Coronavirus Australia live updates: Aussie woman deported from China
China will deport an Australian national because she broke her mandatory two-week quarantine.
- Medicine limits ordered
- Tasmania tightens borders
- Qantas ends international flights
- Police to patrol supermarket aisles
- UK schools shut ‘indefinitely’
Welcome to live coverage of the continuing coronavirus crisis. Scott Morrison has tightened border controls, banning non-citzens from entering Australia.
Angelica Snowden, Heidi Han 10.32pm: China to deport Australian woman
China will deport an Australian national because she broke her mandatory two-week quarantine, the Beijing Public Security Bureau said on WeChat.
#China is deporting an #Australia national for breaking her 14-day quarantine, state media quotes Beijing police. Chinese Australian woman had gone for a jog w/o a mask after returning from overseas. No obvious symptoms. Her employer @Bayer dismissed her. https://t.co/ddDAULEoYq
— Eunice Yoon (@onlyyoontv) March 19, 2020
It was reported that a 47-year-old woman went for a jog without a mask after she returned from overseas.
The message said that the woman worked for Bayer Healthcare and was reported to the Chaoyang Public Security Bureau after she “refused to cooperate with the community epidemic prevention work”.
The Australian woman had her work visa cancelled after it was reported that police arrived to find her “emotional” and said she obeyed the strict quarantine rules.
The deportation order came after a video showing the woman refusing to be quarantined at home went viral on Chinese social media.
In the video, when an officer told her that she had to stay at home according to Beijing’s quarantine rules on new arrivals from overseas, the woman yelled back: “I want to run outside. Go call your supervisor. Don’t harass me.”
Major cities in China have tightened up screening of overseas travellers, including returning Chinese nationals and students.
Angelica Snowden 10.05pm EU’s Brexit negotiator tests positive
Michel Barnier, the Chief EU negotiator for Brexit, has tested positive for coronavirus.
I would like to inform you that I have tested positive for #COVID19. I am doing well and in good spirits. I am following all the necessary instructions, as is my team.
— Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) March 19, 2020
For all those affected already, and for all those currently in isolation, we will get through this together.
In a tweet on Thursday night (AEDT) Mr Barnier, 69, said he was “doing well and in good spirits”.
“I am following all the necessary precautions, as is my team,” he wrote.
“For all those affected already, and for those currently in isolation, we will get through this together.”
Mr Barnier has been in charge of negotiating the terms of Britain’s exit from the bloc since 2017.
Angelica Snowden 8.55pm Worst crisis to hit aviation: Joyce
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has described coronavirus as the “worst crisis” to hit the aviation industry.
“I know for the economy it’s probably going to be a lot worse than the GFC,” Mr Joyce told the ABC program 7.30 on Thursday night.
The Qantas chair and other senior executives will work unpaid for the rest of the year, Mr Joyce confirmed.
“We’ve said myself, Richard, all my direct reports, and the entire board, will not be taking any pay until at least the end of June,” he said.
Australians urgently trying to return home from overseas will be allowed to fly home on a “strategic network”, Mr Joyce said after announcing two-thirds of his workforce would be stood down and international flights suspended.
The “work has disappeared” due to travel restrictions and this lead to 20,000 employees losing their jobs until the crisis eases, Mr Joyce said.
Staff would be allowed to use their leave to continue to be paid, My Joyce said. Others would be allowed to take four weeks of leave even if they don’t have any.
“We’re also talking to people like Woolworths. I have spoken to Brad Banducci this week and he thinks Qantas employees are ideal employees to have in loading shelves,” he said.
My Joyce said he could not say if domestic travel would also cease.
“You never say never because it depends on what restrictions are put on people travelling and we’ve seen in certain parts of the world — in Wuhan, in parts of Italy — a complete close-down of those regions,” Mr Joyce said.
“We have to be flexible to adapt to whatever circumstances we see and take dramatic action to make sure that we’re the last man standing, we’re the healthiest airline in the world.”
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Rosie Lewis 8.35pm Catholics split over services
Australia’s two largest Catholic archdioceses have introduced contradictory plans for public mass during the coronavirus outbreak, with Sydney opting to continue services of no more than 100 people while Melbourne has suspended them altogether.
Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher on Thursday asked that churches remain open “as far as possible”, though he acknowledged Sunday mass and Holy Week services may have to be stopped, celebrated privately and streamed online from St Mary’s Cathedral.
Under new directions from Archbishop Fisher, indoor mass or other church events expecting more than 100 attendees should be cancelled, postponed, ticketed, moved outside or split over numerous timeslots and venues to conform to the government’s rules on non-essential indoor gatherings.
No outdoor event can exceed more than 500 people.
“Priests have been granted permission to temporarily increase the number of masses and celebrate multiple Sunday masses as necessary to accommodate these changes,” Archbishop Fisher said.
“In cases where public masses have to be suspended, a dispensation from attending mass is granted and Catholics will be able to fulfil their Sunday mass obligation by setting aside some time for prayer at home, reading the scriptures of the day and watching mass on television or online.”
Archbishop of Melbourne Peter Comensoli announced on Wednesday the immediate suspension of public masses, encouraging people to offer private prayer.
Larger numbers than usual turned up for morning masses at Catholic churches across Melbourne on Thursday morning for St Joseph’s Day, when Christians honour the husband of Mary and foster father of Jesus Christ.
“I had to apologise and explain there would be no mass,’’ one parish priest told The Australian.
At one parish, the people spread themselves out around the church and said the rosary and special prayers to St Joseph.
“We might as well have had mass, even without holy communion,’’ one Catholic said.
The Parish priest replied: “I know, I know.’’
The archdiocese of Perth has also stopped public mass for a minimum of two weeks and the archdiocese of Brisbane announced Sunday mass would be called off but weekday mass would continue in line with the government’s guidelines.
Anglican dioceses have differed in their approaches after Tasmania suspending all public gatherings and church services. Nine more dioceses will follow suit in the next fortnight while others plan to continue at this time.
The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils has advised Muslims that Friday prayers should not be held in any mosque, prayer or other indoor facility.
“All mosques and prayer halls should immediately review the likely attendance of worshippers for congregational prayers and where more than 100 would normally attend to immediately cease those prayers,” AFIC said.
“All other activities held at mosques, prayers halls and Islamic centres that have the potential to bring groups of people together should be reviewed immediately and alternative arrangements introduced.”
The councils recommended moving classes or lessons online, limiting the number of people to fewer than 100, ensuring attendees are at least 1.5m apart and that hand sanitisers are supplied.
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Angelica Snowden 8.25pm Frydenberg refuses to rule out recession
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has refused to rule out a recession or depression caused by the coronavirus crisis.
“Of course this continues to evolve but it’s a massive one-in-100-year event and the economic impact is huge, not just for us here in Australia, but globally,” Mr Frydenberg told the ABC prgram 7.30 on Thursday night.
To support Australians who have lost their job or are facing redundancy, Mr Frydenberg said banks were working on a package to pause mortgage repayments.
“This is a team Australia moment,” he said.
Utility companies were also supporting Australians to pay bills with hardship arrangements.
“But of course everyone can do more. That’s why we’re working on our second package of measures,” Mr Frydenberg said.
“Everything is actually on the table”, including more cash payments in the next stimulus package, the Treasurer added.
“This second package will be designed to cushion the blow for Australians, particularly those who have lost their jobs, but also for those small businesses who are facing this very, very difficult moment.”
On panic-buying, the Treasurer said the government had created a working group with large retailers and the ACCC to manage supply chains to ensure food will be restocked in supermarkets.
“People need not to panic about having enough food on the table,” he said.
“We produce enough food for 75 million people. Yet we’re a country of 25 million people and yet some of that behaviour we’ve seen at our supermarkets has been very unbecoming.”
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Victoria Laurie 8.15pm First community-spread case in WA spike
Western Australia has experienced the highest jump in COVID-19 cases overnight, with 17 new sufferers on Thursday, as the state Health Minister has confirmed the first community-spread transmission.
It means the state has entered a new phase in its virus infection profile, since previously all positive cases were believed to be people who caught the virus outside the.
The first community transmission case appears to be a Perth healthcare worker who was tested on Tuesday.
“We are now transitioning to a new phase in terms of its progression through our community,” Health Minister Roger Cook said.
“We always knew that this would happen and we are prepared.”
He also confirmed the first case in regional WA had been recorded in the state’s southwest, where the first regional COVID-19 clinic has just opened in Bunbury.
In the biggest single jump overnight in positive cases in WA, the 17 include 10 men and seven women aged from their 20s to their 70s.
Four individuals had travelled from Britain, France, New Zealand, the US and Europe, including Italy.
Mr Cook said it was not known where 12 of the new cases were contracted.
Two of the cases are healthcare workers. One of them, a physician, worked at Fiona Stanley Hospital and also St John of God Hospital’s Ursula Frayne Centre. He was asymptomatic on Monday but developed a dry cough that night.
