Coronavirus Australia live updates: Tests extended to all health workers
Scott Morrison and the national cabinet have extended coronavirus tests to all health workers and people in outbreak zones who show symptoms.
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Welcome to live coverage of the continuing coronavirus crisis. In Australia, Daniel Andrews has warned tighter restrictions will have to be put into place, while unions warn 2 million jobs could be gone in weeks.
Richard Ferguson 10.31pm: PM expands coronavirus tests
Scott Morrison and the national cabinet have extended coronavirus tests to all health workers and people in outbreak zones who show symptoms.
Coronavirus tests so far have been limited to people who have been overseas or have been in contact with a positive COVID-19 case.
From now, the following people will be eligible for tests if they show symptoms:
• All health workers
• All aged/residential care workers
• Areas where there are high cases of community transmission.
High-risk communities such as:
• aged and residential care
• rural and remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
• detention centres/correctional facilities
• boarding schools
• military bases (including Navy ships) that have live-in accommodation.
“National Cabinet also agreed that testing will be expanded to include hospitalised patients with fever and acute respiratory symptoms of unknown cause, at the discretion of the treating clinician,” the Prime Minister said
“This is the minimum testing criteria. States and territories have the discretion to expand their own criteria for testing if they have capacity.”
The national cabinet have also decided to extend non-elective surgeries by a week. They will now be suspended from April 1.
9.45pm: Prince Charles tests positive to virus
Prince Charles has tested positive for coronavirus, Clarence House has announced.
The 71-year-old is displaying “mild symptoms” but is in good health as he self- isolates at home in Scotland.
The Duchess of Cornwall, 72, has also been tested but does not have the virus. “The Prince of Wales has tested positive for Coronavirus. He has been displaying mild symptoms but otherwise remains in good health and has been working from home throughout the last few days as usual,” Clarence House said on Wednesday. “In accordance with government and medical advice, the prince and the duchess are now self-isolating at home in Scotland. The tests were carried out by the NHS in Aberdeenshire where they met the criteria required for testing. “It is not possible to ascertain from whom the Prince caught the virus owing to the high number of engagements he carried out in his public role during recent weeks.”
READ MORE: Prince Charles tests positive to coronavirus
Angelica Snowden 9.30pm: Queensland man dies from virus
A 68-year-old Queensland man has died after testing positive to coronavirus.
Queensland Health confirmed in a statement that the man from Darling Downs was the second Queenslander to pass away due to COVID-19.
“The 68-year-old Toowoomba man had a serious underlying medical condition before contracting the virus, Queensland Health offers its sincere condolences to his family,” a Queensland Health spokesperson said.
“The man’s family remain in isolation as close contacts.”
The latest death comes after a 77-year-old woman from the Sunshine Coast died in Sydney.
The woman had an underlying medical condition.
Angelica Snowden 9.00pm: 46 new cases in Queensland
Queensland has recorded 443 cases of coronavirus after 46 new diagnoses were made today.
The highest number of cases are in the metro north, where there are 124 cases, and in the metro south where there are 104 cases.
Queensland Health said the majority of new cases are people returning from overseas or had direct contact with a confirmed case.
Amos Aikman 8.11pm: Darwin man tests positive in NSW
A Darwin man has tested positive to coronavirus while in quarantine in New South Wales.
The man, aged in his 60s, was a passenger on the Ruby Princess cruise ship and had stayed in Sydney after becoming unwell.
He is being monitored by NSW health authorities.
As he is a resident of the Territory, the man’s diagnosis will be recorded in the NT’s COVID-19 statistics.
This brings the official number of NT residents diagnosed with COVID-19 to six.
There are no additional cases of COVID-19 in the Northern Territory community.
Six cases in total have been detected in the Territory, but one was reclassified as a NSW case because the man is resident there.
Will Glasgow 7.46pm: US virus cases to overtake China
The US is set to overtake China as the country with the most confirmed cases of COVID-19 by the weekend.
New cases are being discovered in the world’s third-most populous country at a faster rate than anywhere in the world, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Almost 10,000 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in the US on Tuesday and the country’s total caseload is now more than 55,000.
READ MORE:
Angelica Snowden 7.12pm: Trapped Aussies to disembark ship
A Norwegan cruise ship with more than 100 Australians onboard including a large group of medical professionals has arrived at the Falkland Islands where passengers are expected to be able to disembark in the next few days.
The Australian understands the MS Roald Amundsen, that has nearly 500 passengers and crew onboard, has not yet docked but the ship’s owner Hurtigruten reached an agreement with the local authorities after it was caught up in the coronavirus pandemic.
Sydney GP Margot Cunich who is currently on the ship said that “everyone on board is healthy and well”.
“We are fortunate to have been well looked after on the Roald Amundsen by an incredibly professional crew during our delayed return,” Dr Cunich said.
“We are all very concerned about the developing situation world-wide and are eager to get home, complete our mandatory isolation and return to work to assist our community and our colleagues in this unprecedented situation,” she said.
Dr Cunich was part of a group of medical professionals, including 73 doctors, 20 dentists, 5 nurses and other professionals attending a conference.
READ MORE: Standoff as cruise ships wait at sea
6.37pm: Is this what the next three months looks like?
Taking a look at how other countries have handled the COVID-19 pandemic could give insight on what’s next for Australia.
Matthew Denholm 6.33pm: Tasmania virus cases jump to 42
Tasmania on Wednesday confirmed six more cases of coronavirus, bringing the state’s total to 42.
“Three of the (new) cases are from Northern Tasmania, two are from Southern Tasmania and one case is from the North West,” said Tasmanian Public Health director Mark Veitch.
“Two of the cases are aged in their 70s. One is aged in their 60s, one in their 50s, one in their 30s, and one is in their 20s. Four of the cases are women; two are men.
“Two of the cases have recently been on cruise ships. One case is a close contact of a previously confirmed case, and three have recently travelled to Tasmania from overseas.”
Dr Veitch said there remained no evidence of community transmission in Tasmania. “All the cases are directly or indirectly linked to overseas travel,” he said.
“Public Health Services has commenced contacting the cases to identify and contact any of their close contacts so that these people can be placed in self-isolation.Tasmania has conducted 1272 tests.”
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Craig Johnstone 6.17pm: Bindi Irwin beats PM’s wedding ban
Bindi Irwin appears to have brought forward her wedding to long-time beau Chandler Powell to today to beat the federal government’s prohibition of having more than five people at weddings as part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Footage from a Seven Network helicopter is showing a lavish outdoor area at Australia Zoo, with a floral archway and bouquets of white flowers.
BREAKING: it’s understood Bindi Irwin is about to get married at Australia Zoo to beat the new rules surrounding weddings that come into effect at midnight. @9NewsQueensland @9NewsAUS pic.twitter.com/sznQlLDDfH
— Tessa Hardy (@TessaHardy9) March 25, 2020
Social media photos also show the 21-year-old daughter of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin wearing a white gown but concealed under several white golf umbrellas.
The government announced that from midnight tonight, there would be a ban on wedding ceremonies that have more people present than the couple, a celebrant and two witnesses as part of its ratcheted up response to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
READ MORE: Fast-tracked beach wedding conquers virus
Rosie Lewis 6.14pm: 2 million myGov logins today
There were more than 2 million logins to the myGov site on Wednesday as Australians affected by the coronavirus pandemic who have never received welfare before seek help.
Government Services Minister Stuart Robert said myGov’s capacity, which was at 150,000 concurrent users on Tuesday, was being added to “where we can” amid unprecedented demand for welfare assistance.
“Today we have facilitated 2.6 million logins to myGov. We will continue to run the myGov service 24/7 and progressively increase its capacity as required, as we have over recent days and months,” Mr Robert said.
“To put this in perspective, the previous busiest day for myGov was during the July 2019 taxtime period, where the peak was 1.8 million logins in one single day.”
Richard Ferguson 6.10pm: Trade barriers lifted on medical supplies
Australia will lift all trade barriers on medical supplies as part of a multilateral pact with New Zealand, Canada, Chile, Brunei, Myanmar and Singapore.
