Coronavirus Australia live updates: $1500 per fortnight in wage subsidies; Drones used for social distancing
Drones will be used as surveillance and warning devices to deliver messages to those in WA not observing social distancing.
- Quarantine cops check homes
- $1600 fine for rule breakers in Vic
- NSW to enforce 2 person rule
- ‘Legal obligations’ to keep staff
- Tough new social restrictions
Welcome to live coverage of the continuing coronavirus crisis. In Australia, NSW and Victoria will slap fines and jail sentences on anyone breaching new restrictions imposing a limit of only two people gathering in public spaces. Scott Morrison has announced $130bn in wage subsidies to help an estimated six million workers. In WA, drones are set to be used by police to enforce social distancing.
Greg Brown 8.55pm: States could crack down further
States will be free to go it alone on increased social distancing restrictions under a new agreement by the national cabinet of state and federal leaders.
Scott Morrison released a statement after Monday night’s meeting declaring national cabinet was standing by the long-term nationwide restrictions that have already been implemented.
But the nation’s leaders agreed that state and territory governments should go further on localised shutdowns than the national guidelines if there were a high number of new cases in their jurisdictions.
“Local circumstances may prompt states and territories to introduce additional measures for a period to further control community transmission,” Mr Morrison said in a statement.
“Local decisions should be on the advice of the local Chief Health Officer informed by the local epidemiology at the time.
“The biggest single concern remains the evidence of cases where there are no known local links.”
National Cabinet will meet on Friday to consider rules around commercial and residential tenancies during the coronavirus pandemic. It will also consider new arrangements for childcare.
National cabinet agreed people most vulnerable to the illness were indigenous people 50 years and older with chronic medical conditions, people aged 65 and older with chronic medical conditions, people aged over 70, and people with compromised immune systems.
“National Cabinet noted that the new Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) advice on the higher risk categories for people 65 years and older with chronic conditions had changed based on more up to date medical advice,” he said.
At risk people need to undertake an assessment before continuing work in an essential service.
“Risk needs to be assessed and mitigated with consideration of the characteristics of the worker, the workplace and the work,” Mr Morrison said.
“This includes ensuring vulnerable people are redeployed to non-customer based roles where possible. Where risk cannot be appropriately mitigated, employers and employees should consider alternate arrangements to accommodate a workplace absence.”
National Cabinet also agreed governments can wave the mandatory 14 day self isolation in a hotel in an “exceptional circumstance”.
“So as to enable vulnerable or at-risk individuals to self isolate (for 14 days) at home - including for minors or those with medical conditions, such as those returning to Australia from the Medical Treatment Overseas Program,” Mr Morrison said.
Imogen Reid 8.34pm: $130bn ‘will take years to pay back’
Treasurer Josh Frydenburg says the government’s $130 billion plan to hand out wage subsidies to businesses decimated by the coronavirus crisis will take years to pay back.
“This will be paid back for years to come. There’s no secret in that,” Mr Frydenberg told ABC’s 7.30 report.
The Treasurer said discussions with credit rating agencies were set to occur over due course and said he was confident Australia has entered into the crisis “from a position of economic strength.”
“Our debt to GDP ratio is around 20 per cent. That’s a quarter of what it is in the United Kingdom, and in the United States and one-seventh in Japan.
“We have delivered the first balanced budget in 11 years.
“That’s been important in allowing us to provide this level of support at a time of critical need.”
Mr Frydenberg assured those registering to receive the government’s new wage support package that Centrelink is a “formidable organisation” and to not expect a repeat of the issues that occurred last week.
“The Prime Minister and I and the Finance Minister sat down last night with the commissioner of taxation, and he gave us those reassurances that they’re well resourced and ready to implement the scheme as necessary and as you know, they are a formidable organisation and as people go, as employers go on to the ato.gov.au site, they can register interest and they will be processed accordingly,” Mr Frydenberg said.
More than 30,000 people have already registered for the fortnightly payment of $1,500 since the scheme was announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the Treasurer on Monday afternoon.
Full-time, part-time and casual employees as well as sole traders will be eligible for the $1,500 fortnightly payment.
Mr Frydenberg noted there will be casuals who are not eligible for the JobKeeper supplement, saying the government adopted a definition of a casual worker “as being with the employer for 12 months because that’s also reflected in the Fair Work Act.
“What they will do is go on to the Jobseeker supplement which is available to them at $550, on top of the old Newstart of Jobseeker payment.
Ewin Hannan 8.14pm: Migrants ‘abandoned’ in wage subsidy scheme
Advocates for migrant workers accused the government of abandoning 1.1 million temporary visa holders by excluding them from the $130 billion wage subsidy scheme.
The Migrant Workers Centre in Victoria said the temporary visa holders had no access to the social safety net, limited access to healthcare and would be “trapped in Australia with no way to return home”.
“These workers do crucial jobs in our communities, from picking our food and feeding us to working in childcare and healthcare. Australia doesn’t function without them. Many have lived here for years, have homes, families and pay tax here,” the centre said
“The Morrison government has made them a disposable underclass in the most dire of times.”
Over the past four days, nearly 1500 workers had contacted the centre for assistance, with most ineligible for the payment as they were casual employed in the one job for less than 12 months.
Centre director Matt Kunkel said the payment should be expanded to cover every single worker in Australia regardless of visa status.
“We welcome the news that New Zealanders on temporary visas will be supported, but that still leaves over 1 million workers without a safety net. Right now, people are losing their homes and are unable to put a meal on the table because they’ve lost their job due to COVID-19.“
Imogen Reid 7.52pm: ABC’s Norman Swan tested for virus
The ABC’s medical guru, Norman Swan, has revealed he is in self-enforced isolation after developing flu-like symptoms over the weekend, but is confident “it’s just man flu”.
“Over the weekend I came down with the symptoms of the flu,” the doctor said on the 7.30 program.
“I self-isolated and this morning I went for the test. Now, I’m sure it’s just man flu, but if it’s not and I do come back positive, then I’m one of a growing number of Australians who have caught COVID-19 from community spread.”
READ MORE: ABC news chief denies row with PM’s office over Norman Swan
Dennis Shanahan 7.47pm: Morrison refuses to go down UK path
“Scott Morrison has spent the most amount of money of any prime minister in history. He has committed Australia to a lifetime of debt. He has refused to go down Boris Johnson’s path of giving high-income earners 80 per cent of their wages. And, it seems, he has got it just about right.”
Read more from Dennis Shanahan here.
Victoria Laurie 7.19pm: Drones enforce social distancing in WA
Drones will be used as surveillance and warning devices to deliver messages to West Australians not observing social distancing in parks and on beaches.
The WA police-operated drones will be highly visible, fitted with flashing lights and sirens, and they can broadcast a message up to a kilometre from their launch.
Police say the drone can quickly reach public areas when required and significantly improve communication coverage, compared to that of a police officer on foot.
“The drones will allow the WA Police Force to continue to reinforce the serious nature of the environment we are in,” a statement says. “The drones will also assist in increasing the safety of police officers, reducing the potential exposure to COVID-19 carriers.”
Rebecca Urban 7.15pm: ‘No reason to stand down school support staff’
The Independent Education Union has called for schools to halt any plans to stand down support staff as they deal with the fall-out of the coronavirus, as the head of Catholic education warned that schools’ resources would be stretched by the crisis and impending campus closures.
“The union has been advised that a small number of independent schools are considering standing down support staff without pay in term two because of COVID-19,” EUA NSW/ACT Branch secretary Mark Northam has warned.
“In light of the government’s recently announced job-keeper wage-subsidy payments, there is no reason to stand support staff down,” said Mr Northam.
“Staff must not be stood down while these plans are still evolving.”
National Catholic Education Commission executive director Jacinta Collins said it was too early to quantify how staffing would be affected in schools.
“There are many variables to consider, including how long the crisis lasts, and if suggested wage subsidies are extended to school staff,” Ms Collins said
“Clearly we have limited resources, especially with the impact of school fee reductions, but our aim is to maintain our operational capacity as much as possible to ensure continuity and certainty of a quality education for our students.
“We will look for redeployment opportunities for any impacted permanent staff, but we don’t yet know what all of those impacts will be as we move to a combination of onsite and remote schooling.”
READ MORE: Millennials, you can’t ‘unfollow’ a pandemic
Rosie Lewis 7.14pm: ACOSS welcomes $1500 wage subsidy
Australian Council of Social Service CEO Cassandra Goldie has welcomed the $1500 fortnightly JobKeeper payment but urged the government to do more to help people who will not receive taxpayer-funded assistance.
She was particularly pleased by the government’s decision to extend the subsidy widely to all employers, including the community and not-for-profit sectors.
“This is vital support to workers from community organisations, who employ 1.3 million workers and provide services that are now more in demand than ever,” Dr Goldie said.
“The proposed scheme must ensure that workers whose pay is subsidised are kept on, while keeping it quick and simple for all concerned so that both employers and workers have certainty.
“We must move quickly now to provide income security for people who currently still have none, and face destitution. Those affected include temporary migrants, asylum-seekers and New Zealand citizens who do not qualify for the job keeper payment (for example casual workers with less than 12 months in their current role).
“In addition to the ($550 per fortnight) coronavirus supplement, the existing income support system should be strengthened so that it meets the needs of tenants in private rental and families with children, many of whom will struggle to raise their children and pay the rent.”
Dr Goldie said the changes to the partner income test for those on the jobseeker payment would help and those on low-incomes needed support “to get through this tough time”.
Ben Packham 7.09pm: Aussies defy warnings to return home
Foreign Minister Marise Payne has warned Australian travellers who pass up the chance for commercial flights home not to expect the government to bail them out later, as stranded Aussies push for government-funded rescue flights.
In Nepal, there has been a pushback by some travellers over a special April 1 Nepal Airlines flight organised to get Australians home due to the $4000-per-seat cost.
“If enough Australians refuse to pay this exorbitant fee, we can arrange for a better deal,” one traveller said in a Facebook group for Australians in Nepal.