The physician had contact with three patients and 13 colleagues at Fiona Stanley Hospital.
Contact tracing is underway for 12 patients at Ursula Frayne Centre, which is a secure mental health ward for older adults, and one patient in a rehabilitation unit.
The other infected healthcare employee is a nurse who returned from overseas on Monday and did not go to work, immediately self-isolating.
Australian Medical Association WA president Andrew Miller urged the government to advise the public of its plan in light of the case spike, saying that would reduce anxiety.
“Tell us what you know ... What are the measures that we’re going to introduce and what will trigger that?”
“WA Secondary School Executives Association president Armando Giglia said the absentee rate at high schools was 15-20 per cent — double the usual rate.
The State School Teachers’ Union of WA is calling for action to protect the health of staff and students, including a significant increase in cleaning hours, and swift restocking of soap and hand sanitiser.
The unions said it expected any teacher in a high-risk group, either due to age or underlying health conditions, would be allowed to take leave or work from home.
Additional reporting: AAP
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Tessa Akerman 7.56pm Richmond pub kicks against AFL gloom
At the end of the last AFL season, the Swan Hotel in Richmond was overflowing with fans in black and yellow scarves, tops and face paint celebrating their premiership.
On Thursday night the pub had enough empty tables to keep patrons a metre apart as they waited for the 2020 season to kick off.
University students Holly Welch, 19, Emily Patrikakos, 19, and Emily Jong, 20, came to the pub to watch their team in the round-one game against Carlton in an emtpy MCG, support local business and make sure there was no truth to the conspiracy theory that Australia may run out of all beer except Corona.
“It’s eerie,” Ms Jong said.
The trio weren’t worried though about how their team would fare without an audience.
“They’re still going to smash it,” Ms Welch said. “I’m hoping more people rock up (to the pub). If they don’t it will be disappointing. “
Ms Patrkakos said the isolation would be good for her bank account and she hoped the footy would continue.
“I think that they will continue it because of their conference yesterday,” she said, referring to the meeting of AFL bosses who decided to let the 2020 season kick on.
“I don’t think they will let the crowds in for about two months at least, though.”
General manager Cameron Johns said he overcame doubts about whether to open the famous pub.
“We would probably not open if the footy wasn’t on,” he said.
“I think having something positive to think about is probably the benefit.”
The crowd on Thursday will help determine whether the pub remains open, but Mr Johns said he was optimistic.
“People want to come here and have a good pub meal and support their local business and enjoy the first round of the footy,” he said.
Further restrictions such as personal distances of up to 4m would close the Swan, he claimed.
“I’ve had to lay off staff who have worked for me for two or three years,” he said. “It’s not a great feeling.”
Mr Johns said pubs picked up business during the Great Financial Crisis a decade ago.
“This is totally different,” he said.
“I think off-licence bottle shops are probably more likely to get the spike,” he said.
“We are going through hardship.”
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Angelica Snowden 7pm Myer store closed as worker tests positive
A Myer store in Sydney’s northwest was closed after an employee tested positive for COVID-19.
It is understood a woman who works for a menswear brand at the Myer Castle Hill store has the coronavirus. She was working between March 11 and 17.
“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,” a Myer statement said.
“During this time, we will commence a full sanitisation of the store, and isolate associated team members.”
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Greg Brown 6.05pm Shorten breaks ranks on school closures
Bill Shorten is among Labor MPs who have broken ranks with party leader Anthony Albanese and premiers to argue in favour of the immediate closure of schools.
Labor MP Mike Freelander, a doctor from western Sydney, and Paterson MP Meryl Swanson told The Australian the closure of schools should not be delayed as the nation tries to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
The Australian understands Mr Shorten has argued the party should come out in support of school closures, leading to private criticism from senior opposition figures, given it was against the advice of Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy.
Tim Dodd 5.55pm Visit ban ‘doubles damage to education sector’
The ban on all foreigners entering Australia will nearly double the damage to Australia’s $40bn-a-year education export sector, an industry leader said.
Phil Honeywood, CEO of the International Education Association of Australia, said an unintended consequence of the ban would be to stop all international students coming to Australia to commence courses. It would also prevent those who are partway through their course from returning to continue their studies, he added.
The ban announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday meant there was little prospect of students coming from overseas for the second university semester, which starts in July-August, he said.
“At the start of the year I said this could be a $6bn-to-$8bn hit (on education exports). Now it could be up to $12bn,” said Mr Honeywood, who is also chair of the government-industry body co-ordinating the education sector response to the crisis, the global reputation taskforce.
“The first casualty of this will be our English-language sector. However, there are major implications for high schools, TAFES, universities and all other education providers.”
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Natasha Robinson 5.50pm Should Australian schools shut down?
Paul Garvey 5.40pm School denies outbreak rumour
One of Western Australia’s largest state schools has moved to assure parents amid swirling rumours of a coronavirus diagnosis.
Churchlands Senior High School emailed parents on Thursday to tell them it was “aware of information circulating through the school regarding a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the community”.
“I want to reassure you that when there is a known case of COVID-19 that poses a risk to our students and staff, the Chief Health Officer will inform our school and the Department as an urgent priority,” the email from associate principal Karena Shearing said.
“When this information has been received we will inform you of what actions we will be taking to ensure the continued health and wellbeing of your child. This information will be shared with you as a high priority.”
No school in WA has closed due to coronavirus, but schools across the state have experienced high levels of absenteeism as parents keep children at home.
Schools have made contingency plans for the virus, including for potential closures.
“Our current focus is on minimising and preventing transmission and making sure our school is prepared for a possible case,” the email said.
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Craig Johnstone 5.20pm Spike in Queensland cases
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Queensland has jumped dramatically as more and more people return home from overseas with the coronavirus.
Health Minister Steven Miles said there were 50 new confirmed cases of the virus — the state’s largest single-day jump — taking the total number of cases in Queensland to 144.
Most of these were in the urbanised southeast of the state, but there were cases to the north in Townsville, Cairns and Rockhampton, he said.
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the new cases included the first case in Cairns and a one-year-old baby.
Dr Young said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged over 50 were particularly at risk.
“If you don’t have a role in a remote indigenous community, don’t go there,” she said.
The Queensland government is operating 29 fever clinics where people who suspect they have contracted the virus can be tested.
Additional reporting: Sarah Elks
READ MORE: Aussie tourists to charter $300,000 jet to flee Peru after GoFundMe campaign
Ewin Hannan 5pm: More workers face stand-downs
In the wake of Qantas standing down 20,000 workers, Attorney General Christian Porter has warned Australians to brace for similar moves by other big companies.
“It is an unfortunate reality that this will not be the only announcement of this type we see from major Australian companies affecting large groups of employees,” he said.
Mr Porter, who is also Industrial Relations Minister, said the Qantas decision was “regrettable but understandable given the unprecedented situation the world faces as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic”.
He said Qantas was ensuring affected workers would have access to paid leave entitlements, both annual and long service leave with flexibility to take leave at half pay and early access to long service leave.
Staff with low leave balances would have access to an advance of leave of four weeks. “And while, as Qantas noted in its statement, periods of leave without pay will be inevitable for some employees, the airline is providing a good model for how to extend as much support and flexibility to its people given the unavoidable and unprecedented economic reality it now faces,” he said.
Mr Porter said the government had reduced waiting periods for access to relevant income support payments for people who cannot work because of the coronavirus outbreak and, it was “urgently” considering further flexibility in the welfare system.
“Australia has a strong social safety net which will provide income-support for those who do not have their own resources to draw on to meet essential living expenses,” he said.
The ACTU said the Qantas decision was a “devastating blow to these workers who keep Australian aviation functioning, at a time when they need their company and the government to support them”.
“It is not acceptable that one day after the airline industry was provided with a $715 million dollar taxpayer funded bailout package, Qantas has told its workforce that protecting their pay and their jobs is not central to its plans,” ACTU secretary Sally McManus and its president Michele O’Neil said.
“In every other country where taxpayer money is being used to assist industries we are seeing government, business and working people, through their unions, sitting at the same table to work out how best to protect jobs and business.
“In this case $715 million has been allocated and the companies appear to have been given free reign on how they use taxpayer money.
“Qantas has long claimed to be the ‘Spirit of Australia’. Now we are calling on Qantas to show it can be true to those words by ensuring its workforce have as much work as possible, receive paid leave and that their workers are supported during this time.”
They said it was unacceptable for Qantas to ask workers to donate their leave entitlements in order to pay their own way through the crisis without giving reassurances about job security and outlining how the company will support vulnerable members of its workforce.
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Adeshola Ore 4.45pm: Victoria cases rise
Victoria has recorded an additional 29 cases of coronavirus, bringing the state’s total to 150. The new cases include 17 men and 12 women, aged from their early 20s to their early 70s.