The seven nations’ trade ministers - including Australia’s Simon Birmingham - said they individually would work to lift tariffs on medical goods immediately and strive to keep all supply chains open through the pandemic.
“We recognise that it is in our mutual interest to keep trade chains open, including via air and sea freight, to facilitate the flow of goods including essential supplies,” the statement said.
“We affirm the importance of refraining from the imposition of export controls or tariffs and non-tariff barriers and of removing any existing trade restrictive measures on essential goods, especially medical supplies, at this time.”
The seven nation trade pact is one of the first of its kind in the world during the COVID-19 crisis.
Rachel Baxendale 6.07pm: Victoria explores ‘non-hospital settings’
Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos says her state is examining all options to expand hospital beds, including in ‘non-hospital settings’, which could include other large public buildings.
Ms Mikakos cited the cancellation of non-urgent elective surgery, a blitz on urgent surgery and the fast-tracking of the commissioning of beds in the new Casey Hospital as measures already being taken to maximise capacity.
“We’re continuing to explore that, whether that’s in a hospital setting or a non-hospital setting,” Ms Mikakos said, when asked whether buildings such as the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre, hotels or sporting facilities could be repurposed.
“Unlike China, I can’t build a hospital in six days safely, but we are reviewing what the pandemic situation means for our various projects,” Ms Mikakos said.
“Thankfully the Casey Hospital project was nearing completion and therefore we were able to get on with the commissioning of those beds.
“Normally that commissioning process takes a number of months. We are putting that process on steroids, so to speak.
“We are exploring all of our infrastructure, all of our capacity across the state to see what further capacity we can create and that means looking at both in a hospital setting and a non-hospital setting and we may have some more announcements to make, but I don’t have any new announcements to make in that area today.”
READ MORE: Rejecting the Silver Linings Playbook
Jamie Walker 6.03pm: Doubt cast over Qld elections
Australia’s deputy chief medical officer has cast doubt over Saturday’s local government and by-elections in Queensland, warning they had the potential to be “a major mixing event” for coronavirus.
Professor Paul Kelly’s comments on Wednesday were at sharp odds with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk who insisted the voting should proceed.
While more than half the state’s registered voters had cast pre-poll or postal ballots, hundreds of thousands will be required to turn out on Saturday because voting remains compulsory.
All council and mayoral spots as well as the state seats of Currumbin on the Gold Coast and Ipswich-based Bundamba west of Brisbane are being contested.
Professor Kelly made his reservations clear, saying: “If this was going to go ahead, that would be a potential for a major mixing event.
“So, first thing, anyone who is sick should not be going to vote, at least in person. Second of all, people should keep their distance.
“And third of all, if the voting … area is full of people, perhaps come back later.”
However, he stressed he was concerned with medical advice and the fate of the elections was in the hands of the Queensland government.
Ms Palaszczuk said the state’s Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young had advised it was safe for the elections to go ahead.
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Ewin Hannan 4.25pm: Unions warn on childcare, building site protection
Unions have warned childcare centres and construction sites should be shut down if not enough is done to protect children and workers from exposure to coronavirus.
The United Workers Union said hygiene and safety must be improved and increased in centres or they should be closed to protect young children and educators.
The union wants temperature checks for children upon arrival, increased personal protective equipment for staff, and adequate time for increased cleaning and hygiene implementation.
“Because early childhood educators cannot practice social distancing with very young children extreme measures must be taken,” it says.
The Electrical Trades Union said builders and electrical contractors needed to “get real” about preventing the transmission of COVID-19 on their worksites or face being closed down on safety grounds.
The union last week called for major infrastructure projects to remain open and be brought forward as a cushion against the sharp economic downturn. But it said this should only happen if the advice of the Chief Medical Officer was closely followed to protect the health and safety of workers.
ETU national secretary Allen Hicks said the union had strong concerns that some worksites had not heeded the message from unions, medical authorities and mandates of Government.
“The continuation of the construction industry is vital to the Australian economy, but our first priority must always be to protect people’s health,” he said.
“If builders and electrical contractors are not enacting stringent health and safety protocols immediately, the ETU will be recommending members on those sites to cease work immediately and go home to contain the spread of this virus.”
READ MORE: Employers, unions win bid to save jobs
Rachel Baxendale 4.10pm: Sutton silent on possible patient infections
Victorian Chief Medical Officer Brett Sutton has cited “privacy” in refusing to disclose whether patients have contracted COVID-19 from four infected health workers at Melbourne’s Werribee Mercy Hospital.
The hospital confirmed on Wednesday morning that four workers had contracted the virus.
Asked when the cases had been detected, Professor Sutton said he would not go into the “specifics of the cases”.
“Those private details are important to remain private, but for any case that we follow up, we find out where they’ve been, where they were when they were symptomatic, and then we work out who their close and casual contacts are,” Professor Sutton said.
“All of those close contacts, whether they’re patients, whether they’re other staff, will then be furloughed or quarantined.
“They’ll stay at home or stay away from work and be at home for 14 days after that exposure.
“If there are other individuals who were not close contacts, they will carry on with their work.”
Asked whether the close contacts included patients, Professor Sutton said: “Again, I won’t give specific details in this case.”
“The public can be assured that every single positive case with a health worker, with anyone else, that we follow up with all of those close contacts,” he said.
“They are informed, and they are now in quarantine. So everyone, where it’s relevant, gets informed and is directed to do the right thing.
“No one is kept in the dark about potential exposure that they might have had.”
READ MORE: Virus scare at corporate HQ
Rebecca Urban 3.50pm: NSW teachers want shutdown now
The NSW teachers union is calling on the state government to follow Victoria’s lead and order a shut down of schools.
A request by Premier Gladys Berejklian for parents to keep children at home if they are able has seen student attendance fall to just 25 per cent across the state, but the NSW Teachers Federation wants the government to go further.
The federation’s executive met on Wednesday and resolved that “normal school operations must end”. This is despite Prime Minister Scott Morrison has reiterating his call for schools to remain open so that families could continue to work and children could get an education.
“It is now essential that an immediate transition to an emergency mode of school operation be put in place with minimum staffing (to support essential frontline services workers who are unable to care for their children during this crisis) and necessary systems to provide maximum health protection for all present on sites,” said NSWTF president Angelo Gavrielatos
“Staff not rostered on minimal supervision are to work from home providing educational continuity as far as is practicable for students online during term time. The arrangements for staff in high-risk categories working from home are to continue unaltered.”
Mr Gavrielatos said schools must be declared pupil free for all students, except the children of essential frontline services workers who are unable to care for their children and vulnerable children, from March 30.
Ms Berejklian previously said the decision to keep schools open — which is in line with the current health advice that schools remain safe and that their closure would not necessarily slow the spread of the virus — would ensure parents with limited childcare options could continue to work.
Victorian and NSW both say a decision regarding term two has yet to be made, but schools are already preparing for a closure and switch to delivering remote, online teaching, which could last several months.
The NSWTF is seeking an urgent meeting with the Premier’s office.
READ MORE: Schools scramble to enter remote mode
Paige Taylor 3.35pm: Standoff as three cruise ships wait at sea
Australia is in a standoff with two international cruise ships off Perth while West Australian Premier Mark McGowan has intervened to prevent hundreds of Australians on a third cruise ship from disembarking south of Perth on Friday.
READ MORE: Ships standoff
Richard Ferguson 3.25pm: AEC offices close: online only
Australia’s electoral offices will close to stop the spread of coronavirus, as Queensland pushes ahead with its local government polling day on Saturday.
People will now need to check the electoral roll or pay failure-to-vote lines entirely online, the Australian Electoral Commission says.
“AEC moves to online service delivery only. This is a precautionary measure in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in line with measures announced by the Governments to protect the community from the spread of COVID-19. Most electoral business can be completed with us online,” the AEC tweeted.
Queensland’s Electoral Commission will go ahead with local government elections and two state by-elections on Saturday on the advice of the state’s chief medical officer Jeannette Young.