The government is also worried about 3000 Australian tourists and 4500 expats in Bali who appear to be defying government warnings to return home.
Imogen Reid 6.17pm: SA wineries shut down
South Australian Police have announced all wineries, cellar doors and restaurants located at wineries across the state will be closed in a bid to control the spread of coronavirus in the Barossa Valley where a number of virus cases have been reported.
“Wineries that sell food commercially to supermarkets and retail stores are still permitted to produce and sell products, but food products must be transported to retail outlets by commercial freight or the winery itself.
“Further, wineries can continue to sell alcohol via online or phone purchases, again provided that they are delivered by commercial freight or the wineries themselves.
“Wineries are major tourist attractions and as a holiday period approaches, travel to wine regions is discouraged in order to protect these areas from a potential influx of tourists and spread of COVID-19.”
Six new cases of coronavirus reported on Monday took South Australia’s total to 305.
Rachel Baxendale 6.12pm: Vic taskforce yet to hand out any fines
Victoria Police are still yet to issue any fines to people breaching physical distancing rules, despite the state’s 500-strong COVID-19 taskforce doing 1625 spot-checks in the 24 hours to 8am on Monday.
Under rules enacted by the Andrews government last week, police can issue on the spot fines for anyone who is not following the directions of the Chief Health Officer including up to $1,652 for individuals and up to $9,913 for businesses.
From midnight on Monday night, the fines will apply to anyone not adhering to the bans on gatherings of more than two people.
A police spokeswoman said Victoria Police had conducted 1625 spot checks at homes, businesses and non-essential services across the state in the 24 hours to 8am on Monday.
“No fines have been issued in the past 24 hours,” the spokeswoman said.
“Since 21 March, police have conducted a total of 5785 spot checks.”
READ MORE: Coronavirus and wage subsidies explained
Rosie Lewis 6.10pm: Partner income threshold to be lifted
Tens of thousands more Australians will be eligible for the government’s jobseeker payment and $550 per fortnight coronavirus supplement after Scott Morrison announced the partner income threshold would be lifted to nearly $80,000.
Under the previous arrangement, once a partner earned $48,312 or more annually the welfare recipient was no longer eligible for the jobseeker payment.
The point at which a person is no longer eligible under the new arrangements is when their partner earns $3068.80 per fortnight, or $79,788.88 per annum.
“Where one partner was earning $79,762.80 per annum, this, in combination with the income support provided to the non-working partner (including the coronavirus supplement) will give a couple a combined income of $94,088.80 per annum,” Social Services Minister Anne Ruston’s spokeswoman said.
The relaxation of the partner income test is a temporary change and will operate over the six months the coronavirus supplement is available.
Ewin Hannan 6.07pm: Unions concerned subsidy ‘won’t be enough’
ACTU secretary Sally McManus said while unions were concerned $1500 a fortnight subsidy “may not be enough”, unions were glad the scheme applied to all businesses and most workers.
“We also want to ensure all casuals who could have reasonably expected to work now but have lost their jobs because of the pandemic are covered,” she said.
“Many of these workers may not have worked the last 12 months. We also want to ensure that this subsidy applies to the 1.7 million visa workers who were working, there is no reason why it should not.”
Ms McManus said the union movement had worked doggedly to make sure the government understood the grave situation facing workers.
“Less than three weeks ago the Morrison government wouldn’t consider the notion of a wage subsidy,” she said.
“We now need employers to keep people employed and keep paying their wages. We are calling on all employers to do their part.“
She said the delay to May 1 for payments would pose cash flow issues for many workers who had been laid off or whose employer may not survive another six weeks without immediate support.
“The Australian union movement is pleased to see that the Australian government has heard the voices of millions of workers and we hope to work with them to make the program even better,” she said.
Ben Packham 5.55pm: US Marine rotation to Darwin won’t go ahead
The scheduled rotation of 2500 US Marines to Darwin will not proceed this year due to the health risks posed by the coronavirus crisis.
The annual rotation is one of Australia’s key bilateral defence initiatives with the US.
Defence Minister Linda Reynolds said Australia would look at options with the United States for a possible later deployment, depending on the health situation.
“Any decision in relation to the 2020 MRF-D (Marine Rotational Force - Darwin) in no way affects Australia’s commitment to host next year’s, or subsequent, MRF-D rotations,” she said.
“Australia and the United States remain firmly committed to the benefits to regional security that the MRF-D brings.
“Our ability to host such deployments, alongside the unmatched degree of interoperability we enjoy, is clear testimony to the enduring strength and sense of purpose of the Australia-US Alliance.”
Senator Reynolds said the federal government was committed to supporting the defence industry during the crisis, including businesses in the Northern Territory.
Rachel Baxendale 5.10pm: Cases rise in Melbourne’s rich suburbs
The number of coronavirus cases in Melbourne’s ritzy Stonnington local government area has surged over the weekend, from 58 on Friday, to 71 on Monday.
The area takes in the suburbs of Toorak, South Yarra and Malvern, and is home to the largest number of COVID-19 cases of any council area in Victoria.
I know the majority of Victorians are doing the right thing by staying home – but we're still seeing groups of people meeting up and carrying on as normal.
— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) March 29, 2020
This cannot continue.
So from 11.59pm tonight, Victoria will introduce Stage 3 restrictions.
The Mornington Peninsula - where many Stonnington residents have holiday homes - has Victoria’s second-highest number of cases, at 45 on Monday, up from 39 on Friday.
Boroondara in the leafy eastern suburbs, with 40 cases, has now eclipsed the City of Melbourne, with 38, to take out third place.
The regional centre of Geelong and the eastern suburbs Glen Eira council each have 37 cases.
Banyule, in Melbourne’s northeast, has 35, Moreland in the inner north has 32, and Port Phillip running from Port Melbourne to St Kilda, has 30.
The Victorian Department of Health and Human Services figures show the virus has spread far and wide within the state, with the vast majority of rural LGAs recording at least one case.
Ballarat has eight cases, Greater Bendigo seven, Greater Shepparton six and Mildura three.
READ MORE: Takeaway liquor laws eased
Richard Ferguson 5.05pm: Makeshift Centrelink call centre launched
The nation’s social services headquarters is being converted into a massive Centrelink call centre to deal with the hundreds of thousands of new applications for welfare benefits.
As Scott Morrison marshals the Australian Public Service to focus on delivering essential services during the coronavirus pandemic, more than 300 bureaucrats have volunteered to man the phone booths at the new Centrelink centre in the Enid Lyons Building in Tuggeranong.
Centrelink’s phone and online services have been overhauled in the past week to deal with unprecedented demand from more than a million workers already laid off during the lockdowns.
Ewin Hannan 4.55pm: 4000 Costco workers earn pay rise
Thousands of Costco workers are being paid an extra $3 an hour for five weeks in recognition of their heavy workload during the coronavirus pandemic.
About 4000 workers will receive the additional payment for hours worked between March 2 and April 5.
Shop assistants union national secretary Gerard Dwyers said other major supermarket chains, which had been very busy, should also pay extra to workers.
“Costco’s action sets an example for the others,” he said. “It is an acknowledgement of the service Costco workers are providing -- an acknowledgement of the risks they are taking to keep the community fed and healthy.
The union reiterated its call for an “Essential Service Payment” of $5 per hour for all frontline workers – including those at supermarkets, pharmacies, petrol stations and convenience stores – who would need to stay at work while more of the community moved into working or staying at home.
He said it was likely in coming weeks that only essential services would be allowed to continue to operate in many parts of Australia.
READ MORE: Debt delayed but not forgiven
Sarah Elks 4.50pm: Extra police powers govern gatherings
Police will have extra powers to break up in-house gatherings of more than two people from tonight, but Queensland’s Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll insists on-the-spot fines will be used sparingly.
Anyone who breaches the new rules can be hit with a fine of $1334 fine, unless they are gathering with family they live with, or for some work or educational purposes.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the tough new rules would be in place for a month to begin with, and were harsh but necessary.
Queensland’s confirmed coronavirus cases rose by 33 overnight, taking the total diagnosed to 689. There are seven patients being treated in intensive care units, including five who require ventilation.
Of the state’s cases, 81 per cent were acquired overseas, and another 15 per cent of cases are people who have had direct contact with those overseas-acquired cases.
Other changes and details announced today include:
- A tightening of the QLD-NSW border closure. Rather than quarantining for two weeks people who have been trying to come into Queensland for a holiday, police will now be stopping them at the border, and turning them around.
- Nearly all boarding school students whose homes are remote Indigenous communities have been safely returned home. Some are in quarantine before returning, to protect the vulnerable residents of the townships that have now been locked down.
- Police have had to respond to 600 noisy parties on the weekend of 21-22 March and 900 parties last weekend, but those will be banned from tonight.
- Queensland parliament will likely have to return to pass legislative measures to enforce a six-month moratorium on evictions of residential and commercial tenants. Ms Palaszczuk said it would be retrospective.
READ MORE: Anti-doping officials test positive
Richard Ferguson 4.35pm: Labor called in to discuss legislation
Scott Morrison has urged Australians to call their employers to see if they are applying for the wage subsidies, so they do not apply for welfare benefits.
Job keeper payment will take at least this week to draft. Earliest parliament could be recalled is next week #auspol
— Rosie Lewis (@rosieslewis) March 30, 2020
“You obviously can’t get JobSeeker and JobKeeper,” the Prime Minister said. The Prime Minister said the JobKeeper wage subsidies will take pressure off the welfare system.
Mr Morrison also said he will be holding weekly teleconferences with Anthony Albanese to work out emergency legislation, and says he will recall parliament soon.
READ MORE: Coronavirus and Centrelink
Richard Ferguson 4.30pm: PM declares: This is not a welfare payment
Scott Morrison says the six million Australians who will benefit from the $1500 per fortnight wage subsidies will ensure people are kept in employment, and not just act as a welfare payment.