Most of the state’s cases have been clustered around metropolitan Melbourne, with five in regional Victoria.
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer, Professor Brett Sutton, warned the number of cases in the state would continue to climb.
“We are reviewing this rapidly evolving situation daily and continue to provide up-to-date information to the community,” he said.
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Adeshola Ore 4.35pm: NZ copies Australia’s border ban
New Zealand will ban non-residents entering the country from Thursday evening, joining Australia in closing its borders.
From 11.59pm on Thursday, only non-permanent residents and citizens will be able to enter the country.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the move on Thursday.
“I am not willing to make risks here,” Ms Ardern said. “The changes will also apply to countries in the Pacific, which were previously exempt.
“All of the cases of COVID-19 to date relate to people travelling here and bringing the virus with them.
“While the majority have been returning New Zealanders, that has not always been the case.
“Therefore we need to continue to make further decisions and further restrictions to limit the risk of people bringing the virus into New Zealand.”
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Richard Ferguson 4.15pm: Frydenberg hails RBA rate cut
Josh Frydenberg says the Reserve Bank’s emergency rate cut is an extraordinary measure for extraordinary times, and will help small and medium businesses to survive.
“What the Reserve Bank has endeavoured to do here is not only to increase the flow of credit,” he said in Canberra.
“But to incentivise the banks to even provide more money to the small and medium-sized businesses across the country - the hairdressers, the mechanics and all the other small businesses that form the backbone of the Australian economy.
“And finally, they are increasing the interest paid on exchange settlements. Now, all of these measures, as I said, are designed to do two things - to decrease the cost of credit and to increase its flow.”
The Treasurer has unveiled a $15 billion package to ensure small lenders continue to support small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic.
READ MORE: Banks bleed amid rate cut
Richard Ferguson 4.05pm: Border controls hardened
All foreign nationals will now be banned from entering Australia due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Scott Morrison has hardened the closure of the nation’s borders, after earlier this week forcing all new entrants into Australia to self-isolate for 14 days.
All Australian citizens, residents and direct family members will still be able to enter the country, but will have to self-isolate.
“We have already seen a significant reduction in the travel to Australia by non- citizens,” the Prime Minister said in Canberra.
“We believe it is essential to take a further step to ensure we are now no longer allowing anyone, unless they are a citizen or resident or direct family member.”
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Richard Ferguson 3.40pm: PM to discuss new economic measures
Scott Morrison is set to unveil a $15 billion package to ensure small lenders continue to support small businesses during the coronavirus pandemic and address the Reserve Bank’s historic emergency interest rate cut.
The Australian revealed on Thursday that the government was considering a loan guarantee to keep businesses afloat as part of the Prime Minister’s second-round economic rescue package.
Josh Frydenberg has said the $15bn move with enable customers of smaller lenders to still access credit during the crisis.
“Small lenders are critical to Australia’s lending markets, often driving innovation and providing competition for larger lenders,” the Treasurer said.
“This funding will complement the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA’s) announcement of a $90 billion term funding facility for authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs) that will also support lending to small and medium enterprises.
“Combined, these measures will support the continued ability of lenders to support their customers and in doing so the Australian economy.”
Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe has delivered an emergency rate cut to 0.25 per cent alongside a bond-buying program and a special funding facility for banks of at least $90 billion as the the RBA joined a global effort to help economies weather the financial and economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Adeshola Ore 3.15pm: Guard at detention centre tests positive
Refugees at a makeshift detention centre in inner Brisbane have been potentially exposed to coronavirus after a guard tested positive.
The guard had worked at a hotel in Kangaroo Point which houses refugees transferred from offshore detention to receive specialist medical treatment.
Australian Border Force said the guard’s last shift at the hotel was on March 7 and no refugees have so far tested positive to COVID-19.
“Plans have been established to manage any suspected cases of COVID-19,” it said in a statement.
“Detainees will be isolated and tested in line with advice from the Department of Health and the broader Commonwealth response.”
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Michael Roddan 3.05pm: Testing kit share spike investigated
The corporate watchdog is examining suspicious trading in TBG Diagnostics Limited, which was suspended from trade by the Australian Securities Exchange after its shares jumped 800 per cent amid huge trading volumes days before it gained regulatory approval for a coronavirus testing kit. Read more here
Mark Schliebs 2.55pm: Stranded Aussies eye chartered flight
A pair of Australians stranded in Peru are close to locking in a chartered plane from the US to get them and 187 other foreigners out of South America, launching a fundraising page to help cover the cost.
Victorian chef Emily Jennings, who was due to finish a month-long holiday today but has instead been in lockdown in the capital of Lima, said she and her best friend hoped to be flying out on the plane – which will cost nearly $300,000 – on Saturday.
She has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the costs.
“We’ve now spent the last 15 hours organising our own private charter, and we’re almost there,” Ms Jennings said in a phone call from Lima. “The private charter we’ve had to get to come over from America is a 189-seat plane.
“We’ve now been on the phone (and) Facebook pages with other people who are trapped here, trying to get them on board. So we’re almost there.”
She said they have unsuccessfully sought help from the Australian government and have been frustrated by the lack of assistance.
More than 100 Australians remain trapped in Peru alone. Many more are stranded across South America, Europe and parts of the Middle East following airport closures and the shutting of borders.
In Ecuador, Central Coast woman Delia Maria said she, her husband and two children have been trying to get out of South America since the panic-buying of goods in Australia began making headlines in the Spanish-language press last week.
“The country is in lockdown,” Ms Maria said. “They closed all airports without much notice. As soon as they did that the airlines cancelled their flights.
“Scott Morrison and DFAT and all consulates and embassies here in South America are not providing support.”
She said they had been saving money for two years so their children, aged 7 and 9, could make their first international holiday, meet family members for the first time and have a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Galapagos Islands.
Instead, they cancelled the Galapagos Islands tour and tried to fly back to Australia, to no avail.
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Patrick Commins 2.45pm: RBA makes historic move
Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe has delivered an emergency rate cut to 0.25 per cent as the RBA joins a global effort to help economies weather the financial and economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more here
Patrick Commins 2.30pm: Dollar bounces after rate cut
Reserve Bank governor Philip Lowe has delivered an emergency rate cut to 0.25 per cent as the RBA joins a global effort to help economies weather the financial and economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more here
Jill Rowbotham 2.15pm: Higher Education extension
Churchill Fellows have been granted a 12-month extension for their travel, projects and reports as the Churchill Fellowship Trust acknowledges the effect of the coronavirus on their plans. Of the six fellows who had departed, two have returned and the others are due in by Tuesday.
The annual fellowships are specifically travel-oriented, to enable recipients to study overseas to contribute to their field of knowledge in Australia.
When 115 fellowships were awarded in September, the recipients had 12 months from February this year to complete travel and work; the new deadline is February 2022.
Trust chief executive Adam Davey said any travel or other cancellation costs would also be absorbed. “The airlines have been very generous and the insurance has been great, so I think any extra costs will be very minimal,” Mr Davey said.
He said applications for the next round of fellowships, due by the end of April, were flowing as usual, despite the uncertain environment.
He did not anticipate any hitch to awarding the fellowships as usual in late September. This would effectively make 2021-22 a “double” year.
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Elias Visontay 2pm: Lambie lauds border ban
Federal Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie has praised the state government’s decision to all but close its borders to stop the spread of coronavirus from mainland Australia.
Senator Lambie said Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein’s announcement that all entrants to the state would have to self isolate for 14 days gave the island the possibility to “wash out” its 10 confirmed cases of the virus.
“I’m right beside Peter Gutwein in doing that,” Senator Lambie told Sky News via Skype.
“As the new Premier, to show courage and the guts that he’s just done by making that call, good on you.
She noted the ban would not shut health professionals out of the state and still allowed for trade to enter.
“We’ve got very little cases down here at this point in time. If we can wash them out as quickly as possible and if we can be virus free we can get back on our feet.”
She said if the state could contain the virus “very very quickly” it could maintain the ban, and said local Tasmanians would be able to eat out again and support local businesses.
Senator Lambie said shutting schools would be Tasmania’s “next option” if its border measures didn’t work, and called on Scott Morrison to act faster.
“We can either go in hard and fast and really have a good hit at this, or it’s just going to be a really long slow painful procedure that goes on for months and months. I think that’s what the Prime Minister needs to decide.”
Senator Lambie also called for coronavirus stimulus legislation to be passed quickly, without the need for parliament to sit – albeit in a limited capacity – next week.
READ MORE: Tasmania ramps up border control
Lachlan Moffet Gray 1.45pm: Wuhan breakthrough
China has, for the first time, recorded no new cases of coronavirus in Wuhan or the broader Hubei province, where the disease originated.
In the rest of the country, 34 new cases were reported, up from 13 yesterday – but still a considerable decline in the trend.