AEC moves to online service delivery only. This is a precautionary measure in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in line with measures announced by the Governments to protect the community from the spread of COVID-19. Most electoral business can be completed with us online
— AEC âœï¸ (@AusElectoralCom) March 25, 2020
Queensland voters are being urged to bring their own pencils, no more than 100 people are allowed in a polling place at any one time, and social distancing is being enforced by a boosted electoral commission workforce.
The polling booths are being cleaned regularly, hand sanitiser will be available for voters, and the traditional polling day sausage sizzles have been cancelled.
READ MORE: BYO pencil
Sarah Elks 3.15pm: Premier Palaszczuk: No time to socialise
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has used a “cluster” of coronavirus cases from a beachfront Noosa restaurant to warn people now is “not the time to socialise”.
Ms Palaszczuk said a cluster of 17 people had tested positive from the event at Noosa beachfront restaurant Sails on March 14, including four staff.
“This is how coronavirus can spread...it’s a very clear signal to everyone, this is not the time to socialise,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
The Premier announced that all of Queensland’s camp grounds - more than 400 - would shut from tomorrow, reinforcing her earlier message that the Easter holidays would be a “break” and not holidays.
She said she made no apology for shutting the border between Queensland and NSW, the first time in 100 years. Ms Palaszczuk said the arrangements were being worked out for residents of the Tweed coast, who lived and worked between the two states.
READ MORE: Party cluster at popular restaurant
Adeshola Ore 3pm: Police ramp up social distancing crackdown
NSW police will introduce on the spot $1000 fines and six-month jail terms for people who breach social distancing and social isolation rules from midnight tonight.
Corporations could be fined $5,000 on the spot under the new measures.
The state’s police minister David Elliot said the state would increase the state’s police presence to fight coronavirus.
“We need to kill this virus before it kills us,” he said.
He said police would perform random spot checks for police understand have breached the National Cabinet’s new social distance measures.
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said police had powers to put members of the public before court.
Commissioner Fuller said he would not rule out phone surveillance to clamp down on people who breach the new quarantine and social distancing measures.
“In terms of using apps to track people, if I had an opt-in, I would welcome that.”
He said state police were in discussion with federal police and would consider methods other countries use to monitor high-risk people.
Minister Elliot said “everything is on the table” regarding the police’s new powers.
Mr Elliot said police patrols would be ramped up in the state and officers would conduct random checks on people police had intelligence to suggest they were breaching the new laws.
Commissioner Fuller said the state’s police had conducted checks on tens of people who were required to self-isolate after returning from overseas, but had issued no fines to date.
He said officers in the patrols would be provided with necessary safety equipment such as masks.
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Rosie Lewis 2.50pm: Ruby Princess fiasco sparks new orders
Australian Border Force officers have been ordered to ask the master of every cruise ship whether anyone on board has flu-like symptoms during the coronavirus pandemic, after Ruby Princess passengers were allowed to disembark in Sydney despite more than a dozen people being unwell.
There are now at least 133 passengers with coronavirus while a woman has also died.
Australian Border Force Commissioner Michael Outram said it was the relevant state’s health department and the federal Department of Agriculture that had responsibility for ensuring cruise ships presented no biosecurity risk to the public.
“If there is any doubt whatsoever about the wellness or the wellbeing of crew or passengers on a cruise ship, or a cargo ship for that matter when it comes into port, then before those passengers or crew are let off, there should be, I think, a presence at the ship by the department of health in that particular state or territory,” Mr Outram said.
“Any doubts or suspicions whatsoever, because my office is not qualified or trained to make medical or quarantine or biosecurity decisions, the Department of Agriculture will make those decisions based on the advice of a local health department.”
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Elias Visontay 2.45pm: Coronavirus testing targets widened
Health authorities have expanded the criteria for who they focus COVID-19 testing on.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly explained the definitions for different cases were broadened overnight, with a focus now on “suspect cases” of people who have been in “high-risk settings” including aged-care facilities, Aboriginal and remote communities, prisons, boarding schools and cruise ships.
“Previously, we were concentrating on returned travellers and people who have returned from overseas travel, and are showing signs of COVID-19 infection will of course continue to be tested,” Dr Kelly said.
“But the case definition has been expanded now so the ones that are most likely, the ones who have had either recent overseas travel or household contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19. We also have a new category called suspect cases.”
Dr Kelly also said the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee had recommended to the National Cabinet that elective surgeries be cancelled because professionals couldn’t waste personal protective equipment in the face of shortages.
While all category 3 class of elective surgery will be cancelled, heart, cancer and other urgent surgeries will still go ahead.
Dr Kelly also explained how quickly the virus could spread if social distancing wasn’t observed.
“Within a month, one person will result in 400, on average, 400 other people. That is the disaster situation we’ve been seeing in other countries.”
He also said the national stockpile of personal protective equipment - mainly masks - was reserved for healthcare workers, but said “there are many things that could be done to increase the hygiene and the social distancing” for school teachers.
READ MORE: Rejecting the COVID-19 silver linings playbook
Ewin Hannan 2.30pm: Unions warns of massive, immediate job losses
Unions have told Scott Morrison up to two million jobs could be lost in weeks, urging him to reverse his opposition to direct wage subsidies for employers that keep paying workers.
The small business lobby also called on the government to consider direct subsidies, warning employers were finding the new welfare support measures too complex and a simpler system was needed to support displaced workers.
ACTU secretary Sally McManus wrote to the Prime Minister on Wednesday calling for wage subsidies of up to $5200 per worker per month.
Ms McManus said the scale of the coming jobs crisis can be gleaned by considering the size and importance of the sectors most affected by the initial health-ordered shutdowns of business.
Five of the industries - retail, hospitality, transport, personal services, arts and recreation account for 3.3 million jobs or 26 per cent of total employment.
“The severe downturn already occurring in those sectors is sufficient to cause a major recession (destroying 1-2 million jobs in coming weeks),” she said.
Ms McManus said the delay in delivering the coronavirus supplement until April 27would cause unnecessary hardship for many Australians that were out of work and it should be backdated to March 22.
Mr Morrison reiterated his opposition on Wednesday to direct wage subsidies, saying it would require a new payments system and the best way to support workers and employers was through existing payment channels.
But the small business lobby said direct wage subsidies should be considered as current arrangements were proving to be too complex for employers.
Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia chief executive Peter Strong said:
“They are fine but they have become too complicated now. We have had to send out a lot of documents as have all industry organisations trying to explain how it works to people. It has become very complicated.
“If the direct subsidy removes complication and gives certainty to people it should be considered, yes.
“I’m not saying have one. I’m saying it’s got to be on the table. It can’t be rejected.”
He said workers had not been retrenched but displaced from their jobs.
“We are saying this is not an economic thing, this is caused by a virus and we have got to approach it from a different angle,” he said “At the moment they are displaced workers and we have to respond to that. Treat them as though they are still working but they have gone home and they get money paid until we get back to normal.”
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Olivia Caisley 2.20pm: Childcare bonus for kids kept at home
Families who keep their children home from daycare won’t be penalised and will still be able to access the childcare subsidy under new legislation passed by the Parliament on Monday.
Education Minister Dan Tehan announced on Wednesday that children can now be absent for 62 days in a financial year without needing to provide a medical document, before a parent’s access to the childcare subsidy is restricted.
The previous absences limit was 42 days or six weeks.
“Beyond 62 days the Government has waived the requirement to produce medical evidence if a child is absent due to COVID-19 reasons,” Mr Tehan said.
The Morrison government has also waived the requirement for childcare services to require a family to pay out-of-pocket fees if the service is forced to close as a result of the pandemic.
“The health and safety of all Australians is our number one priority, and that includes the 1.3 million children in child care, and 200,000 staff working in the child care sector,” Mr Tehan said.
The current expert medical advice is that the child care sector remains open except where individual services have been directed to close by health authorities.
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Victoria Laurie 2.10pm: Rare unity in hotel, bar industry
The Federal government says it has struck an emergency deal with the union representing hotel and bar workers in a bid to find ways of keeping workers on the payroll during the coronavirus crisis, even if they are employed in a “modified” form.