From this week there’s a weekly Labor/Coalition #coronavirus meeting #auspol
— Rosie Lewis (@rosieslewis) March 30, 2020
“This is an incentive to keep people on doing actual work ... they can keep them on the books, on the payrolls,” he said.
“This is not money for people to sit and do nothing.” The Australian Taxation Office will police the six month scheme to ensure subsidies are passed onto workers.
The scheme will be available to category 4 visa holders from New Zealand.
All employers who have employees on the books from March 1 will be eligible for the subsidies. Businesses can apply for the subsidies from today.
READ MORE: ‘Get petrol under $1.20 a litre’
David Rogers 4.25pm: Market surges to best rise on record
A leap at the close has helped the ASX to add $102bn in market value as the PM unveiled wage subsidies for workers laid off due to coronavirus. Read more here
Richard Ferguson 4.20pm: Treasurer outlines details of subsidy package
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says the $1500 per employment is 75 per cent of the median wage and will be a flat rate.
The Morrison government, by necessity, will be the biggest spending in Australian history. And no government has so marshalled their power to constrain individual liberty or restrict but also support business activity. Think about that. #auspol #coronavirus #coronavirusaustralia
— Troy Bramston (@TroyBramston) March 30, 2020
Businesses’ turnovers will need to have fallen by 30 per cent or more to be eligible for the payment.
“It will be available to full-time and part-time workers, sole traders, and casuals who have been with their employer for more than 12 months,” he said. “It is more generous than New Zealand’s scheme ... our scheme is uniquely Australian.”
READ MORE: Pilots vote for Qantas deal
Richard Ferguson 4.10pm: PM delivers ‘keeper payment’ for workers
Scott Morrison will hand out $130 billion in wage subsidies to Australians whose jobs are forced into hibernation during the coronavirus pandemic.
Parliament will sit with fewer MPs once legislation is properly drafted. Some of the legislation will be complicated, @ScottMorrisonMP says #COVID19Aus
— Rosie Lewis (@rosieslewis) March 30, 2020
The government will set up a JobKeeper payment which will provide employees up to $1500 a fortnight.
“We will pay employers to pay their employees, and make sure they do,” he said. “We want to keep the engine of our economy running ... it may run idle, but it will continue to run.”
READ MORE: Virus booster for Ansell
Richard Ferguson 3.50pm: Businesses in line for wage subsidies
Scott Morrison is set to unveil an unprecedented plan to subsidise the wages of workers laid off during the coronavirus pandemic in Canberra.
The payment is believed to be worth as much as $1500 per employee per fortnight and could be the biggest fiscal measure the Prime Minister has unleashed thus far to deal with the COVID-19 economic crisis.
Josh Frydenberg has earlier denied the wage subsidy would be similar to the subsidy of 80 per cent of an employee’s pre-pandemic income that has been introduced in the UK, saying “we will have an Australian style system, not a UK style system”.
Labor is calling for parliament to be recalled as soon as possible to pass the wage subsidies.
READ MORE: ABC’s Alberici says ‘forget the economy’
Elias Visontay 3.20pm: Travel bans stabilise case numbers
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said travel bans introduced several weeks ago are responsible for a stabilisation in coronavirus cases over the last few days, as authorities turn their attention to community transmission.
Dr Kelly also said an enforced lockdown of older Australians, similar to what has been introduced in some other countries, could be considered if the pandemic escalates.
“While we were on a steep rise a week ago, that has stabilised over the last few days and that is good news,” Dr Kelly said.
“We are having less people coming in from overseas. That measure we took over two weeks ago is starting to bite ” he said.
He said there were almost 200 confirmed coronavirus to come from the Ruby Princess cruise ship that controversially disembarked in Sydney. There are currently 4093 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Australia.
“As we start to see the travel related cases decreasing, we expect to see, obviously, more locally acquired cases. But hopefully they are mostly also linked to another case that we have already identified. So this is a really important phase right now.”
On new rapid or point of care testing kits, Dr Kelly said “people should be very wary”, as they have “a limited capability to test whether people do indeed have the virus or not”.
He said 16 different testing kits were currently being assessed for approval for widespread use in Australia.
On the time frame for how long restrictions will last, Dr Kelly said: “I am still a believer in having the least disruption that can be done. How we would make that exit strategy is certainly something that we are very much working on at the moment.”
READ MORE: Pin prick test results in 15 minutes
Ewin Hannan 3.19pm: New agreement between employers, unions
Restaurants will be able to cut employee hours and direct workers to take leave at half pay until June 30 under an agreement between unions and employers.
The agreement between the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the United Workers Union and Restaurant and Catering follows changes to the hospitality and clerical awards agreed by employers and unions.
The hours of full time and part time workers in the restaurant sector will be able to be cut to 60 per cent of their ordinary hours.
Employees will be able take annual leave at half pay and employers will be able to direct workers to take leave.
The agreement applies until June 30 but can be extended. It affects about 350,000 workers and 43,000 businesses.
Amos Aikman 3.14pm: NT chief minister ‘to draw red line’
Chief Minister Michael Gunner has warned that Australians from other states pose as much of a coronavirus danger to the Northern Territory as do overseas arrivals and vowed to “draw a red line” around his jurisdiction to keep non-residents out.
From midnight on Wednesday, anyone crossing the Territory’s borders will have to go into a government quarantine facility for two weeks, regardless of whether they are coming from overseas or not.
From midnight on Friday, the same rule will apply, but people will have to fund their own quarantine expenses, which could be around $2500.
“If you are starting to think I don’t want you here, you are right,” Mr Gunner said.
“Do not come here. We do not want you here.”
Mr Gunner had “now formed the view that the threat the rest of Australia poses to the safety of the Northern Territory is too great”.
“To those who say, ‘just close the borders’, frankly, it’s what I want to do. If I had the power to do it, I’d do it right now. But we are at the very limit of what we can legally do,” he said.
Richard Ferguson 3.04pm: Labor calls to fast-track wage subsidies
Labor is calling on Scott Morrison to call parliament back immediately to fast-track wage subsidies for workers.
Opposition treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers said the ALP would back any wage subsidy plan and ensure it passed swiftly through both the House and the Senate.
“We want to make sure they get the detail of it right as well - so these wage subsidies they have flagged can be effective, can do enough for workers, business and our economy and in these desperate and uncertain economic times,” Mr Chalmers said in Brisbane.
“The parliament will need to be recalled to implement these steps. We call on the
government to recall the parliament as soon as possible so that we can get this relief through the parliament and into the hands of workers and businesses and circulating in an economy which desperately needs support right now.
“We are ready, willing and able to expedite the passage of any good measures which do the right things by workers and business through the parliament as soon as possible.”
READ MORE: How coronavirus has changed the climate war
Angelica Snowden 2.51pm: NSW cases up 127 overnight
NSW Health says there are now 1918 COVID-19 cases in the state with 127 new cases reported on Sunday evening.
The new cases were diagnosed after 8pm on Saturday.
There are 26 people being treated in intensive care units, with 13 requiring ventilators.
NSW Health reported that there are 189 cases from the Ruby Princess cruise, 66 from the Ovation of the Seas cruise and 26 new cases from the Voyager of the Seas that docked on March 18.
There are also two new cases from the Celebrity Solstice cruise, bringing the total number of cases from the ship to four.
The authority said about 70 swabs were taken from unwell crew members on the Voyager of the Seas to be tested for COVID-19.
Four crew members tested positive.
Tyndale Christian School in Blacktown will close today after it recorded three cases of coronavirus, including two students and a staff member.
A worker as well as two children who attend the Rose of Sharon childcare centre are among those to test positive to the virus.
Amos Aikman 2.35pm: NT toughens quarantine to block interstate travellers
The Northern Territory will extend the 14-day forced quarantine requirement for overseas arrivals to interstate travellers, too.
From midnight on Wednesday, anyone crossing the Territory’s borders will go into a government quarantine facility for 14 days.
From midnight on Friday, the same thing will happen, but people will have to foot the bill themselves.
“If you are starting to think that I don’t want you here,” Chief Minister Michael Gunner said. “You are right.”
He said the cost of quarantining and guarding someone for 14 days was about $2500.
READ MORE: No bail for man who skipped isolation ban
Angelica Snowden 2.20pm: Botox ban adds wrinkle to surgery limits
Anti-wrinkle injections, dermal fillers and cosmetic botox will be halted from midnight tonight after the Cosmetic Physicians College of Australasia instructed its members to stop procedures to reduce the spread of coronavirus.
President of the college Dr Michael Molton said the board met last night and agreed that all cosmetic and non-therapeutic procedures should be cancelled because social distancing requirements could not be followed.
“We don’t need to be doing anti-wrinkle injections and dermal fillers at this particular time and putting patients at risk of being out in the community and indeed going to some places where there are not even medical facilities,” Dr Molton said.
“They are non-essential procedures and we can all do without them for a little while,” he said.
Therapeutic procedures that treat spasticity issues, excessive sweating and debilitating migraines can go ahead, Dr Molton said.
Before the coronavirus crisis the college was in discussions with NSW Health to establish rules and regulations about who and where these sorts of procedures could be performed.
“Before this COVID-19 crisis we were seeing shopping centres, beauticians, hairdressers, people doing things at home or botox parties,” Dr Molton said.
“These are all extremely hazardous in normal circumstances anyway,” he said. “A lot of these places have been ordered to be closed, but the college’s concern is that members of the public may be persuaded and enticed while at the hairdressers for example to have botox done.”
READ MORE: Why a wage subsidy is not the answer
Rachel Baxendale 1.55pm: Victoria’s parliament set for emergency sitting
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has confirmed there are plans to hold an emergency sitting of state parliament before the financial year ends on June 30.
Mr Andrews said Manager of Government Business Jacinta Allan had been engaging with the opposition and other parties to agree on a date and schedule.