All of the new cases were imported, with 21 of them occurring in Beijing –
The country now has 80,928 cases and 3245 deaths.
Wuhan previously saw just one domestic transmission per day on Monday and Tuesday. The rest of Hubei province has had no new infections for almost two weeks. Li Lanjuan, the director of China’s State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases told China Daily on Thursday the city could be released from lockdown if no new cases are reported for 14 days.
“If no new case of the coronavirus has been reported for 14 consecutive days in Wuhan following the last reported case, we believe it will be the time when the lockdown can be gradually lifted,” Li told China Daily. “
We expect new cases will cease to appear in mid or late March.”
“After the lockdown is loosened, we still need to strictly carry out routine measures to prevent and control the virus to prevent a possible rebound of the outbreak.”
Wuhan, a city of 11 million and the capital of central Hubei province, has been locked down since the Lunar New Year festival in mid-January, and remains the only city still designated as “high-risk” in the province and subject to strict travel bans.
Globally, there are now 217,977 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 8800 deaths.
— With Reuters
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Gerard Cockburn 1.35pm: Luna Park shuts
Sydney’s Luna Park will close its doors until further notice, as coronavirus induced patron restrictions make it near impossible to continue operating the park.
Effective immediately, the theme park which sits at the northern end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge will cease operation until crowd number limits imposed by the federal government are lifted.
Private events under 100 people will still be able to operate within the park.
“In line with the federal government’s national response to COVID-19, Luna Park Sydney has ceased operations temporarily and is currently closed to the public,” a company spokesman said.
“The closure will not affect functions to be held at venues at the Park that cater for fewer than 100 patrons, as stipulated by the government.
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Lachlan Moffet Gray 1.10pm: Kiwis echo Australia ban
New Zealand has joined Australia in advising all residents not to travel anywhere overseas, the first time the nation’s government has ever issued such advice.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced made the announcement via an online statement on Thursday.
New Zealand has also banned indoor gatherings of more than 100 people. The restrictions, which are effective immediately, do not apply to workplaces, schools, universities, supermarkets and public transport.
New Zealand government raises its official travel advice to the highest level: do not travel anywhere overseas. This has never happened before. https://t.co/DtcdWxF92F
— David Capie (@davidcapie) March 19, 2020
“This is the first time the New Zealand Government has advised New Zealanders against travelling anywhere overseas,” Mr Peters said. “That reflects the seriousness of the situation we are facing with COVID-19.
“New Zealanders who travel overseas risk contracting COVID-19. At the same time, health care systems in many countries are under strain and do not have the capacity to support foreigners.”
Mr Peters has also urged all New Zealanders currently travelling overseas to consider returning home immediately.
“Borders are closing. You may not be able to return to New Zealand when you had planned to. You should therefore organise to come home now,” he said.
Earlier on Thursday New Zealand confirmed a further eight cases of coronavirus, bringing the total to 28. All of the cases had recently arrived from overseas and there has been no community transition detected currently.
READ MORE: No quick fix, Morrison warns
Yoni Bashan 1.05pm: Six-year-old among new NSW cases
The NSW chief health officer has confirmed another 40 cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed across the state, a slight reduction on previous figures released yesterday, bringing the total number of infections in NSW to more than 300.
But Dr Kerry Chant said most of those affected by the virus did not require intensive care in hospital – the vast majority of diagnoses continued to be mild and manageable in the community, she said, with six patients currently receiving ICU treatment.
“We are only admitting patients now that require hospital care,” Dr Chant said at a press conference on Thursday, adding that most patients were being managed in self-isolation at home.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters the state was focused on preventing the spread of the pathogen, but also fortifying the healthcare system for the “next phase” of contagion expected to arrive.
They spoke to the media from inside State Emergency Operations Centre, previously known as the NSW State Crisis Centre, where multiple agencies – including the NSW Police Force, Department of Education, Transport for NSW, and NSW Health – were working together in real-time against the virus.
It is the first time a co-ordinated disaster centre has been utilised for a healthcare emergency, rather than floods, fires and other natural disasters.
“We’re already focusing in a huge way on preparing the health system for the next phase that’s likely to occur,” Ms Berejiklian said.
Overnight, total cases in NSW increased from 267 to 307, with 70 cases under investigation and 46 cases now confirmed to have been locally transmitted. Dr Chant said the youngest infected patient was a six-year-old child; NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said other young cases included a 12-year-old and two teenage students who were previously diagnosed.
There have been five deaths in NSW and six nationwide.
Responding to questions, Ms Berejiklian echoed the Prime Minister’s remarks in relation to panic buying and hoarders, branding the behaviour “un-Australian” and unnecessary because supply chains remained in tact.
“Please stop that activity,” the Premier said. “It’s not necessary, it’s not needed and it’s very un-Australian. There is no need, absolutely no need, to panic buy or hoard.”
She said the NSW Planning Minister had also been in contact with a number of local councils to ease restrictions on delivery trucks that supply products to supermarkets; they will now be able to arrive on site outside of usual hours, such as when people are sleeping.
Dr Chant also issued a public health alert for an event held at the University of Sydney football ground on March 14, amid concerns that a large number of people may have interacted with a confirmed COVID-19 patient.
READ MORE: Morrison snaps out of his slumber
Elias Visontay 12.50pm: Panic buying sparks medicine limit
Australians will face new restrictions on how much medicine they can buy as health officials crack down on panic buying of pharmaceuticals.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly announced the measures on Thursday, including a limit of one unit of ventolin and paracetamol per customer.
Dr Kelly also said pharmacists would be limited to only supplying one month of certain prescription medication to customers.
“Please do not buy more than you need for anything, whether that’s food and particularly medicines,” he said.
“We have a very good system of knowing about medicine shortages in Australia and in fact it is incumbent on all medicine suppliers that they must tell us if there is a shortage now or shortly into the future. We have not had that from any suppliers.
“It seems local supply shortages have happened in particular pharmacies. For that reason we’ve been working closely today with the Pharmaceutical Guild and the PSA to make sure that that matter is dealt with. So we have today worked through with pharmacists that they will be required to limit dispensing of certain prescription products,” Dr Kelly said.
Dr Kelly also said children’s paracetamol would now only be sold behind the counter.
“Pharmacists in addition will be required to place children’s paracetamol formulations, the syrup and the like, behind the counter to assist in allocating supply.”
READ MORE: How coronavirus will kill globalisation
Tessa Akerman 12.40pm: Childcare centre closes in Melbourne
A childcare centre in Melbourne’s northeast has been closed after the parents of a child tested positive to COVID-19.
Guardian Childcare and Education East Ivanhoe Statement provided a statement to The Australian that the centre has been cleaned three times since the parents were last in the centre on Friday.
The centre said it immediately contacted the Department of Health Victoria and was advised that the risk of contracting the virus as the result of a pick-up or drop-off was low.
The centre also notified other parents at the centre.
One of the educators has also undergone testing for coronavirus but as of Thursday no educators have tested positive.
The centre will undergo another full disinfectant clean and the decision to re-open will be based on advice from the relevant Health Authority.
Several of the children also attend nearby Fairy Hills kindergarten which has been contacted for comment.
READ MORE: Students must learn to fly solo
Rosie Lewis 12.30pm: Plea for churches to stay open
Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher has asked that churches remain open “as far as possible” in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak while acknowledging that Sunday mass and Holy Week services may have to be suspended and streamed online from St Mary’s Cathedral.
Archbishop Fisher also revealed he had been in self-isolation and tested for the virus, with a negative result, as he issued new directions for mass, including that multiple masses can be held in a day to prevent gatherings of 100 or more people.
“The church is not immune,” he said. “I know the disruption and anxiety people are experiencing. “I ask that, as far as possible, churches remain open at this time to signal our continuing availability and as an incentive to private prayer.”
After Scott Morrison on Wednesday announced indoor gatherings of 100 people or more, indoor mass or church events of that size will be cancelled, postponed or split over more time slots and venues.
If the public celebration of mass is suspended, only priests will be required to attend Sunday mass.
“The faithful can keep holy their Sunday by setting aside some time for prayer at home, reading the scriptures of the day, watching mass on television or online, and asking God for the graces they would normally receive in holy communion,” Archbishop Fisher said.
READ MORE: Shipping quarantine ‘reckless’
Lachlan Moffet Gray 12.15pm: ‘No apologies’ for Tasmania call
The island state has shut its borders to non-essential travellers in an unprecedented move, declaring a state of emergency. Read more here
Patrick Commins 12.10pm: Little comfort in jobs figures
Unemployment was on a better than expected trajectory going into the coronavirus crisis. But that’s cold comfort now, say analysts. Read more here
Adeshola Ore 12pm: Labor calls for wage subsidies
NSW Labor is calling on state and federal governments to subsidise the wages of casual staff or workers who have lost work due to coronavirus.