Industrial Relations Minister Christian Porter says there was a major breakthrough on Tuesday between United Workers Union, which represents hospitality and bar staff, and the Australian Hotels Association. They jointly agreed to vary the industry’s award to “drive flexibility into it to save jobs.”
“They agreed to flexibility by allowing reduced hours to be worked by full and part-time employees,” he said. Employers can now direct full-time employees to work only 60 per cent of their guaranteed hours.
The agreement will also allow employees to be directed to work across different roles, and told to take annual leave, including at half pay, at 24-hours’ notice.
The full bench of the Fair Work Commission commended the balanced nature of the arrangements and noted that this was a time for cooperation not conflict.
Minister Porter said the two parties “who haven’t always cooperated perfectly are now cooperating … It’s an excellent outcome.”
He said the government hoped to support similar award variations, which require Fair Work Commission signoff, to vary agreements that would keep staff in some form of employment.
READ MORE: Checkpoints set up at state borders
Richard Ferguson 2.05pm: Albanese claims Morrison is ‘hectoring, blaming’
Anthony Albanese has accused Scott Morrison of “hectoring and blaming” people who are not following social distancing rules.
In a break with the bipartisan response to the coronavirus crisis, the Opposition Leader is now calling for the Prime Minister to release clearer timetables on when restrictions will be put in place.
Mr Albanese said in Sydney that the Prime Minister’s own communications on coronavirus were hurting confidence in government.
“They don’t have confidence in the certainty of the announcements that are being made,” Mr Albanese said.
“There are two approaches to (fix) that. One (approach) is you can do what the Prime Minister has done which is to hector people, and blame people.
“The second approach that I want to see ... is to be very clear about what is required today, what is recommended, and what needs to happen down the track.
“Get it right, say what’s occurring, say it clearly.”
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Elias Visontay 1.55pm: ‘Good news’ in latest Australia figures
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly has declared the rising number of confirmed COVID-19 cases is “good news” because it means authorities are locating likely cases and tracking international arrivals.
Dr Kelly said there were currently 2252 confirmed cases in Australia, with 197 people - less than 10 per cent of cases - hospitalised due to the virus.
He said the majority of cases were mild, with only 17 cases are in intensive care, and that the death rate of eight Australians represented 0.4 per cent of overall cases.
“On one sides that’s good news,” Dr Kelly said. “They are increasing and on one side that is good news, we are finding the cases and they are still in it mostly coming from overseas.
“And we have had this uptick with the Ruby Princess in recent days. Most of the rest are being found as part of the contact tracing exercise. This is fantastic work being done by the states and territories.
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Ben Packham 1.45pm: Charter flights may retrieve stranded Australians
The Morrison government says it will consider supporting charter flights to get Australians home from “less central locations”, but warns the plan “will not return all Australian travellers home”.
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack - who is responsible for aviation - announced the possible lifeline with Foriegn Minister Marise Payne today.
The move comes as hundreds of thousands of Australians try and find a way home as global aviation grinds to a halt due to the coronavirus crisis.
The Ministers, who have failed to make a comprehensive statement on the issue since Scott Morridson issued an unprecedented “do not travel” warning a week ago, said the government would look at supporting such flights on a “case-by-case basis”.
“Limited commercial flights are still operating from some countries and cities but we are aware that in many countries they are no longer an option,” they said in a statement.
“We urge Australians who do have access to these opportunities to act quickly.
“Last night, the government also agreed to consider, on a case-by-case basis, supporting our airlines to operate non-scheduled services to less central locations to bring Australians home.
“These will only be done where it is feasible, where all other commercial options have been exhausted and where local authorities will permit such flights.”
They warned there were no plans for “assisted departures” like those from Wuhan in China, and Japan.
This means any Australians who return home on such flights will have to pay their own way.
They said the Australian government would not be able to help all those who needed to return, and many would have to ride out the crisis overseas.
Until now, the government has advised Australian travellers to either remain where they are, or get to the nearest major aviation hub.
Travellers in Peru, Guatemala, Ecuador and Egypt are among those reporting difficulties in getting flights back to Australia due to border closures.
READ MORE: Preserving the Australian way of life
Adeshola Ore 1.35pm: New ACT cases linked to overseas travel
ACT has recorded 5 new cases of coronavirus, with four linked to overseas travel.
The new cases include 4 males and 1 female, aged between 27 and 73.
“There is currently no evidence of community transmission in the ACT,” an ACT Health statement reads.
Four of the new cases are linked to overseas travel, one includes a cruise ship and one is a close contact of a previous case.
There have been no community transmission of the virus in the territory.
There are now 44 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in ACT. The territory’s health authorities have conducted 2,964 negative tests.
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Damon Johnston 1.30pm: Top cop’s contract set to be extended
Graham Ashton may have his contract as Victoria’s top cop extended as he helps lead the state’s emergency response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Chief Commissioner was due to finish his five-year term in the top job in June, but sources within police command say he could delay his exit given the rapidly expanding crisis in Victoria.
Mr Ashton has already formed a 500-strong police taskforce to enforce social distancing and isolation rules designed to slow infection rates in Victoria.
The Australian understands that while no formal aproach has been made to Mr Ashton, it is generally agreed that having the state’s top cop leave the job at such a critical time could undermine the response.
The unfolding pandemic was also likely to delay the process to find a full time replacement as Chief Commissioner.
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Michael Mckenna 1.15pm: Qld hand sanitiser ‘at critical levels’
Queensland doctors and nurses have been told to ration hand sanitiser in the latest official edict as the state government grapples with a global shortage of personal protective equipment for frontline health workers.
In an internal memo to Cairns Hospital staff, authorities warned that hand sanitiser was “now at critical levels state-wide” and that any supplies needed to be rationed and stored under lock and key.
It follows a similar order last week across all Queensland hospitals and clinics, with health workers told to ration the use of face masks and gloves to ensure there is “access to personal protective equipment throughout the entirety of the response’’.
“Re-use of PPE in low risk situations, for instance, may be a better alternative than no PPE at all, allowing us to conserve PPE stocks to respond appropriately to known risk situations,’’ the March 17 order said.
Queensland Health minister Steven Miles and state chief medical officer Jeannette Young have both said that there is enough PPE supplies but that proactive action was needed to ensure the supply.
Mr Miles told The Australian that the state health department still had enough PPE but that staff had to be careful about their use as more supplies were ordered and delivered.
“It is something we are monitoring every-day and important that staff treat PPE as a valuable resource,’’ he said. “Dr Young has given guidance on how to conserve PPE.
“That includes reducing unnecessary clinicians from treatment spaces and cohorting COBID patients together, so they don’t have to treat be treated separately.’’
Mr Miles said new supplies of PP had arrived in recent days.
“Every health system world is competing and we are fortunate we had a big stockpile and the feds had a big stockpile of PPE. Most of the shortage is in private and primary health care and dentistry.’’
One of the state’s two nurses unions, the Nurses Professional Association of Queensland, on Wednesday said they were concerned about the exposure of their 5000 members if PPE runs out.
Assistant state secretary Jack McGuire said the union had written to Mr Miles and his federal health counterpart Greg Hunt with a possible supplier of PPE.
Mr McGuire said the union had been in contact with an Australian importer who us able to supply at least 50 million masks initially, as well as several hundred thousand bottles of hand sanitizer.
The importer contacted Mr Miles directly on Tuesday night.
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Richard Ferguson 1.05pm: Morrison rejects Boris Johnson wage model
Scott Morrison has ruled out adopting British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s 80 per cent workers’ wages subsidies.
The Prime Minister said the government would use existing tax and welfare systems to provide support, saying the Johnson model of wage subsidies would involve creating an entirely new system.
“We are already providing money to businesses ... one of the weaknesses of the (British) system is that it has to build an entire new payment system for that to be achieved which is never done quickly and never done well,” he said in Canberra.
“The best way to get help to people is through the existing payment channels, through the existing tax arrangements.
“That was the lesson from the GFC ... the key lesson you must existing channels. To dream up new systems is very dangerous.”
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Rachel Baxendale 12.55pm: Victoria plans text message alert service
Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services has been working for days to implement a Singapore-style text message monitoring program to address the coronavirus crisis.