“I would hope that was a very short sitting that would basically pass a bill that sees the money, the normal monies that are spent and invested across the state, paying our staff and all those sorts of things, they will continue,” Mr Andrews said. “With a small increase they’ll be unchanged from last year’s budget.
“That shouldn’t take very long at all. It won’t be a day for politics, it will be simply a day, and perhaps much less than a day, only a few hours I think, at most, to get this job done, and I’m very grateful to other parties in the parliament, who I think have been engaging very constructively with Jacinta Allan, and others.”
Mr Andrews said all of the physical distancing laws enacted by the state government were functions of the Public Health and Wellbeing Act and other acts of the state parliament.
READ MORE: Bigger hit coming, CBA warns
Angelica Snowden 1.45pm: ACT records its first coronavirus death
ACT Chief Health Officer Dr Kerryn Coleman said a woman in her 80s had died in Canberra hospital on the weekend. It was reported that she caught the virus while overseas.
“This is the very sad reality of this disease, which is seeing the elderly at an increased risk of complications from COVID-19,” Dr Coleman said.
“It is why we need everyone to take the social distancing measures we are implementing seriously. We need everyone to stay at home where possible, to practice good hygiene and to keep at least 1.5 metres away from others.”
There was one 1 new confirmed case of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours in the territory, bringing the ACT’s total to 78.
The new case is a female in her 30s, linked with overseas travel. There is no evidence of community transmission in the ACT.
READ MORE: Scott Morrison’s messaging becoming clearer
Claire Foges 1.30pm: Harry, Meghan choose celebrity over duty
Coronavirus: the great leveller. Infecting princes and prime ministers, making hermits of most, hushing the concrete council estate and the millionaires’ leafy square. And yet some still seem to soar above it all.
Last week it was reported that, just before Trudeau and Trump closed the longest border in the world, a private jet soared over it, bearing our lately departed Duke and Duchess of Sussex from their hideout in Canada to their new home in California.
It is said that the couple are living in a compound near Hollywood, where they plan to settle permanently. Speaking of their hasty flight, a source declared that because “the borders were closing and flights were stopping”, Harry and Meghan “had to get out”, making Canada sound more like a chaotic war zone than a country of gentle folk and maple syrup pancakes.
The timing of this move might delicately be described as tactless. As Prince Charles fights Covid-19, as hundreds die and thousands grieve, and millions suffer distress and financial uncertainty; as a quarter of the world’s population are allowed little further than their own front door, the duke and duchess chose this moment to display their wealth and the freedom it can buy, to sever ties more definitively from crown and Commonwealth, to further their own interests.
Read Claire Foges’ full article here.
Alice Uribe 1.25pm: New rules not aimed at China: Frydenberg
Australia will now scrutinise all proposed foreign investments and extend a time frame for a decision on approval to up to six months, as it prepares for a deepening economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the changes were needed to protect the national interest and the measures would remain in place until the current crisis is over.
He also denied the move was directed at China.
Governments around the world are rethinking takeover codes amid concerns that businesses will turn insolvent and lay off workers if they cannot raise additional cash.
However, governments are also alert to attempts by cashed-up foreign investors to acquire assets of strategic importance, as happened during the financial crisis more than a decade ago.
In Australia, airlines have slashed capacity on international and domestic routes in recent weeks while standing down workers to navigate the turbulence created by the pandemic. State and territory governments have also ordered non-essential businesses to close, backed up by hefty fines for those that don’t comply.
Click here for the full story.
Rosie Lewis 1.20pm: Seven in 10 Aussies self-isolate to stay safe
Seven out of 10 Australians have decided to self-isolate in a bid to protect themselves and the community from the coronavirus, while most people are spending time with family members and ditching friends, a new poll has found.
Of Australians aged 65 and older, who are more vulnerable to the virus, 84 per cent said they were staying in their homes compared to 62 per cent of 35 to 49-year-olds – the age group most likely to be out and about.
The Roy Morgan poll also found an overwhelming 97 per cent of women and 96 per cent of men said they would self-isolate if their doctor told them to.
The poll’s findings were published on Monday after Australians — largely people in their 20s and 30s — flocked to St Kilda beach on Friday and to Bondi Beach the week before.
Melbourne’s and Sydney’s most popular beaches have now been closed.
Despite the apparent lack of awareness among beachgoers, the Roy Morgan poll found self-isolation was most common in NSW and Victoria — the states with the highest number of confirmed cases.
About 74 per cent of those states’ respondents said they were self-isolating.
Sixty-six per cent of South Australians, 64 per cent of Western Australians and 63 per cent of Queenslanders said they were self-isolating compared to 62 per cent of people in Tasmania.
New shut down measures were announced on Sunday night, including that indoor and outdoor gatherings are limited to just two people or your family.
Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine said that only 69 per cent of Australians claimed to be adhering to the government’s directive to self-isolate was concerning and likely due to the lower number of coronavirus deaths in Australia.
Three-quarters of respondents said they had been with family members in the previous 24 hours, 22 per cent had been with business colleagues, 14 per cent had been with other people, 12 per cent had been with nobody and 11 per cent had been with friends.
Scott Morrison said on Sunday he was grateful for the 80 per cent fall in foot traffic in the major capital cities over the past fortnight but hit out at the people still congregating at beaches, other outdoor areas and in shopping centres.
“We have said very clearly as a national cabinet that people should not be doing that. You should be going to work where you have to do and if you can’t work from home, you should be ensuring that when you go outside to shop, you are just going out to shop to get what you need,” the Prime Minister said.
“That there is a reasonable understanding that people should continue to exercise and where they can do that in their own home, fine. If they are doing it on their own or with appropriate social distancing outside for a limited period, fine. But the idea of people gathering still in groups, this is not helping. People really should not be.”
The survey of 2069 Australians aged 18 and older was conducted last Friday and Saturday via SMS.
READ MORE: Eviction freeze stuns mall landlords
Rachel Baxendale 1.10pm: OK to visit holiday homes: Andrews
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says there is no prohibition on people going to their holiday houses during the COVID-19 pandemic, but has urged them to “be considerate” of local communities.
The calls come after some coastal and rural areas were overrun with visitors from Melbourne over the weekend, despite public health warnings to stay home.
“There’s no prohibition on people going to properties they’ve got a lease over or properties that they own. I’m not going to get into trying to enforce beach house rules,” Mr Andrews said.
“There’s no purpose I don’t think in diverting police resources to look at those sorts of issues, however, I would ask people to be as considerate as they can be of smaller regional communities and smaller coastal communities where they might not be the sort of supermarket of size.
“Everyone needs to be considerate of each other, everyone needs to do the right thing, and if we all work together, if we all have that sense of civic duty, common decency and common sense, then we’ll get through this and we’ll get to the other side quicker.”
READ MORE: Peter van Onselen writes: Messaging clearer, faith building
Angelica Snowden 12.55pm: Virus concerns over rookie paramedics
The NSW Australian Paramedics Association says it is concerned for the safety of rookie paramedics after NSW Ambulance announced it would place 250 second and third year students on the frontline to help manage the coronavirus pandemic.
NSW Ambulance say the plans are temporary and the students would be used to fill “unplanned vacancies” on a casual basis.
Australian Paramedics Association chief and operational paramedic Liu Bianchi said the proposal poses an “avoidable risk to public safety”.
“We understand that this is an unprecedented crisis, but NSWA will be placing Paramedics under extreme pressure with this strategy. It will cause far more harm than any perceived benefit,” said Ms Bianchi.
The paramedics association said the burden on ambulance resources could be improved by ensuring jobs attended by ambulances are emergencies.
The statement from the association said Bureau of Health Information data from last quarter found that about 45 per cent of jobs attended by ambulances were categorised as emergency.
“As long as Paramedics are continually and constantly tasked with non-urgent work, NSW Health will be putting the public at risk. The COVID-19 pandemic has made this clearer than ever,” said Ms Bianchi.
READ MORE: Sweden pursues herd immunity
Rachel Baxendale 12.50pm: Police ‘won’t hesitate’ to fine breaches
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says police “won’t hesitate” to issue fines for breaches of physical distancing laws, despite not having issued any fines so fare.
Victoria Police’s 500-strong coronavirus task force is still yet to issue a single fine for breaches of Stage One and Two physical distancing rules, despite conducting 1430 checks across the state in the 24 hours to 8am on Sunday.
Mr Andrews said police would “not be mucking around” in enforcing Stage Three rules banning gatherings of more than two people, breaches of which are punishable with on-the-spot fines of up to $1,652 for individuals.
“Five hundred police are dedicated to this, but every general duties officer knows and understands what these rules are, and they won’t hesitate to act either,” he said.
“The number of fines and the specific actions that have been taken, I’d leave it to the Chief Commissioner to update you on that, but I think after midnight tonight, once we move to the two person rule ... police won’t hesitate to (issue fines).
“The fine is very significant, more than $1,600, on the spot. No questions asked. This is just going to happen.
“They’re not mucking about, because this is very, very serious.
“This is very, very simple, and hopefully this message starts to get through to people, together with the fact that it is a criminal offence, it is an offence against the Public Health and Wellbeing Act, and you will be fined.”
READ MORE: Bigger hit coming: CBA
Angelica Snowden 12.40pm: Greencross to donate ventilators to hospitals
Pet Company Greencross, that operates Petbarn and over 150 general practice vet clinics across Australia, will donate all of their human grade ventilators to hospitals to help manage the coronavirus pandemic.
The company confirmed it will donate 25 ventilators to the Australia and New Zealand Intensive Care Society to help hospitals cope with a possible influx of patients diagnosed with coronavirus.
Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Magdoline Awad said the company was prepared to do everything it could to help hospitals if they need extra support.
“We understand the stress COVID-19 has put on our healthcare industry, with ventilators in high demand in Intensive Care Units as they are critical in the treatment of people with severe respiratory compromise,” Dr Magdoline said.
The news comes after the Australian Veterinarian Board Council asked vets to make their ventilators available if the demand exceeds the number of machines available in Australian hospitals.