Opposition Leader Jodi McKay said the state’s $2.6 billion stimulus package leaves many impacted workers behind.
“There are massive job losses coming in the retail, tourism, hospitality and arts/culture/entertainment sectors.”
“Thousands of families, casual workers and businesses asking themselves: How are we going to pay rent or mortgages? How are we going to buy essentials?”
Labor is calling on state and federal governments should work together to provide “a temporary wage replacement program” for casual or full time staff who have been left out of work.
READ MORE: AFL prepares for silent light show
11.55am: London set for shutdown
Boris Johnson is preparing to lock down London and has asked government departments to draw up lockdown plans as cases in the UK capital rocket to 621 – a third of the entire country’s total, The Times reports.
Tesco, London.
— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) March 18, 2020
Customer threatens to 'bring his friends' after they refuse to allow him to bulk buy water.
Supermarkets have imposed limits on the number of items that can be purchased.pic.twitter.com/0eYhRvU8iR
The measures could be introduced as soon as next week and see businesses closed and restrictions placed on travel. Under new emergency powers the government will be able to “close premises” and “restrict or prohibit events and gatherings” including halting cars, buses, trains and planes.
READ MORE: Schools closed in the UK
Ewin Hannan 11.40am: Low-paid workers face wage freeze
EXCLUSIVE
The restaurant and catering sector has called for the wages of 2.4 million low-paid workers to be frozen for “at least” 12 months due to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Restaurant and Catering Australia chief executive Wes Lambert said the Fair Work Commission should also consider delaying its national minimum wage deliberations by six months.
“Ultimately, with hundreds of thousands of businesses potentially closing due to the coronavirus, it’s a very difficult time for the Fair Work Commission to be deciding about wage increases,” he told The Australian.
“There are lots of pundits out there saying this is a one in a hundred year occurrence. I don’t disagree.”
The commission is currently receiving initial submissions and the next minimum wage decision is scheduled to take effect from July 1.
In a submission to the commission, the Restaurant & Catering Industrial Association said minimum and award wages should be frozen for at least a year.
Mr Lambert said 61 per cent of workers across the sector are casuals earning award rates but they are being stood down due to impact of the pandemic.
“It is not the best time for the Fair Work Commission to be considering wage increases. If it is going to be considered we are asking them to freeze it for at least 12 months.
“The priority is a job, the priority is not a wage increase.”
Master Grocers Australia, whose members include IGA, FoodWorks, Mitre 10 and The Bottle O, has also urged Fair Work to impose 12-month wage freeze on low-paid retail workers, claiming the coronavirus crisis could persist until 2021.
READ MORE: Qantas stops international flights
Adeshola Ore 11.30am: Cruise ship screened
Victoria’s Health Minister says a ship docked in Melbourne is undergoing coronavirus screenings and awaiting clearance from health authorities.
The Golden Princess, with more than 2000 passengers and crew members on board, is in a temporary lockdown.
“The advice that I have is that there are a number of passengers who are unwell,” Health Minister Jenny Mikakos told reporters on Thursday.
The Golden Princess docked but no one can get off yet pic.twitter.com/X2ono3eDGF
— Luke Dennehy (@LukeDennehy) March 18, 2020
“It’s not believed that it is COVID-19 related, that is the medical advice that I have received.”
Ms Mikakos stressed that if a test comes back positive, normal contact tracing and isolation procedures would be implemented for all on-board.
“Victoria Health wants guests to remain on the ship until the screening has been completed, and the results are known,” a statement from Golden Princess says.
“We have informed guests in an announcement on board that we realise this development is disappointing and unexpected but we will support health authorities because, like us, they are leaving nothing to chance when it comes to protecting public health.”
The passengers left Melbourne on March 10 on a scheduled 13-night cruise to New Zealand.
But their trip was cut short when Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a ban on cruise ships from foreign ports arriving in Australia.
Several other Princess cruise liners have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, including Diamond Princess which was locked down in Japan and the Grand Princess in the US.
— With AAP
READ MORE: These are the measures we need
Jessica Halloran 11.20am: AOC continues Tokyo planning
The Australian Olympic Committee will continue its planning and preparations for the Tokyo Olympic Games – but have made it clear athlete and official health and safety the major priority. Read more here
Lachlan Moffet Gray 11.10am: ‘Like a nuclear explosion’
The Archbishop of Canterbury has likened the coronavirus pandemic to a nuclear explosion – something that will have a destructive impact and a fallout that will last for years.
Speaking at Westminster Cathedral on Thursday, the titular leader of the world’s 85 million Anglicans, said that the economic impact of the virus could be “the final straw” for struggling communities across the United Kingdom.
“The crisis through which we are passing will change this nation in deep and unpredictable ways,” Archbishop Welby said.
“Like a nuclear explosion, the initial impact is colossal but the fallout last for years and will shape us in ways we can’t even begin to predict at the moment.
“For many of these (small towns) there has been decline for many years. COVID-19 may well be the last straw for some.”
READ MORE: Police to prosecute shelf-strippers
Adeshola Ore 11am: Melbourne Uni staffer tests positive
A University of Melbourne staff member has tested positive for coronavirus.
The university’s statement said the staff member was not unwell while on campus and has mild symptoms. They are at home self-isolating.
The staff member visited level 5 of a university building located at 207-221 Bouverie Street, Carlton, on March 13.
The university’s statement said it has contacted those in close contact with the staff member and advised them to self-isolate. The university has evacuated and begun disinfecting the building. The building will remain closed until March 23.
The university’s campus remains open, but it has cancelled face-to-face lectures with more than 500 students. Tutorials with more than 25 students will be delivered online from March 23. Tutorials with up to 25 students are continuing.
It has extended its mid-semester break, from one week to two weeks.
Non-essential gatherings, including graduations and social events have been cancelled, in line with federal government recommendations.
READ MORE: The changes we need now
Adeshola Ore 10.50am: ‘Quarantined’ family detained
A family of four has been de-boarded from a Delhi-bound train in India after they were spotted with quarantine stamps on their hands.
Indian media is reporting that the passengers were travelling on a train from Mumbai to Surat, having recently arrived home from Germany.
Fellow passengers on board raised the alarm to ticket inspectors on-board.
The government in Maharashtra, where Mumbai is located, has begun stamping the hands of people who are feared to have coronavirus.
The stamp reads “home quarantined” and shows the date when it was given.
READ MORE: Italy deaths rocket
Jared Lynch 10.40am: Casinos cut hours
As Las Vegas shuts all its casinos, Australia’s Star Entertainment is cutting gaming opening hours to allow more cleaning. Read more here
Adeshola Ore 10.30am: Self-isolation warning
National domestic violence organisation, Our Watch, has warned that self-isolation as a result of coronavirus could be dangerous for victims of partner violence.
The organisation’s CEO Patty Kinnersly said victims of domestic violence could find themselves isolated at home with a potentially violent partner.
“Home is not always a safe place for women in this situation, whilst work, public outings and catching up with friends can provide a refuge,” she said.
Ms Kinnersly said situations of high stress often exacerbate the underlying factors that cause domestic violence.
The organisation is urging anyone impacted by sexual assault or domestic violence to call 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732.
READ MORE: Premier says rethink school closures
Lachlan Moffet Gray 10.20am: US Congress’s first case
A member of the US Congress has tested positive for coronavirus – the first member of the American legislative to do so.
I'm feeling much better. However, it's important that everyone take this seriously and follow @CDCgov guidelines in order to avoid getting sick & mitigate the spread of this virus. We must continue to work together to emerge stronger as a country during these trying times. pic.twitter.com/g5W5vSQIyH
— Mario Diaz-Balart (@MarioDB) March 18, 2020
Republican Mario Diaz-Balart, from Florida, has revealed he recently tested positive for coronavirus after experiencing symptoms last Saturday.
The representative was last in Congress on Friday, entering self-isolation over the weekend.
Mr Diaz-Balart says he feels fine and has urged the country to work harder to contain the virus.
Last weekend President Donald Trump was tested for coronavirus after meeting with a Brazilian delegation consisting of infected individuals. He returned a negative result.
READ MORE: Trump’s plan to save the US economy
Lachlan Moffet Gray 10am: Victoria cases surge
Daniel Andrews has announced a “massive” funding boost for Victoria’s public hospital system as the number of cases in the state increased by 28 on Wednesday night, bringing the state total to 149.
Speaking to reporters in Melbourne on Thursday, Mr Andrews said that the state government would inject an additional $437 million into the public health system to deal with “the inevitable peak in cases of COVID-19”.
“This was approved last night, $437 million, which will mean extra beds open, there will be more equipment, there will be additional gloves and masks and gowns,” Mr Andrews said.
He said the state would utilise private clinics in the public system in an effort to increase capacity.