Asked why the program still hadn’t been implemented, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said the Singapore example had been discussed at national cabinet on Tuesday night.
“The Prime Minister is speaking with the Prime Minister of Singapore,” Mr Andrews said. “Be in no doubt, this will be done as quickly as it can be.
“The Prime Minister reported last night that he’s been in conversations with (Singapore) Prime Minister Lee (Hsien Loong) on this very issue and we are working very, very closely together.”
“The last thing you ever want to do is put some app into the middle of this, and then have it fall over and not work. That would benefit nobody.
“As it is now, we are using technology, and we’re using a very large number of people to do critically important work.
“The contact tracing team has doubled in recent days. If it needs to double again, it will.”
Mr Andrews said he would have “more to say” about using the VicEmergency app to broadcast coronavirus warnings and advice.
“We are well-placed because of some of the capability coming out of bushfires,” the Premier said. “It can be repurposed. It can be reused for different things, like the coronavirus crisis. We’ll have more to say about that.”
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Sarah Elks 12.45pm: Four staff at Noosa restaurant test positive
Four staff at one of Noosa’s best-loved beachfront restaurants have been diagnosed with COVID-19, forcing health authorities to issue an alert.
Sails, on Hastings Street at Noosa on the Sunshine Coast, is at the centre of an outbreak, with Queensland Health confirming that four staff who served patrons there last week had tested positive.
“These staff members worked at the restaurant on Wednesday 18 4pm–11.15pm and Thursday 19 March 3pm–10pm while unknowingly infectious,” the statement says.
“Queensland Health is calling for people who attended the restaurant during those times to monitor their health for 14 days from those dates and see a doctor immediately if they develop any symptoms.”
“While the risk is very low, some patrons could potentially have been exposed.”
“There is no risk to anyone who has been to this restaurant before or after this period.”
“Sails Restaurant has been closed since 23 March 2020.”
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Richard Ferguson 12.30pm: New committee to tackle jobs, food supply
Scott Morrison will set up a COVID-19 Coordination Commission to solve non-health issues that arise from the domestic pandemic including unemployment and food supply chain disruptions.
Former Fortescues Metals chief executive Neville Power will lead the new body, with a focus on working with businesses to coordinate responses to pandemic-related problems.
“Australia right now more than anything needs to focus on minimising and mitigating the impact of the coronavirus on our businesses, on our communities, on our people. “ Mr Power said in Canberra.
“My role is going to be looking for those problems and looking for opportunities where we can join businesses together to solve problems.
“Where there is a workforce that is no longer gainfully employed and where there is a workforce that’s needed.
“Where there’s equipment that can be redeployed. Where we need to intervene to protect our critical supply chains and our utilities. And also, very importantly, looking to the future because we know that this virus will come and go.”
Former Labor minister Greg Combet, ex-Finance Department secretary Jane Halton, former Toll chief executive Paul Little, and Energy Australia chief executive Catherine Tanna will make up the COVID-19 Coordination Commission board.
Former Telstra chief David Thodey will be Mr Power’s deputy. Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Philip Gaetjens and Department of Home Affairs Secretary Mike Pezzullo will also sit on the board.
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Richard Ferguson 12.25pm: Non urgent elective surgery suspended
All elective surgeries which do not need to be done for 90 days will be suspended to protect the health system’s capacity to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak.
Scott Morrison said category 1 surgeries - which health professionals want to be done within 30 days - will go ahead but Category 2 surgeries (which are usually considered semi-urgent) will be postponed.
“Cancellation of elective surgery will allow the preservation of resources like personal protective equipment and allow health services to prepare for their role in the COVID-19 outbreak,” the Prime Minister said.
“Now, this had already largely been implemented for Category 1 and Category 2, and what this means is a further scaling back of those elective surgeries in Category 2.”
Elective categories often include procedures like hip replacements, amputations, and colposcopies.
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Paige Taylor 12.20pm: New cruise ship set to test protocols in WA
Another test of Australia’s cruise ship protocols is looming as an estimated 900 Australian and New Zealand nationals prepare to disembark the Vasco da Gama south of Perth on Friday.
Ship owner Cruise & Maritime Voyages says it has recorded no health concerns among the passengers or crew, who have not left the vessel since March 14. Some Australian and New Zealanders joined the vessel on March 18 from Columbus, another of the company’s ships. At one stage passengers from Europe were aboard both vessels, but they are now all aboard the Columbus headed for London.
The company says it has spoken to Australian Border Force and passengers will be subjected to “additional, mandatory screening procedures” before they are allowed to get off the ship in Fremantle and go directly to their homes in Western Australia or direct to flights home. The screenings are expected to take several hours - the ship is scheduled to dock around 8am Friday and passengers have been told they cannot expect to disembark before 2pm. They may have to stay on the ship overnight.
The Australian understands that Australians and New Zealanders will be taken from the ship to airports in buses provided by Tourism Western Australia.
“CMV has consulted with Australian Border Force and has confirmed that passengers should not make onwards travel plans any earlier than 2pm local time to allow for additional, mandatory screening procedures. To assist passengers with this process and to provide passengers with some flexibility for their onwards journey, Vasco da Gama will remain in Fremantle overnight on Friday 27 March and passengers may remain onboard if required. CMV has asked passengers arranging flights to their final destination to depart the ship by evening of Saturday 28 March 2020,” the company said in a media release.
“When the passengers arrive in Fremantle on 27 March, it will be their 13th day at sea. CMV’s 552 crew members will remain onboard.
“Further to this, the current advice from the Western Australian Government states that passengers must remain onboard Vasco da Gama until arrangements have been made for them to be privately transported directly to their home or to the airport to fly home.
“The information that passengers have provided CMV for their onwards travel plans have been shared with the Australian Government as well as respective travel agents where applicable so they can assist in making travel arrangements home for passengers.”
READ MORE: ‘Stern measures’ force cruise liner to sail
Adeshola Ore 12.10pm: Woolies extends deliveries to vulnerable customers
Woolworths has launched a new initiative to increase grocery deliveries to vulnerable customers.
From Thursday the supermarket will reduce trading hours at 41 stores across Australia to 11am to 6pm to focus on grocery deliveries for elderly people, those with a disability and people or compromised immunity and people in mandatory isolation.
“Following an extraordinary level of demand for groceries in recent weeks, reducing trading hours in a small number of our stores to turn them into ‘Priority Delivery Hubs’ will help us assist more people who can’t access a store to get products they need,” said Woolworths Group CEO, Brad Banducci.
The supermarket will also implement further hygiene measures, including a store greeter to wipe down baskets. The store will also close some registers in the self-check out area to ensure customers are complying with social distancing regulations.
The 41 stores are spread across all states and territories except Tasmania.
MORE: Can we cope with isolation?
Rosie Lewis 11.50am: ABF chief hits out over cruise ship failure
Australian Border Force Commissioner Michael Outram has hit out at the NSW government for not allowing trained doctors and nurses on board the Ruby Princess before passengers disembarked, while denying he was blaming any agency for the debacle.
The cruise ship’s 2700 passengers were able to leave through the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Sydney’s Circular Quay without being screened for the coronavirus or having their passports checked.
At least 133 passengers have now contracted the disease and one woman has died.
Defending his agency on Wednesday morning after The Australian revealed NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told a confidential partyroom meeting on Tuesday that ABF officials were responsible for the decision to release passengers, Mr Outram said: “I had a conversation with Minister (Brad) Hazzard late on Friday night, the NSW Minister for Health, and stepped him through what I’d seen in Victoria and Western Australia where I thought the arrangements had worked very well.
“The protocols are any vessel coming into Australia’s water from overseas has to give us 96 hours at least notice of any illness on board or disease. As they come into port, there’s protocols about declaring any quarantineable disease when you come into port, when you come up alongside you have obviously to declare, the ship has to declare to the state or territory health department whether there is an illness on board, and then of course my officers will board.
“What broke down in this case was of course I think health officers, trained doctors or nurses didn’t get on board the vessel, swab passengers and take those swabs for results before a decision was taken about disembarking the passengers, which is why when I spoke to NSW health government on Friday night, I said ‘what I saw in Victoria, the way that vessel was handled was done very, very well, and had that occurred in this case, what happened wouldn’t have happened’.”