READ MORE: Illness, fear, isolation: Inside No. 10
Rachel Baxendale 12.35pm: Victoria testing ‘up there with the best of Australia’
Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has defended his state’s coronavirus testing rates as being “as high as anywhere”, despite the fact that they lag significantly behind other states on a per capita basis.
As of Monday, Victoria had conducted about 42,000 COVID-19 tests, compared with 50,889 tests in Queensland.
This is despite Victoria having a larger population than Queensland (26 per cent of Australia compared with 20.1 per cent) and more confirmed COVID-19 cases (821 compared with 656).
In terms of tests per 100,000 residents, South Australia leads the nation with 1,480, followed by NSW on 1,146, the ACT on 1,006, and Queensland on 995.
Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania lag behind the national average of 821 per 100,000, on 588, 493 and 332 respectively.
Asked why Victoria had done less testing than most other states despite having the second-highest number of COVID-19 cases in the nation, Professor Sutton said the state’s rate of testing was “now up there with all the best testing rates in Australia, and indeed across the world”.
However, Professor Sutton conceded delays in getting private labs to assist with testing had slowed the process down.
“We’re at 3000 to 4000 tests per day. On a per capita basis that’s as high as anywhere, and right up there as I say with some of the highest testing rates across the world,” Professor Sutton said.
“Our private labs were a little bit slower to come online and so our reference lab, the government-supported lab was doing the bulk of testing, but now there’s a lot of testing going across the board.”
Professor Sutton said health professionals were also working to broaden the focus of the tests to capture community transmissions as well as those which may have come from overseas travellers.
“Where there are settings, like New South Wales, where there are lots of cases, a lot more testing has had to focus on those areas, and so they have tested the 10, 15 close contacts of every case that they’ve had,” he said.
“That’s a requirement of testing when you get a positive case.
“We have had fewer cases in Victoria, that’s a good thing, but no complacency here.”
Professor Sutton warned that if the increase in COVID-19 cases continued at the current rate, Australia was headed for 100,000 cases.
“We’re still looking at a 10 per cent increase per day nationally,” he said.
“That’s an improvement on where it was, but it’s still a doubling every week, so we don’t want to go down that pathway. That will lead to 100,000 cases.
“I think we’re heading in the right direction, but we are not there yet, and we will still double every week until we do more, until we embed all of the (physical distancing) things that we’re emphasizing.”
READ MORE: CMO sees signs of flattening curve
Victoria Laurie 12.20pm: Infected passengers transferred to Perth hospital
Health officials and Australian Medical Assistance Teams have begun transferring 29 infected people on board the Artania cruise ship docked in Fremantle to a hospital in Perth.
The 29 passengers and crew, who tested positive overnight to COVID-19 out of 46 people tested for virus-type symptoms, will be moved to Joondalup Health Campus, a public hospital with a private wing.
In a late night decision, the Commonwealth – which has responsibility for handling stranded foreign passengers – gave in to AMA objections that the original two private hospitals due to receive the Artania patients were under-prepared and not yet equipped for Covid-19 patients.
Overnight, hundreds of the mainly German passengers from the Artania were put on chartered flights to Frankfurt.
Another large group of stranded cruise ship passengers on the Vasco da Gama will be moved within hours to quarantine on Rottnest Island, 22 kilometres off Perth.
No Covid-19 cases have been reported on the Vasco da Gama, but four medical staff will be stationed on the island to treat nearly 200 West Australian residents disembarking from the ship.
Australian passengers from other states will be transferred by coach to enforced isolation in Perth hotels throughout the day.
The ship’s owner Liberty says the Vasco da Gama, which docked in Fremantle on Friday afternoon, will then leave Fremantle for London with all crew on Monday evening.
A Qatar flight with hundreds of Australians coming off Italian cruise ships is also due to arrive today in Perth, and all passengers will be sent to hotels to quarantine.
Some have come from infected ships, but all individuals have tested negative prior to boarding the Perth-bound flight.
READ MORE: Charter flights to end ship standoff
Rachel Baxendale 12.10pm: ‘We can cap cases at 15,000’
Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton says Australia could manage to cap COVID-19 cases at 10,000 to 15,000 if people act now to stay home as much as possible.
Reiterating his comments over the weekend that the behaviour of Victorians who flocked en masse to beaches was “really crap”, Professor Sutton said now was the time to avoid any actions that may lead to the spread of the virus.
Some of the behaviour today - when we’re asking people to stay home - has been really crap. It’s hard to change habits and it’s hard to see dangers that aren’t apparent yet. But with 3,000 cases of COVID in Australia this week, we’re headed to 100,000 in 2-3 weeks without change.
— Chief Health Officer, Victoria (@VictorianCHO) March 28, 2020
That means thousands of deaths. Overwhelmed health services. Medical staff at unacceptable risk. Unstoppable spread. Do the right thing now and #StayAtHome. Today. Tomorrow. Until we’re through this, please.
— Chief Health Officer, Victoria (@VictorianCHO) March 28, 2020
“I was frustrated,” Professor Sutton said.
“I think some people haven’t had the awareness, but some people have the awareness and still can’t see that this is the time to act.
“This is our window of opportunity. We will go to a point potentially where everyone is calling for (social distancing), because we can see that our health systems are overwhelmed. That is too late to act.
“This is our time to do the right thing, to avoid transmission, because now, when levels are relatively low is a point where we can totally flatten that curve.
“We can cap cases in Australia at 10 to 15,000. The alternative is hundreds of thousands, and that means hundreds of deaths or thousands of deaths. So to save hundreds and thousands of lives, this is the time to act.”
Australia currently has 4,163 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
READ MORE: Questions over lockdown data
Craig Johnstone 11.50am: Quarantine police check 70 homes for breaches
Queensland police have visited more than 70 homes to check if residents are complying with self-quarantine rules to stop the spread of COVID-19 and are ready to issue hefty on-the-spot fines to those flouting the restrictions.
In an operation dubbed Taskforce Sierra Linnet, detectives have fanned out across the state to conduct what Queensland Police term “compliance visitations” of those directed to self-quarantine.
Police have also visited more than 3000 businesses to check on any breaches of restrictions on trade and social distance rules.
While they have discovered no breaches so far, the police have warned that those failing to comply with the directives face penalties of up to $13,345 for individuals and $66,672.50 for corporations may apply.
“Officers can also issue on the spot fines of $1334.50 for individuals and $6,672.50 for corporations which fail to abide by the health directions,” a statement from the Queensland Police Service says.
“These compliance checks will continue around the clock to ensure members of the community abide by those notices.”
“Police will continue to conduct compliance checks to ensure non-essential businesses are adhering to closure directions and social media distancing.
The QPS will continue to provide front line services and engage with the community in a compassionate and professional way during these unprecedented times.
READ MORE: Beware the new normal
Robyn Ironside 11.45am: Collapse in air traffic laid bare
Flight radar images of Australia and Sydney Airport from Monday morning show the dramatic decrease in air traffic as a result of the coronavirus, compared to a year ago.
Although a handful of international flights could still be seen from China, Hong Kong and Auckland, domestic services which normally account for the bulk of air traffic in Australia, were in very short supply.
The flightradar24 images are a stark illustration of the severity of the cutbacks made by airlines, in response to government advice to travellers not to fly, even within their own state.
Read the full article here.
Ben Wilmot 11.32am: Shopping malls suffer under new eviction rules
Mall owners have lost ground in early trading on the share market in the wake of the prime minister’s announcement there would be no evictions for commercial tenants for six months.
The federal government has called on commercial tenants, landlords and financial institutions to sit down and work through ways of ensuring that businesses can survive.
But apart from general principles few guidelines have emerged with talks to come about cost-sharing or deferral of losses between landlords and tenants, with all levels of government and lenders to “consider mechanisms to provide assistance”.
Macquarie analysts said that while shopping centres remain open, 16 groups across 5443 shops had already announced closures with some groups publicly stating they will not pay rent due on April 1.
Smaller retailer shut-downs are also occurring under the radar and more are cutting back their hours.
Scentre was off by 2.65 per cent to $1.47 and Vicinity Centres was off by 3.62 per cent to 93c.
Macquarie has said Vicinity and Scentre will take an 11-12 per cent hit to Funds From Operations from a 50 per cent reduction in rents for three months across all speciality retailers. The loss of ancillary income will also be a headwind.
READ MORE: Trading Day: ASX ekes gain
Rachel Baxendale 11.15am: Andrews hails private hospital deal
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has hailed a deal reached with private hospitals over the weekend, which will see some of their staff employed by the government in exchange for the use of their resources to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
State and federal governments held urgent talks with private hospitals over the weekend to ensure staff could continue to work after national cabinet’s decision to suspend elective surgery left many hospitals without business.
“We have an in-principle agreement to stand behind those private hospitals to make sure that they’re viable, and then to have all the capacity that we need reserved for any COVID-19, any coronavirus patient that needs that care,” Mr Andrews said.
“I am really pleased to be able to report, we have got a deal that sees the health system, public and private, work as one system to provide the very best care.”
Mr Andrews said nurses from Melbourne’s Epworth and Cabrini private hospitals had been redeployed by the Department of Health and Human Services to work tracing the contacts of people diagnosed with COVID-19.
“(We’ve got) one health system: not public and private, but one health system to provide one consolidated response and the very best of care,” Mr Andrews said
READ MORE: Chris Mitchell writes: Public is sick of grandstanding over virus
Richard Ferguson 10.55am: ABC’s Norman Swan tested for COVID-19
The ABC’s leading health reporter Norman Swan is being tested for coronavirus, the public broadcaster says.
“The ABC’s medical expert @normanswan says he is going to be tested for #coronavirus, after developing symptoms,” ABC News Radio tweeted.
“Dr Swan says he in now in self isolation at home.”
Dr Swan - the host of Radio National’s The Health Report - has become the face of the ABC’s coronavirus coverage through the past few weeks on multiple platforms.