“For instance, Baxter House in Geelong, which had been a private hospital, that will be opened up as a COVID-19 clinic,” he said. “There will be beds, there will be other walk-in, walkout services as well.”
“The old Peter McCallum Cancer Centre, additional space will be opened up there for those patients that need care at lots of different levels, but particularly intensive care, high care. Bendigo Hospital, there’s space there. That will be commissioned and opened up to again provide support to those who will need healthcare at a critical time.”
Victorian health minister Jenny Mikakos said the funding would also allow for the purchase of more equipment and 269 extra public hospital beds.
“So, just in terms of beds, firstly, we will be bringing on 84 beds at the old Peter McCallum Hospital, as well as 45 beds at Bendigo Health. So, that’s a total of 129 beds, on top of the 140 beds that we’ve already announced at Casey Hospital,” she said.
“In addition to that, we know that we will see a significant increase in demand to our public hospital system, so this will also pay for the staffing, the other resources that we need to anticipate 45,000 additional emergency department presentations, 5000 additional hospital admissions, and 2000 additional admissions to intensive care units. And that’s just for the three-month period.
“More ventilators, more oxygen machines, more dialysis machines as well will be required, and hospital monitors. So, there’s a huge increase to the equipment that we’ve purchased, which effectively triples our intensive care unit capacity with this equipment that we will be receiving.
“In addition to that, a massive boost to the protection equipment that we have already announced a few days ago. We are going and buying further PPE equipment, 275 million pairs of gloves, 8.6 million face masks and 1.7 million gowns.
Also in Victoria, a cruise ship has docked at Melbourne and passengers are being kept on board to be tested for coronavirus.
The Golden Princess arrived at Port Melbourne on Thursday morning. Passengers have told media they are not allowed to leave the ship which had been turned away from New Zealand.
READ MORE: Backyard push to beat the rush
Lachlan Moffet Gray 9.45am: Tassie locals not exempt
Premier Peter Gutwein said Tasmanians returning home after Friday will not be exempt from the isolation requirement.
“In terms of Tasmanians that are returning to the state, those that come back to the state after midnight on Friday night will be required to go into a period of 14 days of quarantine,” he said.
Mr Getwein also said Tasmania had no plans to prorogue parliament, following Queensland’s decision to the same on Wednesday night.
“No, I don’t have plans to prorogue parliament, but like any institution we are working to apply social distancing, to apply measures to ensure the health and safety of the people who work there, and at this point in time I’m not aware of any transmission of the virus within that institution.”
READ MORE: Big fines for failing to self-isolate
Lachlan Moffet Gray 9.30am: Tasmania limits borders
Tasmania will close its borders to all non-essential travellers in a drastic measure to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Premier Peter Gutwein on Thursday declared a state of emergency and announced the new travel restrictions, the toughest of any state in Australia.
“From midnight on Friday, only essential travellers will be allowed into Tasmania without going into quarantine,” said Mr Gutwein.
“Any non-essential traveller into Tasmania will be required to go into a period of 14 days of quarantine. Essential travellers will be those that are important to our health effort, or to an emergency situation, or those that keep our trade links running.
“We make no apologies for that.”
“What will occur is that any, for any flight or ship that brings passengers into Tasmania, all passengers will be required to fill out a Tasmanian arrivals card.
The state of emergency means that under the Emergency Management Act, operational control of different government departs will be assumed by the police commissioner of Tasmania.
READ MORE: Boris closes Britain’s schools indefinitely
Elias Visontay 9.15am: BCA: lift curfew for supermarkets
Business Council of Australia CEO Jennifer Westacott has pleaded for local councils around Australia to lift curfews on delivery hours to help supermarkets restock shelves.
Ms Westacott joined a chorus of industry heads and federal politicians including Australian Retailers Association chief Russell Zimmerman and Labor MP Jason Clare in calling for the move, a day after Scott Morrison warned “un-Australian” shoppers “hoarding” food supplies they could soon face buying limits if panic buying continued.
“Yesterday, I wrote to every mayor in Australia, asking them to lift the curfews on deliveries to supermarkets and other vital stores so we can get products on the shelves,” Ms Westacott told ABC Radio on Thursday.
“People have just acted quite irrationally, to be honest. And the supermarkets have been magnificent in the way they’ve been trying to fill the shelves but it’s not made easier by having some of these ridiculous curfews that are in place at the moment.
“There is no supply problem here, there’s a selfishness problem and people don’t think about the person on a low income, who cannot afford to go to the supermarket and spend $500. They’ve got $100 and they need things,” she said.
Ms Westacott also called for several measures to help businesses cope with the coronavirus outbreak, including requiring less frequent reporting for Newstart recipients so they’re not forced to “flood” small businesses with job applications, faster planning approval times for small businesses, and “a national removal of all these absurd retail trading hours so that shops can open in a way that suits their customers”.
Industry leaders are expected to take part in a supply chain roundtable meeting with Industry Minister Karen Andrews on Thursday, eight days after an earlier meeting of the group concluded delivery curfews were contributing to empty shelves.
READ MORE: Stop hoarding or risk rationing: PM
Elias Visontay 9.05am: Tehan denies fund cut threat
Education Minister Dan Tehan has denied he threatened Catholic Schools government funding if they closed schools to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Mr Tehan was responding to a report that Scott Morrison personally intervened to prevent almost 600 Catholic schools across NSW from closing in an early morning call to Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher seeking a guarantee the sector would pull back and keep school gates open.
“I didn’t put it in those terms and I’d like to thank the archbishops for the cooperative way that they’re working with the federal government,” Mr Tehan told ABC Radio.
“I have had a lot of conversations, whether it be with territory and state education ministers, with archbishops, with members of the independent schools sector, we have a lot of conversations.
Mr Tehan also defended the government’s position to keep schools open after Britain announced it would shut schools indefinitely from Friday.
“The circumstances in Britain are very different to the circumstances here in Australia … because they didn’t take the early action that we took, they’re getting very different medical advice to what we’re getting.
“Why would you move to shut down schools across the nation when there is minimal impact of the coronavirus at this stage in large proportions of regional Australia.
“It could impact 30 per cent of our medical workforce if we weren’t able to ensure that our children were going to school and getting the learning that we want them.
“Let’s take example of Singapore, it’s held up as the gold star for how it’s dealing with the pandemic. They haven’t shut their schools,” Mr Tehan said.
When asked why Australia hadn’t put in place health and temperature checks at school gates that Singapore had introduced, Mr Tehan said. “We are putting in place practices and we’re asking parents to do the right things … it is different (school gate testing in Singapore) but the circumstances of where we’re at is different to where Singapore is at, is different to where the UK is at.”
READ MORE: What Morrison told schools
Robyn Ironside 9.00am: Qantas suspends all international flights
Two days after slashing international flights by 90 per cent, Qantas has announced it will suspend overseas services altogether by the end of the month, and stand down two-thirds of its workforce.
In a statement to the Australian Securities Exchange, Qantas said the decision to halt all international flights until the end of May was prompted by the federal government’s recommendation against all overseas travel.
Discussions were continuing with the government about the need for some “strategic links” beyond March 31.
READ MORE: Qantas swings axe on flights
Anne Barrowclough 8.50am: ‘Show empathy and kindness’
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, are urging people to show “empathy and kindness” in the face of the pandemic.
The couple took to Instagram on Wednesday to post a statement “This moment is as true a testament there is to the human spirit. We often speak of compassion. All of our lives are in some way affected by this, uniting each of us globally,” they said.
“How we approach each other and our communities with empathy and kindness is indisputably important right now.” Harry and Meghan told followers they’ll be sharing trustful news and informing the public of safe and healthy practices.
Starting at the end of this month, the Sussexes will no longer use their royal titles and pursue a new life of financial freedom in North America
Lachlan Moffet Gray 8.35am: Price gougers in ACCC spotlight
ACCC head Rod Sims has slammed fuel retailers for price-gouging Australians as the pump while global oil prices are crashing.
“Prices now are way higher than they should be."https://t.co/35LWO3GDRT
— 2GB 873 (@2GB873) March 18, 2020
Mr Sims told 2GB that it is important for Australians to call out “this appalling behaviour” and said that average prices should be “around a dollar ten, or less.”
“I know it sounds silly but really what we got to do … is completely shun the people who are overcharging us,” he said.
Mr Sims said the ACCC did not have the power to fix prices or prosecute fuel retailers for charging higher than average prices.
Global oil prices have collapsed over the last few weeks to an 18-year low due to the coronavirus crisis and an escalating production war between members of OPEC.
On Wednesday the global price for brent crude oil fell to US $24.52 per barrel.
READ MORE: Inside operation loo roll
Lachlan Moffet Gray 8.30am: US hospital ship deployed to New York
The US Navy will dispatch a hospital ship to New York City harbour and to a location on the west coast to help address the growing number of people contracting coronavirus in the city, American officials have confirmed.