READ MORE: Border Force blamed for Ruby Princess fiasco
Rachel Baxendale 11.35am: ‘No-one’s going to church on Easter Sunday’
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has responded to US President Donald Trump’s declaration that he would like to see packed churches and people back at work by Easter by saying that no one will be going to church in Victoria on Easter Sunday.
Asked whether President Trump was being irresponsible in calling for a return to normality in less than three weeks, Mr Andrews said he would not provide commentary on international leaders.
“What I can say is this: on that beautiful Easter day, there won’t be any masses,” the premier said. “No one’s going to church on Easter Sunday. That’s what’s happening here, and why?, because that’s what the medical advice says is appropriate.
“I’ve got enough to get on with right here in our state without becoming a foreign affairs journo. I’ll leave that to others.”
Rachel Baxendale 11.30am: Andrews considers support for renters
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said a key topic at Wednesday night’s extended session of national cabinet will be commercial tenancies, as businesses which have been forced to close battle to pay the rent.
Residential tenancies will be discussed at Friday’s meeting.
“Residential tenancies will be subject to further discussions on Friday, and then I’m very confident we’ll have some announcements to make about trying to protect those who are renting, whether it be shop owners, or those who’ve got other arrangements for their principal place of residence,” Mr Andrews said.
Asked whether the arrangements were likely to include a moratorium on evictions, Mr Andrews said he would wait until national cabinet had “settled” on measures before discussing them.
“I don’t want to see people being turfed out of their homes,” he said.
“It is very difficult if you’re a landlord and you’ve got a payment to make to the bank and your tenant can’t pay your rent.
“I think some consideration, some common sense. The notion that you’re going to just be able to pick up another tenant off the street, I think that’s pretty unlikely, so if everyone works together, if we can get some targeted support, if it can be hardship-based, I think we can find a way forward there, but Friday will be the day for me to take you through that, or sorry, the Prime Minister will take you through in the first instance, and I’ll be happy to add to that.”
Mr Andrews said there was “nothing wrong with” Melbourne families with second homes on the coast or in the country moving their families to those locations, as long as they observed social distancing protocol.
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Adeshola Ore 11.25am: TAFE NSW suspends classes from March 30
TAFE NSW will suspend classes from March 30 until April 27 amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The organisation said its campuses remain open, including childcare centres and counselling services.
TAFE NSW will pause the delivery of face-to-face courses from Monday 30 March until Monday 27 April. Visit https://t.co/DnCIL7ylNP for updates. pic.twitter.com/NNxzTzBjXF
— TAFE NSW (@tafensw) March 25, 2020
“During the temporary pause, our teaching teams will be working to get everything ready for classes to recommence on 27 April,” a statement on its website reads.
“There will be some exceptions to the pause. This includes delivery of training for critical skills areas, such as aged care and enrolled nursing for students who are due to complete before the end of term 1 and wish to do so.”
TAFE NSW said it would recommence classes with required social distancing measures on April 27.
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Olivia Caisley 11.15am: Biosecurity laws give government sweeping powers
In declaring a human biosecurity emergency last week, Governor-General David Hurley granted the Morrison government sweeping powers that can force Australians to provide body samples for diagnosis, undertake treatment or receive a vaccination and remain in their homes or in isolation at a government facility.
The Biosecurity Act, introduced in 2015, gives the government special powers to try and stem global pandemics such as COVID-19, including imposing a human biosecurity control on any person displaying symptoms and any other person they have been in contact with.
In addition to powers to control individuals, there is a power to set “human health response zones” to apply entry and exit requirements on everyone in a particular area, including towns, suburbs and streets.
The coronavirus outbreak in Australia is the first time a human biosecurity emergency has been declared under the Biosecurity Act.
Since the declaration on March 18, Health Minister Greg Hunt has been vested with the extraordinary power to “determine any requirement that he or she is satisfied is necessary” to prevent the entry or spread of COVID-19.
These cannot be disallowed by parliament or overridden by any other law while also enabling the government to bypass the need for personal consent in some circumstances.
Offences for failing to comply are punishable by five years in prison or up to $60,000.
The same penalties apply to failure to comply with a control order.
However, there are safeguards in place that ensure any restriction imposed must be “likely to be effective”, is “appropriate and adapted” to its purpose and is “no more restrictive or intrusive than is required in the circumstances”.
The act also stipulates that the human biosecurity emergency period last no longer than the health minister considers necessary to control the spread of a disease.
While the current declaration is capped at three months, Mr Hurley may extend the human biosecurity emergency period indefinitely, if necessary, on a rolling three-month basis.
Mr Hunt first exercised his powers under the declaration on March 18 by preventing international cruise ships from entering Australian ports.
This ban is expected to lift on April 15.
The Morrison government’s biosecurity powers are complemented by the capacity of the states to impose their own stringent restrictions and controls, with some states such as Western Australia, Tasmania and Queensland moving to close their borders on Tuesday.
Other state-led measures have included the banning of outdoor gatherings of 500 or more people and indoor gatherings of 100 or more people.
READ MORE: How lockdown rules affect you
Damon Kitney 11.10am: Star Group stands down 90 per cent of staff
The Star Entertainment Group has stood down 90 per cent of its 9000 staff, including senior management, after following the lead of Crown Resort and SkyCity Entertainment by closing its gaming floor, food and beverage and conference facilities at its Sydney, Gold Coast and
Brisbane properties.
Staff will receive two weeks of paid pandemic leave while they will be able to access any accrued annual and long service leave entitlements.
The board and senior management will also forego a significant percentage of entitled directors’ fees and salaries.
Chairman John O’Neill AO said: “This is a unique environment and one beyond our control in which we’re determined to balance the necessary measures needed to protect the business while considering the considerable human impact to our workforce.”
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Matt Bekier said: “We have incredible people at The Star and huge potential. We are also confronting, like the rest of society, an unprecedented challenge in the COVID-19 situation.”
Star said the shutdown of the casino properties would have a material impact on The Star’s operations.
“Management is focussed on implementing mitigation strategies to minimise impacts and conserve liquidity. These include materially lowering operating costs and reducing capital expenditure. As at 24 March 2020, The Star had available cash or undrawn committed debt
facilities of $480 million,’’ the company told the ASX this morning ahead of its shares being lifted from a trading halt.
READ MORE: NAB says Australia can cope
Rachel Baxendale 11.00am: Victoria camping, caravan parks to close
Victorian Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville has announced the closure from midnight on Wednesday night of caravan parks and camping grounds to all but permanent residents.
The state government-administered measure was one of the Stage Two restrictions agreed upon at last night’s meeting of national cabinet.
Now more than ever, it’s important that we are getting our information from the correct sources.
— Lisa Neville (@LisanevilleMP) March 24, 2020
Please make sure that all of your COVID-19 updates are coming from trusted offical sources like the ones below. pic.twitter.com/f4tH4yYS77
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Adeshola Ore 10.45am: Man charged for faking coronavirus
A Coffs Harbour man been charged for falsely telling police he had coronavirus while reporting for bail.
In a video posted to Facebook the man walked into the police station, began coughing and declared “I’ve been tested positive to that coronavirus.”
After police responded by closing the station, his girlfriend can be heard telling police he was joking and did not have the virus.
A police officer then told the man he would be charged, noting he was “causing hysteria throughout a public place.”
The man has been charged with a public nuisance offence.
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Matthew Denholm 10.35am: Tassie state schools to go online next term
Tasmanian state school students will switch to online learning from next term and this term will effectively be cut short.
Premier Peter Gutwein said the online model would operate from next term but that schools would remain open for in-school teaching of the children of essential workers and any others who wished their children to attend.
“In term two, schools will remain open for students of essential workers and parents who wish their children to attend an education setting,” he said on Wednesday morning. “We will support other students in their homes through either online or other resources.”
Schools will be student-free from Monday, April 6, allowing time for schools and teachers “to finalise the delivery of a home and online learning model from the beginning of the new term post the holidays”.