He has come into frequent public conflict with the nation’s chief medical officers, who have criticised his stance that the government has gone too slow in implementing lock downs.
READ MORE: Media Diary: Swan song hits a nerve
Angelica Snowden 10.45am: Woolies launches ‘basics box’ for vulnerable
Woolworths will launch a ‘Basics box’ that can be posted to people unable to leave their homes due to coronavirus.
The package contains snacks, meals and a few essential items and costs $80.
The company says the new service will allow them to “get more essential items to many more vulnerable customers faster”.
Woolworths Group CEO Brad Banducci said in a statement that their older and more vulnerable customers would be “anxious” about their grocery needs.
“Going to the supermarket is a key part of everyday life for many of them, and some will have never even considered ordering groceries online before,” Mr Banducci said.
“We’re working at pace to reshape our business, and thanks to the support of the likes of Australia Post and DHL, we will be able to better service those in self-isolation.”
The service will be available to customers in the ACT, NSW and Victoria initially and is expected to be rolled out to more states and territories in the coming weeks.
READ MORE: Private sector called in to help cope
Cameron Stewart 10.40am: US death toll could hit 200,000
America’s top infectious diseases expert has warned that up to 200,000 people could die of coronavirus in the US as Donald Trump extended social distancing guidelines for another month rather than reopen the economy.
President Trump said the peak death rate in the US was likely in about two weeks and that if his government did not take the action it has as many as 2.2 million Americans may have died in the pandemic.
As the death toll across the US continued to soar, Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said the US was “going to have millions of cases” of the virus and he guessed there could be anywhere between 100,000 and 200,000 deaths.
“We have a very difficult problem here,” Dr Fauci said. “We’re going to see places like Detroit and other cities starting to get into trouble.”
Read the full story here.
Angelica Snowden 10.25am: Man in court for breaching quarantine 3 times
A man who breached self-quarantine requirements on three separate occasions after returning from Jordan will face court today, police say.
The 30-year-old man arrived at Sydney International Airport on 18 March and was advised he needed to self-isolate for two weeks.
Police arrested the man at Edensor Park on 20 March but he was released on bail and on the condition that he self isolate.
The man was then stopped by police on 28 March at 10pm on Pitt St in Sydney’s CBD and then again at 1.20am in Pagewood in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
He was issued with a $1000 fine.
He was arrested and later charged for breach of bail and non-compliance with a ministerial direction.
Yesterday the man was moved to a serviced apartment in Camperdown where he again attempted to leave, police say.
Police arrested him and charged him with not comply with Public Health Order under the Public Health Act 2010 (NSW).
He was refused bail and will appear in Central Local Court today.
READ MORE: Private hospitals on standby
Richard Ferguson 10.15am: Sick foreign passengers hospitalised in Perth
The Morrison government will take care of 29 foreigners who contracted COVID-19 aboard the German cruise ship Artania, which is sitting off the coast of Western Australia.
Joondalup Health Campus - a private clinic in Perth’s north - will take the 29 people under a humanitarian agreement, after Scott Morrison said Australians must look out for foreign cases of COVID-19 if we are to expect the same treatment from other governments.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said the 29 people will come to the mainland with the cooperation of the Western Australian state government.
Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan has vowed to block cruise ships after the Ruby Princess disaster in NSW, but has taken some foreign nationals who needed medical attention already.
““This humanitarian hospital care will be provided in one of the state’s premier facilities, which is fully prepared for and is already treating COVID-19 patients,” Mr Hunt said.
“We thank the outstanding staff and team at Joondalup Health Campus and the state government for their assistance in this humanitarian operation.”
READ MORE: Life’s a beach and then you die
Anne Barrowclough 10.10am: Tasmania joins NSW, Vic in enforcing restrictions
Tasmania has joined NSW and Victoria in strictly enforcing the new two person restrictions from midnight tonight.
Premier Peter Gutwein warned anyone breaching the rule would face fines and jail time.
“Our police will ensure that they enforce this. You will be able to be arrested. You will be charged and summonsed,” Mr Gutwein said.
“I have the department at the moment looking at a range of on-the-spot fines.” He said the order will be in place for four weeks, and reviewed after that.
READ MORE: Graham Richardson writes: Don’t have to be sick to be a virus victims
Matthew Denholm 9.55am: Tasmania records first coronavirus death
Tasmania has recorded its first death from coronavirus; a woman in her 80s.
Premier Peter Gutwein said the woman died in the North West Regional Hospital on Monday morning.
“I have been saying for weeks that this is serious, that people will die and unfortunately Tasmania now has its first death,” he said.
“All Tasmanians need to accept and understand that this is not a game, this is serious, people’s lives are at risk.”
READ MORE: Deaths could reach 2 million, UN warns
Angelica Snowden 9.40am: Trump extends national shutdown for a month
President Donald Trump is extending the voluntary national shutdown for a month as sickness and death tolls from the coronavirus pandemic rise in the US.
The initial 15-day period of social distancing urged by the federal government expires Monday. It will now extend to April 30.
The federal guidelines recommend against large group gatherings and urge older people and anyone with existing health problems to stay home.
People are urged to work at home when possible and avoid restaurants, bars, non-essential travel and shopping trips.
The extension would leave the federal recommendations in place beyond Easter on April 12, by which time Mr Trump had hoped the country and its economy could start to rev up again.
Alarmed public-health officials said Easter was too soon to ease restrictions.
The US had more than 137,000 COVID-19 cases reported by late Sunday afternoon, with more than 2,400 deaths.
With AP
READ MORE: Trump backs down on New York quarantine
Angelica Snowden 9.30am: Stranded Aussies on way home from Peru
Hundreds of Australians that were stranded in Peru are on their way to Sydney on a flight chartered by Chimu Adventures.
Chimu flight has departed Peru on route to Sydney with passengers from Cusco and Lima. Thanks to all, including Peruvian airforce for hard work to make it happen. We are focussed on our ongoing work to help Aussies get home.Thanks for your patience and understanding. @MarisePayne pic.twitter.com/DGDdIVCyRB
— Diana Nelson (@embauslima) March 29, 2020
It is understood that about 260 Australians are on the flight, that cost $5160 per ticket.
Unlike the US and UK, the Australian government said it would not assist travellers with the cost of the economy-class ticket.
There were an estimated 400 Australians in total in Peru, meaning about 140 are still stranded.
READ MORE: $5160 for ticket home from Peru
Elias Visontay 9.15am: MyGov portal ‘supercharged’ to cope with demand
The MyGov website portal used to access Centrelink online week due to over-demand from out of work Australians.
Minister for Social Services Anne Ruston acknowledged the government had been bolstering the website’s capacity “for months” in anticipation of the coronavirus impact, but said “no one was ever going to be able to have the kind of capacity” to satisfy 200,000 users in an hour.
“Last week we saw hundreds of hundreds of thousands of people register an intent to claim,” Senator Ruston told Sky News.
“Hopefully this week we’ll be able to get a better handle on how many of those were registering that intent and genuinely actually needed immediate assistance, and how many of those were registering their intent because they were fearful they might lose their job.
“We’ve supercharged the system...certainly these are unprecedented times.
“We certainly were ramping up and we’ve been ramping up now for months because we realised that this was a potential outcome.
“I don’t think it was a matter of being blindsided. I think it was just a matter of pure capacity. No one was ever going to be able to have the kind of capacity when we were hit with 200,000 people in an hour...its eye watering the kind of capacity you would have to have for that.”
Senator Ruston said the website appeared to “be working much better” on Monday, and that she hoped it was a less stressful week for Australians accessing the site.
She also indicated the government will announce new payments to visa holders and non citizens living in Australia through the coronavirus crisis.
“We will make sure we look after all people that are in Australia during the coming months.”
READ MORE: Sign of 'flattening curve’
Rachel Baxendale 8.55am: $1,600 fine for Victorians who break 2 person rule
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says Stage Three restrictions on gatherings of more than two people will be enforced in Victoria with on-the-spot fines of up to $1,652 for individuals and $9,913 for businesses.
As coronavirus cases in Victoria reached 821, Mr Andrews said: “Victoria has moved to stage three and that involves a ban with an on the spot fine of more than $1,600 if you breach it, on gatherings with more than two people, other than those in your household. This is critically important.
“Victoria Police will not hesitate to take action against you. That is how serious this is. No-one in my position enjoys doing this. We’re not doing it for any other reason than this is life and death. If we allow our health system to be overrun, then people will die.”
Mr Andrews said that while many vulnerable people were at heightened risk, COVID-19 had killed otherwise healthy younger people overseas.
“This is not just about Grandma, this is about all of us,” he said.
“Unless you want to be burying an elderly relative or your best mate, or your parents ... stay at home.”
The ban on gatherings of more than two people comes into effect from midnight on Monday night in Victoria.
The number of coronavirus cases in Victoria has risen by 56 cases since Sunday.
There are 29 Victorians in hospital, including four in intensive care.
More than 42,000 tests have been conducted.
READ MORE: New social order: Three’s a crowd
Elias Visontay 9.50am: Burke: part-time workers get nothing from subsidies
Opposition industrial relations spokesman Tony Burke has raised concern that the wage subsidy scheme expected to be announced by the government on Monday will not take into account part time and casual workers.
Mr Burke said he supported a condition that the payment to employers, believed to be as much as $1500 a fortnight per employee, would be contingent on the employer keeping their staff on throughout the coronavirus crisis.
“More than a third of the workforce now is part-time,” Mr Burke told ABC RN.
“Of the part-time, and that covers casuals as well, of that part of the workforce, more than two thirds of them are women. A significant number of those people work more than one part time job.
“So they’re working full-time hours, but across a number of employers from the sounds of what’s been leaked to the papers today. Those workers are going to get nothing.
“We want to make sure that this reaches all workers. And that has to include people in insecure work (and) people in the gig economy.”
Mr Burke also said he was concerned the subsidy, if $1500, would not be enough to keep some businesses afloat.