New York City has become the epicentre of the crisis on the country’s east coast, with the number of confirmed cases rocketing close to 1,400 in the past week, forcing the city that never sleeps to go on lockdown.
“The president, I spoke to this morning, he’s going to be making arrangements to send up this hospital ship, which is called the Comfort,” said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday.
“It’s an extraordinary step, obviously. It’s literally a floating hospital, which will add capacity. And the president said he would dispatch that immediately.”
President Donald Trump confirmed the dispatch of the Comfort and said that another ship, the Mercy, will make its way to a yet-to-be-determined location on the country’s west coast.
“We’re sending upon request, the two hospital ships — they’re being prepared right now, they’re massive ships, they’re the big white ships with the red cross on the sides, one is called the Mercy and the other is called the Comfort, they are in tiptop shape, President Trump said on Wednesday.
“We haven’t made the final determination of where it’s (the Mercy) is going to go on the West Coast.”
The decision to deploy the floating hospitals comes as the number of cases in the United States passes 7000, with at least 97 deaths, according to the CDC.
The exact number of contracted cases is expected to be much higher, with health authorities in recent days criticising the United States for being unable to adequately test individuals.
READ MORE: Greg Sheridan writes: The virus will kill globalisation
Lachlan Moffet Gray 8.20am: ‘No plan’ to close borders
Marise Payne has said the government has no current plans to close Australia’s borders over fears relating the coronavirus outbreak.
Although the government has advised all Australians not to travel overseas, the foreign minister told Sunrise that following other countries in banning new arrivals “is not in our plan.”
Coronavirus: Around the world, thousands more people are infected with coronavirus. The EU has now closed its borders. Around Australia no state or territory has been spared. There are 565 confirmed cases. https://t.co/dsMILxfNr4 #Coronavirus #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/thi9rsRE1H
— 7NEWS Sydney (@7NewsSydney) March 18, 2020
The federal government has also urged any Australians living overseas to come home now if they wish to return to the country.
Anyone entering the country must self-isolate for two weeks under measures aimed at slowing the spread of the deadly disease.
“That is a very effective way of managing the challenges of the coronavirus and in that context, the steps that we have taken, we think the are appropriate ones,” Senator Payne said.
Australian officials are working with people overseas and local authorities to get people home.
But with international travel severely disrupted, Senator Payne conceded it was a difficult situation.
“We will do whatever we need to do to protect Australians,” she said. She said the highest level travel advice would likely remain in place for at least six months but declined to speculate on how long the advice could last.
READ MORE: Scientists develop quick test
Lachlan Moffet Gray 8.15am: Stranded doctors off to Falklands
Over 100 Australian doctors and dentists trapped on board a cruise ship moored off the coast of Chile say they may be sent to the Falkland Islands to disembark and return home.
The Roald Amundsen cruise ship, operated by Hurtigarter cruises, embarked on a 10-day cruise ship around Antarctica on February 29 with over 100 medical staff on-board for an industry convention.
The ship was due to dock in Chile on Tuesday but a ban on all new cruise arrivals by the South American nation on Sunday left the ship, its passengers and staff stuck on board.
Speaking to Channel 9’s Today, passenger Edwina Hart said the staff of the cruise liner have been “amazing”
“They have been working very hard with the Chilean government, to try and figure out how we can get home,” she said.
“we have heard that we will be sailing towards the Falkland Islands.
“At that point, they are going to try and get us to disembark there. It might take between sort of three to 10 days apparently.”
READ MORE: Boris closes schools across Britain
Elias Visontay 8.10am: PM’s schools decision ‘leadership’
Minister for Emergency Management David Littleproud has defended his government’s firm position on keeping schools open, labelling Scot Morrison’s intervention to keep Catholic schools in NSW open “leadership”.
“We take the advice of the Chief Medical Officer in Australia and he has been quite clear about this, that the best medical advice is we should keep schools open and we’ll continue to do that,” told ABC TV via Skype.
“We have to think through the practicalities on this,” he said, pointing out some parents would rely on grandparents to care for kids while they worked.
Mr Littleproud said Scott Morrison’s personal intervention to prevent almost 600 Catholic schools across NSW from closing in an early morning call to Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher exhibited “leadership”.
“It’s in the betterment of the whole of society that they do that and the Prime Minister, Education Minister, Health Minister and Chief Medical Officer have been forward-leaning.”
On panic buying, Mr Littleproud said: “The only pressure that is being put on those supply chains are from people themselves, from the stupidity of the people themselves. They need to take a deep breath, have a cold shower and understand that if they shop normally, then the shelves will be stocked normally.”
READ MORE: What PM said to keep Catholic schools open
8.00am: Trump invokes emergency powers
Donald Trump announced on Wednesday he would invoke emergency powers to marshal critical medical supplies against the coronavirus pandemic threatening to overwhelm hospitals and other treatment centres. The Senate acted on the economic front, approving legislation to guarantee sick leave to workers sickened by the disease.
Mr Trump, describing himself as a “wartime president” as virus cases surged and the markets fell, said he would employ the Defense Production Act as needed, giving the government more power to steer production by private companies and try to overcome shortages in masks, ventilators and other supplies.
The Housing and Urban Development Department will suspend foreclosures and evictions through April. A growing number of Americans face losing jobs and missing rent and mortgage payments.
But as Mr Trump laid out efforts to steady the economy, the markets plummeted, erasing all gains made during his Presidency.
The White House urged hospitals to cancel all elective surgeries to reduce the risk of being overwhelmed by rising cases. The president was pressed on why a number of celebrities, like professional basketball players, seemed to have easier access to diagnostic tests than ordinary citizens.
“Perhaps that’s the story of life,” Mr Trump said. “I’ve heard that happens on occasion.” However he dismissed talk from his own treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, who suggested that the nation could face 20 per cent unemployment at least in the short term.
That’s an “absolute total worst case scenario,” he said. “We’re no way near it.”
AAP
READ MORE: Paul Kelly writes: No quick fix says strong PM
Sarah Elks 7.50am: Six month suspension for Qld parliament
The Queensland government has used an urgent, overnight sitting of parliament to give itself the power – through Labor Speaker Curtis Pitt – to suspend parliament for six months, due to the coronavirus outbreak.
In an extraordinary move that the Opposition has labelled an “unprecedented abuse of power,” Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath moved a motion that would effectively allow parliament to be suspended until September, the month before the scheduled October 31 state elections.
Urgent legislation was also passed to give the government the power to postpone next weekend’s local government elections, and two state by-elections, a move One Nation’s James Ashby called “measures straight out of Putin and Xi Jinping’s playbook”.
Ms D’Ath told parliament that around the world, there were regions and whole countries that were now in lockdown due to COVID-19.
“No-one in this chamber could stand here today and say that they can absolutely guarantee that an area of this state, the state or the nation would not be locked down,” Ms D’Ath said.
“We are not in a position to make those decisions about what will happen over the coming days, weeks and months. However, if we do not provide a mechanism within the sessional orders then, despite us potentially being in a national or state lockdown, we would still have to recall parliament and go against everything that has been directed for health reasons to protect our community and Queenslanders. This is a gap. It is a gap that potentially needs to be addressed longer term, but we have put a sunset provision on it so that parliament must sit within six months. On the question of the date, a parliament must sit within six months. That is why that date is there.”
Ms D’Ath said the federal parliament already had a similar power and it was rarely used and never abused.
READ MORE: When fiction gets in the way of facts
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.45am: Services of 100-plus to be cancelled
The Catholic archdiocese of Sydney has told churches to cancel services if they believe more than 100 people may attend.
The move also comes as the Catholic Church in Victoria and Tasmania suspend all services in the wake of new government restrictions on indoor gatherings.
In an open letter published on Wednesday night, Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher said that “if more than 100 attendees might be expected for an indoor mass or other church event, it should be cancelled, postponed, ticketed, moved outside or split over two or more timeslots or venues.”
The Archbishop also flagged the possibility of all services being suspended, telling the faithful to “keep holy their Sunday by setting aside some time for prayer at home, reading the Scriptures of the day, watching Mass on television or online, and asking God for the graces they would normally receive in Holy Communion.”
READ MORE: Clashes after holy sites closed | Thousands gather for mass prayers
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.30am: Police to patrol supermarket aisles
NSW police will ramp up their presence in and around supermarkets in a bid to control hysterical panic buyers stripping shelves bare and causing public incidents.
“Police are making a concerted effort to ensure the security of shoppers and retail staff across the state amid concerns of panic buying due to COVID-19,” NSW police deputy commissioner Jeff Loy said.
“As the response to COVID-19 continues, members of the public should feel reassured that the NSWPF will maintain our focus on proactive policing as we increase our presence in and around shopping centres and retail outlets.”