The state also took action to better secure masks and personal protective equipment at hospitals, after revealing there had been thefts of small amounts of PPE from hospitals. “This is obviously unacceptable,” said Health Minister Sarah Courtney.
It was also announced that eight new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours included a traveller returned from a new cruise ship of concern, the Carnival Spirit, which arrived in Melbourne on March 14.
Federal authorities had been alerted and attempts were being made to track other passengers.
A crack-down on breaches of self-quarantine requirements was also announced, with Tasmania Police planning spot checks and warning that those ignoring the 14-day isolation would face jail time, as well as fines of up to $16,800.
Mr Gutwein warned of a harder lockdown unless people abided by social distancing and self-isolation requirements, saying the state was staring at an “abyss”.
“Tasmanians have parents and grandparents that went to war put their lives at risk,” he said. “What I’m asking people to do is to be sensible with their personal space.
“I’m asking people to sit on the couch and watch Netflix…. Surely at this most gravest time we can … follow the rules.”
READ MORE: Schools scramble to enter remote mode
Rachel Baxendale 10.35am: Victoria police ‘not mucking about’
Victorian Premier Andrews said the 500-strong Victoria Police coronavirus taskforce was “not mucking about” and people failing to adhere to social distancing rules would be caught.
“(Police) are out there checking on thousands and thousands of people who’ve returned from overseas,” he said.
“If you’re doing the wrong thing, you will be caught.
“We’re using technology, we are doing everything we can, and I thank every one of those Victoria Police members, I thank everyone across the team: health workers, people working at (the Department of Health and Human Services) doing the thousands and thousands of phone calls to do all that contact tracing.
“Everyone is stepping up and Victorians need to step up too.
“Follow the rules, follow the advice, do the right thing, or people will die.”
Rachel Baxendale 10.30am: ‘There will be new restrictions in Vic, NSW’
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said that following the introduction of Stage One restrictions on Monday and Stage Two measures from midnight tonight, there would also be a Stage Three.
“That’s not to be announced today. That’s not yet determined, but it is coming. There will be a Stage Three,” Mr Andrews said.
“The exact nature of those measures, the timing of that, when that occurs, I will stand here, I will very clearly and directly explain to every single Victorian what they need to do at that stage, but today I want to explain to Victorians what they need to be doing right now.
“If you can stay at home, you must stay home.
“You should not be having friends over for a dinner party. You should not be going out shopping unless you need to shop for what you need, when you need it. Kids on school holidays cannot be having friends over. Kids on school holidays cannot be going to Chadstone or Northland or Southland.
“That is simply not on. We’ve got to buy time. We have got to buy time so that our nurses and doctors are ready.”
Mr Andrews said it was likely states with higher numbers of coronavirus cases, such as NSW and Victoria, would move to Stage Three ahead of other states and territories.
“One of the very pleasing parts of last night’s national cabinet meeting was an acknowledgement that states are in different positions,” he said.
“My job is to flatten our curve, not what’s going on in other states where there are much less cases.
“Our challenge is greater. The challenge in New South Wales, where I’m speaking very regularly to (Premier) Gladys (Berejiklian) about these issues, and we’re in lockstep when it comes to doing what has to be done.
“The recognition that Stage Three will need to occur and that Stage Three may occur in different parts of the country at different times, was very important, and that’s one of the reasons why national cabinet will again be meeting - we’re not scheduled to but we are meeting again tonight to talk about that and a whole range of other issues.”
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Adeshola Ore 10.15am: Cuomo: You pick the 26,000 people who’ll die
The governor of New York is warning the city could become the next centre of the coronavirus pandemic, warning over a drastic shortage of ventilators.
Andrew Cuomo warned the infection rate is accelerating and with the rate doubling every three days, the atate could be just two weeks away from seeing 40,000 people in intensive care.
“We are not slowing it. And it is accelerating on its own,” he said during a briefing at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Centre. “One of the forecasters said to me we were looking at a freight train coming across the country. We’re now looking at a bullet train.”
Mr Cuomo also slammed the US Federal Emergency Management Agency for not sending enough ventilators.
“FEMA says, ‘we’re sending 500 ventilators.’ Really? What am I going to do with 400 ventilators, when I need 30,000?,” he said at a press conference.
“You pick the 26,000 people who are going to die because you only sent 400 ventilators. You’re missing the magnitude of the problem, and the problem is defined by the magnitude.”
Mr Cuomo said after the peak hits New York City, the ventilators could be sent to other US states.
“I will take personal responsibility for transporting the 20,000 ventilators anywhere in this country that they want once we are past our apex,” he said.
“I’ll send ventilators, I’ll send health care workers, I’ll send our professionals who dealt with it and who know all around the country. And that’s how this should be done.”
On social media, healthcare workers in the US welcomed the governor’s fiery response.
#cuomobriefing is the only gov’t update that I feel I can trust these days. And I don’t even live in New York. I’m a tired, weary, scared nurse. But he gives me clarity after caring for Coronavirus patients for three days straight. pic.twitter.com/ZlS8qyogRW
— Mama2Kings (@NursMama2) March 24, 2020
Others described him as “the President of the United States right now.”
Cuomo is the President of the United States right now!
— Dr. Bombay (@newdeliDr) March 24, 2020
READ MORE: Trump wants US open by Easter
Remy Varga 10.10am: Four health workers in Melbourne infected
Four emergency department health workers at a hospital in Melbourne’s far southwest have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Mercy Health on Tuesday confirmed the four employees of Mercy Hospital in Werribee have tested positive for the disease.
A spokesman said the hospital was working with the Department of Health to notify any patients or employees identified to be at risk of contracting COVID-19.
“Our primary focus is on the health of our patients and staff working on the frontline,” he said.
“Since the notifications, we have been working with the Department of Health and Human Services to identify any patients and staff considered at risk of infection.”
“Anyone considered to be at risk will be contacted for testing and advised to self-isolate.”
The emergency department, which remains open to the public, had been sanitised, the spokesman said.
One employee tested positive on Sunday, prompting the testing of other staff members considered to be at risk.
It is not known what role the four staff members performed in the emergency department.
READ MORE: Editorial: Shutting the gate to no avail
Adeshola Ore 9.55am: Greta Thunberg in self isolation over virus fears
Climate activist Greta Thunberg is self-isolating amid fears she may have contracted coronavirus.
In an Instagram post, the Sweedish teenager said she had developed symptoms of the virus ten days ago and was staying inside as a precaution.
Ms Thunberg said she and her father began developing flu-like symptoms after returning from Central Europe.
“In Sweden, you cannot test yourself for COVID-19 unless you’re in need for emergency medical treatment,” she said.
“I have therefore not been tested for COVID-19, but it’s extremely likely that I’ve had it, given the combined symptoms and circumstances.”
She said she “almost didn’t feel ill” now, but warned her followers to self-isolate if unwell as young people may have mild symptoms of the virus and unknowingly spread it.
READ MORE: First cases in young NSW children
Rachel Baxendale 9.50am: ‘Not just queues for Centrelink but ICU’
Mr Andrews welcomed the decision of national cabinet last night to introduce Stage Two social distancing measures, which will begin at midnight in Victoria.
“We don’t take these actions lightly but to put it bluntly: if we don’t slow this thing down, we won’t just have people waiting in line for Centrelink – we’ll have people waiting in line for machines to help them breathe,” the Victoria Premier said.
“I know this is stressful and I know this is scary.
“The measures we already have in place are difficult, and these will be harder again.”
Statement on Victoria's response to Coronavirus pic.twitter.com/WGlUyGpIa2
— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) March 24, 2020
Mr Andrews said essential services such as supermarkets, petrol stations, banks, post offices and bottle shops would remain open.
“But I want to be very clear: the more people ignore the rules and ignore the advice – the more this virus will continue to spread,” he said.
“There is no social occasion or celebration that’s worth more than a human life.
“For Victorians that means if you can stay home, you must stay home. We are all being asked to make sacrifices. Because if we don’t, people will die.”
A full list of Stage One and Two restrictions is available at coronavirus.vic.gov.au.