“When you get a number that comes in at less than half of average weekly earnings...in the context that employers are facing, there’ll be some where this makes a difference in being able to keep the workforce on and that’s to be welcomed and that’s really good.
“But there will be a large number of employers that look at the figure that’s in the papers today ($1500) and say, well, ‘it’s nice to have the help but I still can’t afford it’,” Mr Burke said.
“We still don’t know the design. So there are some issues here where we’ve just got to see how the government designs it. But the test of what they do today will be the number of employers who can now afford to keep people on and the number of workers who are in fact eligible,” he said.
READ MORE: Business loan relief in bailout expansion
Yoni Bashan 8.45am: Three sick crew members taken off Ruby Princess
NSW Police Commissioner Michael Fuller confirmed three unwell members of the Ruby Princess cruise ship were allowed off the ship overnight to be treated in a Sydney hospital.
They had previously been fit enough to be treated on board.
“Three people needed medical attention and we facilitated the removal of those three people who are all under health care at the moment,” Mr Fuller said, confirming they were not Australians.
Mr Fuller said the Federal Government had now notified all cruise ships to return to their port of origin, though Australians and dual passport holders would be able to disembark.
“Any Australian who was on a cruise ship on NSW waters are safe to come back - please make contact with the ship’s captain, or otherwise with the ports authority, and you will be brought back to NSW,” he said.
READ MORE: Virus fears halt drug, alcohol tests
Jacquelin Magnay 8.40am: Questions over data behind lockdown measures
His name is forever tainted with a seriously flawed forecast about foot and mouth disease that resulted in the unnecessary slaughter of millions of livestock that saw pyres burning across Britain and cost farmers their livelihoods.
That was in 2001, and now the man who convinced then-Prime Minister Tony Blair to take such extreme action to handle the foot and mouth outbreak is behind Imperial College data that the UK government is relying on to inflict the most extreme social isolation measures in the coronavirus pandemic.
Professor Neil Ferguson heads an Imperial College, London team that has claimed 510,000 people in the UK would die from coronavirus if nothing was done, and by introducing various distancing measures, the curve could be flattened so as few as 20,000 people would die.
Given Professor Ferguson’s unquestionable influence on UK action, and possibly by extension Australia’s two-person social distancing policy that came into effect overnight, his numbers are being carefully scrutinised by others.
Read the full story here.
Yoni Bashan 8.15am: NSW to enforce two person rule from midnight
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has urged people to stay at home and remain in self-isolation unless there are exceptional circumstances for going outside, with police about to start ramping up compliance of these directions in the community.
Ms Berejiklian said that aside from essential work, food shopping, exercise, or other vital needs, there was no need for members of the community to go outside, particularly those aged above 70.
“If you’re over 70, you shouldn’t be leaving home at all,” Ms Berejiklian said.
NSW Police Commissioner Michael Fuller said on-the-spot fines of $1000 could be used to enforce the new rules being enacted at midnight, which would limit gatherings outdoors to no more than two people.
Mr Fuller said repeated breaches of these rules, or any others, could be taken to court, where six month prison terms could be applied.
NSW has experienced a drop in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases overnight, down to 127 from 174 the previous day and highs above 200 cases last week; but health officials are cautioning that this may be a result of fewer tests being conducted.
“Whilst it is pleasing we’ve seen a stabilisation in case numbers, it’s important to know they can vary and jump around day to day based on testing number,” NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant. “It is the long term trend in that data which is important.”
There are currently 26 people in Intensive Care Units for COVID-19, with 13 requiring ventilators. Confirmed cases in NSW have reached 1791.
READ MORE: Takeaway liquor rules relaxed to help eateries
Elias Visontay 8.00am: ‘Betray lockdown, we’ll come down on you’
Greg Hunt has hit out at reports of Australians who have “betrayed” isolation restrictions and left their homes for non-essential reasons, warning authorities will “come down on them like a ton of bricks”.
Asked about Victorians going to spend isolation in holiday homes in coastal suburbs like Sorrento and Portsea in his electorate of Flinders, The Health Minister said Australians were able to choose where they wanted to isolate, but that distancing requirements still applied.
“It doesn’t matter where anybody is in Australia. The rules apply to you because these are about saving lives and protecting lives,” Mr Hunt told ABC TV.
“If somebody thinks just because they’re rich, that they’re not a vector, if they think just because they’ve got a lovely house on a cliff, that they’re above the law, they’re wrong.
“People have to decide where they want to see this through, but we want to minimise gatherings. That’s our focus.
“Sadly, these agonising rules of groups of two or family or household groups, staying home other than for essential activities...it doesn’t matter where you are. Practice real isolation and real distancing, because that’s going to save lives.
“If anybody thinks they’re above it, they’re not. And I know that the Victorian authorities will come down on them like a ton of bricks. Sorry to be so blunt.”
Mr Hunt said Australia had now conducted over 214,000 COVID-19 tests, and while “there are a few people who have betrayed their community, but overwhelmingly, Australians are doing the right thing”.
On personal protective equipment, including health masks, Mr Hunt said 800,000 were being distributed around primary health networks on Monday.
“Over the course of the next 12 weeks, we’ll have five million masks. We brought over eight million masks into the country. We’re producing masks on a war time scale in Australia. That’s ramping up and industry is stepping up. The army is helping with the production of those masks.”
Mr Hunt also welcome the decision of private health funds to abandon planned premium increases from April 1, acknowledging some funds required “some gentle persuasion”.
READ MORE: Questions over modelling behind lockdown
Elias Visontay 7.20am: ‘Legal obligation’ for subsidised business to keep staff
Josh Frydenberg has revealed there will be “legal obligations” that businesses accessing a government wage subsidy payment continue to employ their staff throughout the coronavirus crisis.
The Treasurer said the wage subsidy will be announced later on Monday, and while he refused to put a value on it, the payment is believed to be worth as much as $1,500 per employee per fortnight.
“At the end of the day we want Australian businesses and their employees to get to the other side intact,” Mr Frydenberg told Sky News.
“And that’s why we’re looking at this wage subsidy measure because it’s all about ensuring there’s a connection between the employer and the employee through what is a very difficult time.
“There are legal obligations for that to occur. And of course our focus here is supporting the employee who has done it very, very tough and obviously needs that security, needs that surety that they will continue to get that income support.”
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg tells @sunriseon7 wage subsidy announcement will be made later today. As we reported last night, laid off workers could receive $1500/fortnight as part of new “job keeper†allowance
— Olivia Leeming (@olivialeeming) March 29, 2020
Mr Frydenberg denied the wage subsidy would be similar to the subsidy of 80 per cent of an employee’s pre-pandemic income that has been introduced in the UK, saying: “We will have an Australian style system, not a UK style system”.
Speaking shortly later to ABC TV, Mr Frydenberg labelled measures to tighten the ease of foreign investment as “strict and unprecedented”.
“We’re reducing the threshold from $1.2 billion effectively for countries with whom we have a free-trade agreement to zerom” he said.
“This is a precautionary measure, a temporary measure, it reflects the extraordinary times we’re in. It will give the Government greater visibility and scrutiny of foreign investment proposals to ensure that they remain in the national interest.
“What is very clear to us...in these extraordinary times, (we) need to more strictly assess the foreign investments that are coming into Australia.”
READ MORE: Alan Kohler writes: Why wage subsidy isn’t the answer
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.00am: Gillard welcomes $10m funding for Beyond Blue
Beyond Blue Chair Julia Gillard has welcomed $10 million of additional funding for her organisation’s mental health services, saying Beyond Blue’s mental health support phone line has seen a 33 per cent in usage in the last 12 months.
The $10 million in funding for Beyond Blue is part of a federal $74 million injection into mental health programs.
“What we will do is absolutely surge our support services. So we currently have a support line which has seen a 33% increase in usage over the last 12 months,” Ms Gillard told Today on Sunday.
“And we have lots of online resources. In recent weeks we noticed new spikes around coronavirus, COVID-19, so in coming days what we will be doing with this money is putting purpose specific resources up.
“And another important part of yesterday’s announcement was a number of mental health services are moving through Medicare rebating to help tele- health-style modules.”
Ms Gillard refused to offer her political opinion on the federal government’s response to the crisis but praised the bipartisanship that has emerged in its wake.
“I’m not offering any political critiques. I don’t think that’s appropriate for me to be doing. I’m here as chair of Beyond Blue. What I would say about all of our leaders and decision makers at this time, whether it’s the prime minister, the Leader of the Opposition, the premiers, the various leaders of the opposition in the state, our local government leaders, I think they are all trying to give of their best, I think they are trying to pull together.
“Everybody is human, so we will some errors get made along the way, yes they will because that’s life, we are all human beings. I do sense there is a lot of bipartisanship, a lot of goodwill to try to get the country through.”
READ MORE: $1,1bn boost for GPs, Medicare
Lachlan Moffet Gray 6.40am: Syria records first COVID-19 death
Syria has recorded its first confirmable coronavirus death and another four cases, bringing the war-torn nation’s total to nine.
The woman died upon arrival to the emergency department, Sana Ajel news agency reports.
Despite the low number of infections in the country, the Syrian government has instituted tough curfews to slow the spread of the virus, fearing a widespread outbreak in a country that does not have the infrastructure to battle a pandemic.
There is a nationwide curfew from 6pm to 6am while most shops have been made to close their doors.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 6.30am: Virus financial impact endangers EU block
There are now over 710,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus across the world and 33,551 deaths. One-third of these deaths are in Italy while a further 6606 deaths are attributable to Spain.
Italy, which remains the new epicentre of the crisis, saw a 756 increase in the death toll on Sunday, prompting the government to extend it’s one-month national lockdown.
Spain is the second-worst affected country, experiencing it’s worse-ever one day fatalities jump on Sunday, recording 838 new deaths.
The disproportionate impact of the virus on Europe’s south has revived the European Union’s north-south divide rivalry, with Italy and Spain pleading for European Union help.