In recent weeks, two women have been charged for brawling over toilet paper in a southwestern Sydney supermarket, while supermarket staff at Lismore were allegedly assaulted by a man and there have been reports of “toilet paper tourists” descending on rural towns to clean out local shops.
Retail workers have also reported cases of abuse by panicked customers.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said any Australian panic buying should stop immediately.
“It’s not sensible, it’s not helpful,” he said. “That is not who we are as a people. It is distracting attention and efforts that need to be going into other measures.
“There is no reason for people to be hoarding supplies in fear of a lockdown.”
READ MORE: Inside the operation to roll out the toilet rolls
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7am: Facebook launches COVID-19 information centre
Following criticisms that legitimate coronavirus-related news was being removed from Facebook in an attempt to suppress fake news about the pandemic, the social network announced it would launch a COVID-19 “information centre” at the top of every newsfeed.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the information centre would contain updates from national health services around the world as well as information that encouraged hygienic practices and social distancing.
Mr Zuckerberg said the company would also roll out a community-organising feature, similar to a temporary one went live during national disasters, to allow people to stay in touch and assist one another.
“We’ve had a community help feature that we’ve rolled out in other disasters in the past, like if there’s a hurricane,” he said.
“We’ve never had to do it at a scale that we’re talking about doing here — for everyone basically across the whole community at the same time.”
The features will be rolled out over the coming days.
READ MORE: Facebook blames bug for blocking coronavirus posts
Lachlan Moffet Gray 6.45am: New test returns results in 30 minutes
Scientists from Oxford University say they have developed a method of testing for coronavirus that can return results in half an hour, according to a release from the institution.
“The beauty of this new test lies in the design of the viral detection that can specifically recognise SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) RNA and RNA fragments. The test has built-in checks to prevent false positives or negatives and the results have been highly accurate,” Professor Wei Huang said.
The technology is reportedly sensitive and can detect cases earlier in the infection process than current methods.
The university is looking at rolling out the new testing process at airports and clinics. Read the full story here.
Scientists @UniofOxford have developed rapid testing technology for #COVID-19.
— Oxford University (@UniofOxford) March 18, 2020
The team, led by Prof. Zhanfeng Cui and Prof. Wei Huang (@oxengsci & OSCAR) have been working to improve test capabilities as the virus spreads: https://t.co/s1PgK52eAO
READ MORE: Banding together in a life lived alone
Lachlan Moffet Gray 6.30am: Another UK pollie tests positive
UK’s shadow foreign minister Lloyd Russell-Moyle has tested positive for coronavirus, the second British politician to contract the illness following health minister Nadine Dorries’s diagnosis last week.
In a Facebook post, Mr Russell-Moyle confirmed his condition and said it was not good enough that it took him six days to get a result.
“If we are serious about the WHO advice of “test, test, test” then we need to do better than this,” he said.
“Our priority must be testing our healthcare workers, who are currently needing to self-isolate for 14 days when someone in their house shows a symptom, taking them away from their life-saving work.”
After a 6 day wait for results I have just been informed I have tested positive to COVID-19.
— Lloyd Russell-Moyle MP🌹🇪🇺ðŸ³ï¸â€ðŸŒˆ (@lloyd_rm) March 18, 2020
The UK has closed schools indefinitely as health authorities warned hundreds of thousands could die if stronger measures were not taken. There are 2642 confirmed cases in the UK and 104 deaths.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson tightens screws with ‘wartime’ restrictions
Lachlan Moffet Gray 6.15am: Italian deaths close in on 3000
Around the world there are now 214,010 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 8727 deaths, according to John Hopkins university. Here’s what happened overnight:
■ The escalating death toll in Italy is not slowing, with 475 deaths yesterday — the biggest single-day number of deaths attributable to COVID-19 anywhere since the outbreak began. A total of 2978 people have died in Italy, with 35,713 cases recorded.
■ Despite President Emmanuel Macron taking measures to shut down the country, the number of coronavirus deaths in France continues to increase, jumping by 89 in the past 24 hours to a total toll of 264. There are 2626 confirmed cases, with almost 1000 of those people in intensive care.
■ Iran reported 147 deaths overnight, bringing the Middle Eastern country’s total death toll to 1135 — a 15 per cent increase and the country’s biggest daily jump in deaths. There are more than 17,000 cases in the country.
■ Israel has taken the extraordinary measure of banning the entry of any non-citizen of resident in the country — even if they prove they can self-isolate for 14 days. Israel’s Knesset speaker also abruptly adjourned all parliamentary meetings until next week in a move that froze opposition efforts to discuss bills seeking to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
■ German Chancellor Angela Merkel says not since World War II has the country faced a challenge like the coronavirus outbreak. Making the first direct television address (outside her annual New Year’s speech) of her 14 years in power, Ms Merkel said: “Let me tell you: this is serious. Take it seriously too”. There are 11,973 cases in Germany and 28 deaths.
■ China’s fight to contain the spread of COVID-19 appears to be working, with the country confirming just 13 new cases yesterday for a total of 81,102 and 3122 deaths.
READ MORE: Australia ‘on track to mirror Europe’ in coronavirus case explosion
5.45am: Trump closes US-Canada border
US President Donald Trump said the closure of the US-Canada border, announced as part of measures to stem the spread of the deadly coronavirus pandemic, would “hopefully” last 30 days.
“I would say 30 days and hopefully at the end of 30 days we’ll be in great shape,” he told reporters at the White House.
Mr Trump announced earlier that Washington and Ottawa had agreed to close the border to all “non-essential traffic” — although trade between the two countries would not be affected.
15 DAYS TO SLOW THE SPREAD! pic.twitter.com/ytgBP3hJv1
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2020
As Detroit’s Big Three automakers agreed to shut down all their factories to protect worker, President Trump also invoked a federal law allowing the government to marshal the private sector to fight the coronavirus epidemic.
Calling himself a “wartime president,” President Trump said he would sign the Defense Production Act “in case we need it” to deal with an expected surge in cases of the virus. The law gives the president extraordinary authority to get industries to expand production and turn out vital materials.
The news came as scientists announced the virus has infected more than 200,000 people worldwide and killed over 8,000, while the United Nations warned that the global fallout from the outbreak could cost nearly 25 million job losses around the world.
LIVE: Press Briefing with Coronavirus Task Force https://t.co/3WQV4egsWc
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 18, 2020
AFP/AP
READ MORE: Australian consular staff recalled as ‘don’t travel’ edict issued
Jacquelin Magnay 5.50am: UK closes schools indefinitely
Britain will close schools for an indefinite period to dampen the “faster than expected” trajectory of the coronavirus infections, as deaths passed 100 and 2626 people were confirmed as having the disease.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned he would also take “further and faster measures” in the coming days to help protect the National Health Service and its ability to cope with the seriously ill. He has also made a pitch for retired health workers to return to work.
We have the resolve and the resources to win the fight against #Coronavirus pic.twitter.com/g1SnxlMEzV
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) March 18, 2020
It has been suggested that London — which has the highest number of infections and deaths — may be placed in lockdown by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, but Mr Johnson did not specify what options the government has up its sleeve.
Schools in England will close on Friday, following closures in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on Thursday. However, some will remain open for children of NHS workers, emergency workers, delivery staff and children who are classified as “vulnerable”. Read the full story here.
Anyone listed below, including people with asthma, should be particularly stringent in following social distancing advice:
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) March 18, 2020
â–¶ï¸ https://t.co/5rKDz3q3pT
The NHS will provide further bespoke guidance next week for those with serious underlying health conditions. pic.twitter.com/iqEVmaRqbE
READ MORE: Should Australian schools be shut?
5.30am: Banks negotiate rescue package
The big banks are negotiating a multi-billion-dollar business rescue package with the Morrison government that could see taxpayers underwrite loans to small and medium-sized firms facing collapse, in a bid to avoid mass job losses and a deep recession.
The Australian understands the government is considering a loan guarantee to keep businesses afloat as part of Scott Morrison’s second-round economic rescue package, which could take the total government spend to more than $40bn.
Any guarantee would be time limited, potentially for six months, to reduce taxpayers’ exposure and could be tied to further pledges from the banks to include loan repayment “holidays”.
Identify the symptoms of coronavirus and how they compare to the common cold and influenza. Read more: https://t.co/ZSKUE9qo1B #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/njHhZCiHvd
— Australian Government Department of Health (@healthgovau) March 17, 2020
Read the full story here.
Additional reporting: Jacquelin Magnay, Adeshola Ore
Dutton nuclear plan ‘economic madness’
Jim Chalmers has fired the first salvo in what is likely to be a sustained campaign of economic attacks by Labor on Peter Dutton’s nuclear plan, to be driven by the Treasurer himself.
China envoy: respect our claims
China’s top diplomat in Canberra has challenged Australia to remedy ‘misunderstandings’ on Taiwan and show ‘respect’ for Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea.