog which you can read here. Thanks for joining us.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tested positive for coronavirus and has been forced into isolation during the worsening emergency in the United Kingdom.

In a video posted to Twitter, Johnson, aged 55, said he had developed mild symptoms and was tested on the advice on the country's chief medical officer.

He vowed to continue leading Britain's response to the pandemic via teleconferencing, however the diagnosis will raise questions about his recent contact with other officials and cabinet ministers.

Johnson is the first world leader to contract the virus. Prince Charles also tested positive earlier this week and is self-isolating in Scotland. Read more here.

Here are some of the latest developments from around the world:

• South Korea says it will block any passenger with even a mild fever from entering the country starting next week.
• A World Health Organisation representative in the East Mediterranean has warned coronavirus will be "catastrophic" in the region's war-torn countries.
• A 16-year-old French schoolgirl has become the youngest person in the country to die from COVID-19.
• Police in southern Finland began to block access and exit from the region, which includes capital city Helsinki.
• Russia's coronavirus caseload surpassed 1000 after it initially reported comparatively low numbers.
• Chinese leader Xi Jinping has told President Donald Trump that China "understands the United States' current predicament over the COVID-19 outbreak and stands ready to provide support within its capacity.
• Hungary's Prime Minister says restrictions on people leaving their homes will be enforced for two weeks.
• South Africa has announced its first two deaths from the coronavirus as the country's cases rise above 1000.

AAP

The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association has said more than 600 private hospital nurses have been stood down over the past 24 hours, and hundreds more could follow, after the federal government’s "bungled announcement" about non-urgent elective surgery.

Mr Morrison announced non-elective surgery would be suspended on Wednesday morning to preserve personal protective equipment, but national cabinet then decided to extend the deadline until April 1 after Health Minister Greg Hunt met with the private hospital sector that afternoon.

NSWNMA General Secretary, Brett Holmes, said the sector now had a situation where "more than 600 nurses are being forced to take accrued leave, or are scrambling to find another job elsewhere, before needing to join the queue for benefits".

Private hospitals will continue to perform non-urgent elective surgeries for another week.Credit: Glenn Hunt

"Wednesday’s announcement by the Federal Government to suspend all elective surgery, other than category 1 and urgent category 2 cases, sent shockwaves through private hospital sector nursing staff," he said.

"By Wednesday evening, the Federal Government conceded it had rushed the decision and subsequently postponed the changes until midnight on 1 April, but the damage was already done.

"With little time to negotiate logistics around the distribution of any resources to the public hospital sector, private hospital employers have taken the drastic step of laying off their highly skilled, lifesaving workforce in the middle of a global health crisis. It’s unspeakable."

Charities are set to receive more than $100 million in federal relief as Social Services Minister Anne Ruston announces she is working on a package to bail out the sector.

Not-for-profit organisations say they are stretched to breaking point, with volunteer bases decimated due to health concerns as demands on their services continue to grow under the pressure of the coronavirus outbreak.

Dozens of Vinnies op-shops have closed their shops down.Credit: Dean Sewell

Food delivery charity OzHarvest is among a coalition of non-profits who have called for a government bail-out of the sector, which makes up 10 per cent of the workforce, and 8000 organisations handling emergency and relief services, such as housing and mental health crisis intervention.

A spokesperson for Ms Ruston said the minister was developing a package to support charities and other community organisations. Government sources speculate the relief will be valued at more than $100 million.

OzHarvest founder Ronni Kahn said the volume of food being made available to the charity was fluctuating, with 25 per cent less coming from supermarkets - who have had to impose restrictions due to panic buying - but more now coming from cancelled events and as a result of hospitality sector closures.

St Vincent de Paul Society NSW CEO Jack de Groot said their elderly volunteer base, with an average age of 72, had been greatly diminished, leading to 50 Vinnie's op-shops around the state to close in one day.

Read more here.

A 16-year-old French schoolgirl from the Essonne region has become the youngest person in the country to die from COVID-19.

The girl, called Julie and whose surname has not been revealed, was hospitalised Monday and died Tuesday evening at the Necker children's hospital in Paris.

Her older sister, Manon, spoke to the French press to warn that "we must stop believing that this only affects the elderly. No one is invincible against this mutant virus."

Manon said that Julie had no pre-existing illness before contracting coronavirus.

She recounted that Julie had a "slight cough" last week and when it worsened this weekend, they saw a doctor - from when the virus accelerated at a "violent" pace.

Even though the death rate from the virus among young people is low, France's public health body has said that 35 per cent of intensive care patients are under 60.

A 21-year-old woman died of the virus in Britain on Tuesday.

AAP

As the country's peak business body today joined the trade union movement, Labor and the Greens in backing an 80 per cent wage subsidy for workers whose jobs are at risk because of the coronavirus pandemic, you might be wondering: how does it work?

The subsidy proposed by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is modelled on a similar scheme introduced in the United Kingdom.

Europe correspondent Bevan Shields explains how it works, and why British Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Prime Minister Boris Johnson stunned the country when they revealed the plan. The scheme is so huge in scope and generous by comparison that it would even win praise from self-declared socialist Bernie Sanders and some of Britain's most influential union leaders.

Pubs have been forced to close and cafes and restaurants are take-away only, prompting businesses to stand down thousands of staff.Credit: Edwina Pickles

The British government would cover 80 per cent of the wages of millions of affected workers – provided companies keep staff on the books rather than fire them as the pandemic worsens and a government-enforced lockdown strangles the economy.

The scheme has two key intentions: to support workers during the crisis but to also retain the crucial connection between worker and employer so that the eventual reopening of the economy is as swift as possible.

It applies to anyone who has been asked to stop working but remains on the payroll. Companies will pay those workers 80 per cent of their standard wage, and that will then be reimbursed by the government. The payments are capped at £2500 ($5000) per month, per employee, and will be backdated to March 1.

Read more here.

Singapore and Malaysia have launched economic stimulus packages to shore up their economies from the devastating impact of the fast-spreading coronavirus.

And Indonesia has reported 153 new infections, its largest single-day rise, with the total number of cases reaching 1046 people and the number of deaths reaching 87, which is the highest for any country in the region.

Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat annoucing a major new economic stimulus package.Credit: EPA

Singapore's $55 billion stimulus package, the second the country has announced after $9 billion in measures last month, mean the government is spending close to 11 per cent of GDP to keep the island nation running, while Malaysia's Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced a package worth $95 billion.

The number of coronavirus cases in Singapore has risen to 594, which includes 422 active cases and 172 people who have been discharged.

Malaysia has now reported 2031 positive cases, with 23 deaths and 215 patients having been treated and discharged.

The Philippines has reported 707 confirmed cases and 45 deaths - the second highest in south-east Asia - and the rate of testing in south-east Asia's second most populous country remains low.

Thailand, which announced an economic stimulus package several weeks ago and which has shut its borders to foreigners except for those in transit, has reported 1136 cases, including 91 new cases on Friday. Five people have died and 97 people have been discharged.

Read more here.

Department store owner Myer has announced that it will shut all of its stores from Sunday and will focus on online sales only.

The company said in a statement to the stock exchange on Friday evening that it would stand down 10,000 staff.

Myer will close all stores for four weeks.Credit: Eamon Gallagher

It said the shut down of its stores will take place over an initial period of four weeks until April 27, 2020.

“As team members will not be working they will not be paid during this period of imposed closure. Full time and part time members have greater flexibility to access their annual leave and long service entitlements in addition to government assistance measures,” the company said in its statement.

Myer has been struggling financially for a couple of years and the shut down of its stores follow the closures of a range of retail outlets, most notably those owned by billionaire Solomon Lew’s Premier Investments – which includes the Just Jeans, Dotti, Peter Alexander and Smiggle brands.

Sydneysiders will be banned from Coogee Beach and eight eastern suburbs ocean pools from tomorrow as the local council tries to limit public gatherings to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

Randwick City Council will indefinitely close Coogee Beach, 57 outdoor playgrounds, all its ocean pools, basketball courts and skate parks from Saturday onwards.

Mayor Danny Said said that the full closure of nearby Bondi, Tamarama and Bronte breaches was likely contributing to the increased attendance of beach-goers at Coogee.

People sit beside a closed Bondi Beach on Friday afternoon.Credit: Cole Bennetts

Other beaches including Clovelly and Maroubra will remain open and be monitored daily, but the council will close them if the number of people exceeds or is expected to exceed 500.

"We are still seeing large numbers of people visiting Coogee Beach and surrounds," Mayor Danny Said said.

"These closures are designed to encourage people to stay at home. Now’s not the time to be visiting public spaces, especially with children. Let’s all do our bit to reduce the spread and limit the impact of the coronavirus."

The eight ocean pools in the Randwick area to close are:

• Wylies Baths, Coogee
• McIver’s Ladies Baths, Coogee
• The Geoff James Pool, Clovelly
• Ross Jones Memorial Pool, Coogee
• Giles Baths, Coogee
• Ivor Rowe Rockpool, Coogee
• Mahon Pool, Maroubra
• Malabar Ocean Pool, Malabar