“It is the most difficult moment for the EU since its foundation, and it has to be ready to rise to the challenge,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a televised address Saturday night.
Mr Sanchez warned them that a lack of solidarity to share the enormous financial burden of the health crisis and the imminent economic slowdown will put the future of the bloc in danger.
“Europe must provide a united social and economic response. We must have evidence that Europe listens and that Europe takes action.”
There has been some European solidarity - the EU has pledged billions in aid while Germany has taken some patients from Italy and France.
However, critics say that’ not nearly enough as China and Russia have made a point of sending medical aid to Italy, making some Italians question where their allegiances should lie. Cuba and Albania have sent medical teams too.
“Europe must demonstrate that it is able to respond to this historic call,” Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte said late Saturday. “I will fight until the last drop of sweat, until the last gram of energy, to obtain a strong, vigorous, cohesive European response.”
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Lachlan Moffet Gray 6.20am: Brazil ignores virus threat
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro continues to defy calls from health officials looking to prevent gatherings that might spread the new coronavirus, posting videos of himself gathering small crowds in several neighborhoods in the capital of Brasilia.
Since the beginning of the outbreak, Mr Bolsonaro has downplayed the risks of COVID-19, calling it a “little flu” that largely threatens the elderly and most vulnerable.
He has urged them to self-isolate, but otherwise has stressed the need to keep Brazil’s economy running. He has clashed with several state governors who have introduced quarantine measures, such as in Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro.
“The virus is here, we’re going to have to confront it. Confront it like a man, not a boy!” Bolsonaro told supporters outside his official residence on Sunday. “We’re all going to die one day.”
As of Sunday, the Brazilian Health Ministry had reported 3,904 confirmed cases and 114 deaths linked to COVID-19.
In North America, despite recording more than 135,000 confirmed cases, yet restrictions on gatherings continue to be ignored.
Hundreds of people flouted Louisiana’s COVID-19 ban on gatherings, coming on buses and in personal vehicles to the first of three services at their church a day after New Orleans police broke up a funeral gathering of about 100 people.
An estimated 500 people of all ages filed into the mustard-yellow and beige Life Tabernacle church in Central, a city of nearly 29,000 outside Baton Rouge. More than 3,500 Louisiana residents have been diagnosed with the disease caused by a new coronavirus, and more than 150 of them have died.
In New Orleans, police broke up a “funeral repast” of about 100 people Saturday afternoon, issuing a warrant for a 28-year-old man who refused to shut it down and giving the band leader a summons, a news release said.
North of the border, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said he will continue to self- isolate at home even though his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, has recovered from the coronavirus.
Trudeau says although he was careful, he will remain in isolation for now because he was in the same home as someone who tested positive. Trudeau says has taken their three children to the prime minister’s summer residence in Harrington Lake, Quebec.
Sophie Trudeau received clearance from her doctor and Ottawa Public Health on Saturday.
Trudeau’s office said March 12 she had tested positive for the coronavirus after returning from a trip to London.
The prime minister and his family have been in self isolation at home since then. He and the children have not shown symptoms
READ MORE: No escaping hotel isolation
Lachlan Moffet Gray 6.10am: UK expected to be in lockdown for months
The prime minister has coronavirus and the death toll has passed 1000 — but in the UK, things could still get worse before they get better, with lockdown measures expected to last for months.
The UK has 19,772 confirmed cases of the illness and 1228 deaths, an increase of 209 on Saturday’s fatality figures, the health ministry said.
“The important thing is this is a moving target,” Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jenny Harries said overnight (AEDT).
“If we do well it moves forward and comes down and we manage our health and care systems sensibly in a controlled way and that is what we are aiming for.
“This is not to say we would be in complete lockdown for six months but it means that as a nation we have to be really, really responsible and keep doing what we are all doing until we are sure that we can gradually start lifting various interventions.”
Her warning came as Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote to 30 million households in Britain urging them to stick to strict rules to prevent the publicly-funded National Health Service (NHS) from being overwhelmed by a surge in cases.
Thanks to everyone who has been staying at home.
— Boris Johnson #StayHomeSaveLives (@BorisJohnson) March 29, 2020
By delaying the spread of the disease we can reduce the pressure on our NHS, and that's how we hope to save many thousands of lives.#StayHomeSaveLives pic.twitter.com/kxdqItMYSE
“We know things will get worse before they get better,” Mr Johnson said. “At this moment of national emergency, I urge you, please, to stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.”
The number of tests being carried out has hit 10,000 a day, senior minister Michael Gove said, and authorities are trying to acquire more ventilators.
The likely semi-permanence of social distancing measures has hit the country’s economic forecasts.
The Centre for Economics and Business research said the UK’s GDP would fall almost 15 per cent in the year’s second quarter before recovering in the third.
The closure of shops is expected to decrease consumption by 15 per cent while business investment could shrink by 13 per cent.
Shop closures and rising unemployment are set to knock consumption by about 15 per cent on the quarter, while business investment will sink by 13 per cent over the year.
“The UK economy is about to enter the deepest recession since the financial crisis, including the steepest quarter-on-quarter decline in economic activity since comparable records began,” the think tank said. — with AP
READ MORE: Two million could die, UN warns
Agencies 5.30am: Spain deaths spike; all non-essential activities banned
Spain confirmed another 838 deaths in 24 hours from coronavirus overnight (AEDT), a new daily record bringing the total number of deaths to 6,528, according to health ministry figures.
The number of confirmed cases in Spain has now reached 78,797 — after the one-day increase of 9.1 percent — as the country battles the world’s second most deadly outbreak after Italy.
Except for a brief lull recorded on Thursday, Spain’s death toll has been rising daily.
However, officials have pointed to a slower growth rate for both deaths and confirmed cases and expressed hope that the peak of the outbreak was approaching.
“The spread (of the pandemic) appears to be stabilising. It even appears to be in retreat, but we have to remember that our fundamental problem at the moment is to ensure the intensive care units are not saturated,” said Fernando Simon, the health ministry’s emergencies coordinator.
Simon said that six out of a total 17 regions “have reached their capacity limit and three more are fast approaching that stage.” The toughening of the current lockdown conditions should help the situation, he added as Spain also reported hat 14,709 people had been cured of COVID-19, a rise of 19.7 percent in 24 hours.
Like Italy, Spain on Saturday tightened measures to contain the outbreak, ordering a halt to all “non-essential” activities.
Currently, people in Spain are authorised to leave home for work if remote work is not possible, to buy food, get medical care or briefly walk their dog.
READ MORE: Grim milestone in Spain
Geoff Chambers 5.15am: Tough new social restrictions now in effect in Australia
Tough new social restrictions will take effect today to fight the spread of COVID-19, with a limit imposed of only two people gathering in public spaces, older citizens urged to stay at home and children banned from playgrounds.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said any person who could remain at home should and called on Australians to restrict their movements to seeking only essential supplies, with people aged 70 and over advised to stay at home and self-isolate “for their own protection”.
The crackdown on outside gatherings from 10 to two people will also include closures of public playgrounds, outside gyms and skate park.
Read the full story here.
Agencies 5am: New York’s coronavirus death toll nears 1000
New York state’s coronavirus death toll is nearing 1000 — accounting for more than 40% of the United States’ entire death toll, Governor Andrew Cuomo has revealed.
The number of disease-related deaths in the state jumped to 965 on Sunday compared to 728 the day before. The vast majority have been in New York City.
New data also shows that the virus is overwhelming some of New York City’s poorest neighbourhoods. Queens accounts for 32% of the city’s more than 30,000 confirmed cases as of Saturday — more than any other borough.
New York State on PAUSE is extended to April 15.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 29, 2020
That means the non-essential workforce is directed to continue to work from home until at least April 15.
We will re-evaluate every two weeks.
Neighbourhoods such as Jackson Heights, Elmhurst and Corona, which are generally poor, densely packed and have large non-English speaking populations, have been among the hardest hit, according to a city map showing per cent ranges of people testing positive for COVID-19. In those areas, between 69% and 86% of the tests done have come back positive.
A hospital in Elmhurst has been overrun with coronavirus cases. One day last week, 13 hospital patients with the virus died.
We're devastated by the death of Kious Kelly, a nurse manager at Mt. Sinai West, to coronavirus.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 29, 2020
He and other medical staff show up every day to save lives. Tragically he lost his own doing so.
We can't thank our health care professionals enough for their selflessness & bravery
Statistics on coronavirus cases do not reflect everyone who may have the virus, because many people have been told to manage their illness at home and are not getting tested. — AP
READ MORE: Trump backs down on New York quarantine
Agencies 4.45am: ‘Outbreak could kill up to 200,000 Americans’
The coronavirus outbreak could kill 100,000 to 200,000 Americans, the US government’s top infectious-disease expert warned overnight (AEDT) as smouldering hot spots in nursing homes and a growing list of stricken cities heightened the sense of dread across the country.
Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, made the dire prediction of fatalities on CNN’s State of the Union, adding that millions in the US could become infected.
The US has already had about 125,000 infections and 2,200 deaths, according to the running tally kept by Johns Hopkins University, though the true number of cases is thought to be considerably higher because of testing shortages and mild illnesses that have gone unrecognised or unreported.
Worldwide, the count approached 700,000 infections and deaths topped 32,000. World Health Organisation figures showed the daily increase in new infections was eclipsing 70,000, up from about 50,000 earlier in the week, and more than six times what it was two weeks ago.
New York State — where the death toll closed in on 1,000, up by more than 200 from the day before — remained the epicentre of the US outbreak, but spikes in infections were recorded around the country, not only in metropolitan areas but in Midwestern towns and Rocky Mountain ski havens.
The virus’ spread was rampant at nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other places that house elderly or otherwise vulnerable people. At one Long Island retirement community, Peconic Landing near Greenport, seven have died in the past two weeks. As has happened elsewhere, loved ones were barred to keep the virus from spreading. — AP
READ MORE: Tom Hanks flies back to US after COVID-19 recovery
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