Businesses seeking advice about whether they are affected can also call the Business Victoria coronavirus hotline on 13 22 15.
READ MORE: Paul Kelly writes: How much of village do we burn to contain this?
Agencies 9.40am: People leaving New York ordered to self isolate
Anyone leaving the New York metro area must self isolate for 14 days, Vice President Mike Pence has ordered.
Deborah Birx, the woman in charge of the US response to the coronavirus told a White House briefing that people leaving the hardest hit area of the US might not be sick, but could have been exposed to the virus. She advised people heading for Long Island, or Florida, North Carolina or other states to stay home for two weeks.
Ms Birx said about 56 per cent of the cases in the US are coming out of the New York metro area.
Dr Anthony Fauci, who is advising Donald Trump on the pandemic, said about one per 1,000 people leaving New York are infected, eight to 10 times more than in other areas.
AAP
READ MORE: Trump chooses economy over pandemic concerns
Robert Gottliebsen 9.30am: Wall St all in as Trump plays his hand
The huge rise on Wall Street — the biggest since 1933 — was no accident.
US President Donald Trump called major investment houses to tell them that he planned to take on the medical establishment and ease the clamps in the US economy after Easter. At the same time the massive US stimulus bill looked like passing the Congress and the US Federal Reserve was out there printing money by buying US bonds, including corporate bonds.
The President’s actions were in stark contrast to the actions of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and what is happening in Australia where we are looking to increase the clamps and are talking about a six months shut down.
In taking these steps Trump is gambling his presidency, because if the US goes into a medical morass as a result of the easing of clamps then Joe Biden will be the next US president.
Read Robert Gottliebsen’s commentary in full here.
Richard Ferguson 9.20am: Mobiles to be texted virus information
Every mobile phone in Australia will be texted coronavirus-fighting information from today.
Nearly 36 million phones will receive a link to a list of tough new social distancing rules, advice on hygiene, and other information in a bid to raise social awareness on how to flatten the curve on COVID-19 infections.
“Coronavirus Aus Gov msg: To stop the spread, stay 1.5m from others, follow rules on social gatherings, wash hands, stay home if sick. aus.gov.au,” the text will read.
Health Minister Greg Hunt and Communications Minister Paul Fletcher thanked Telstra, Optus and Vodafone for their cooperation.
“The message was endorsed by the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Brendan Murphy, and was limited to 150 characters,” they said in a joint statement.
“Text messages will continue to be used as one of the range communications from the government to the Australian people, to reinforce the importance of abiding by new restrictions and social distancing to save lives.”
READ MORE: Editorial: Preserving the Australian way
Richard Ferguson 9.15am: New online help for welfare claimants
People applying for coronavirus welfare payments will now be able to lodge an intent to claim benefits online, with their Tax Office and Medicare details being used to identify them.
Depression-era like queues at Centrelink offices around the country have spurred efforts to make welfare applications online as easy as possible.
Services Australia general manager Hank Jongen said the ability to use medicare and tax office accounts to lodge claims would be available from Wednesday morning.
“If you’re a person who has a MyGov account linked to anyone of the member services - and in most cases it’s either tax or medicare - what you can do from this morning is instead of joining the queues, instead of ringing us, is simply go onto MyGov,” he told Sky News.
“Log in and you will see a button that enables you to lodge an intent to claim and pass your personal information to Centrelink.
“Then we will steer you through the rest of the process.”
READ MORE: How lockdown laws will affect you
Elias Visontay 9.05am: Testing regime ‘close to highest in the world’
Asked when Australia would match other countries testing criteria, Greg Hunt said the idea Australia was lagging behind on testing was “flat, plain, false, wrong, incorrect and untrue”.
“Our testing regime now has 152,000 on a per capita basis. It is close to the highest in the world.
“When we have a high negative rate and low positive rate, what that means is that we are actually testing very very broadly, more broadly than virtually any other country in the world, higher numbers than virtually any other country in the world, and higher per capita rates than any other country.”
"Self-isolation is mandatory, it is expected, it will be enforced." - Minister for Health Greg Hunt. #9Today pic.twitter.com/QVo2XkanQr
— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) March 24, 2020
When asked about the situation of hospital doctors who had been told to use personal protective equipment for three patients before changing, Mr Hunt said “none of us are operating in standard practice” and lashed out at host Fran Kelly at the suggestion Australia wasn’t prepared for the pandemic.
“To make some of those claims I think is unnecessary. People are stepping up magnificently, our hospitals, our health workers, the community. They are doing things which nobody in their lives has ever had to do nor even contemplated. And so it is a challenging situation and I would say to you, to pretend that it’s not challenging to say ‘why are we having to do things which are difficult’ is not your best self.
“You are a great journalist, but allow us to recognise the circumstances that we operate under are unique and different, not just once in a generation, not just once in a lifetime, once in a century and so we all have to accept that tolerance, keep our distance, do our part, and then we’ll get through this.”
In a later interview on Sunrise, Mr Hunt, when asked about the Ruby Princess cruise ship debacle which resulted in 134 cases of COVID-19 entering NSW, suggested the issue lay with NSW.
“On cruise ships, the position has been very clear. The state health authorities make the final assessment,” he said.
“Around the country, there has been an overwhelming compliance, there has been this one case in NSW and Border Force has had consultation with NSW.”
READ MORE: Editorial: Preserving the Australian way
Elias Visontay 9.05am: Hunt: keeping schools open right thing to do
Health Minister Greg Hunt has given a passionate defence of the government’s decision to keep schools open and its COVID-19 testing criteria.
In a fiery interview on ABC Radio on Wednesday morning, Mr Hunt defended the near total lockdown measures introduced on Tuesday night that include banning social sporting activities and overseas travel, as well as tight limits on funeral and wedding attendance.
“The actions that we’ve taken were determined by the strongest medical experts in the country,” Mr Hunt said.
He threw cold water on reports the National Cabinet ignored a recommendation from university academics for a more complete shut down of Australia, saying the government had followed the “established single principal voice” - the chief health officers and communicable disease experts - “without question, without hesitation”.
“The contagious disease experts, the panel which has been established of the finest medical experts in this space, not just in Australia but I would argue in the world, and they are advising the Chief Health Officers of Australia, all the states, territories, and the commonwealth, that advice is a clear line of advice ...in a democracy of course other people will put different views. But these restrictions today are the most restrictive in 100 years,” Mr Hunt said.
On school closures, Mr Hunt said: “The very clear medical advice is that children are less likely to contract the disease, and less likely to experience consequences from it.
“There is no question that nobody is immune from this. But what we are doing here is taking the best medical advice in the country and yes, there will be others who will have different views. At many stages along the way people have thought the measures that we’ve taken have been too far, too fast, too extreme, too much.
“We are deeply engaged, whether it’s talking to other countries, whether it’s looking... at what has occurred, whether you’re talking about Singapore or other places, schools continue in many of those many of those places”.
He explained schools remained open because “otherwise children will be with grandparents”.
“Children will be in a situation where a social worker has to come out, and many children have been in uncontrolled situations, milling around shopping centres....and behaviour which is precisely the opposite of that which you are talking about (isolation).
“Schools themselves (are) doing a tremendous job in adapting and performing social isolation.”
READ MORE: HSC relaxed as children stay home
Richard Ferguson 8.55am: Cabinet to consider support for renters
Scott Morrison and the national cabinet will meet on Wednesday night to work out support for small businesses and individuals renting properties.
The Prime Minister flagged as early as last week that the states and territories would be reviewing their tenancy laws toughen up protections for tenants hurt by the coronavirus downturn.
The national cabinet was meant to discuss tenancy laws on Tuesday night, but the expansion of social distancing rules took over the meeting.
“These are the things we’re working with the states, the territories, the banks, the landlords, all of those right now,” Mr Morrison told Sydney’s 2GB radio.
“We’ll be looking at some lease issues tonight. Last night’s meeting went on for quite a while to deal with the matters I discussed last night (social distancing).”
READ MORE: BBQ ban, PM warns social life not OK
Rachel Baxendale 8.50am: Andrews flags tighter restrictions as cases rise
Victoria now has 466 coronavirus cases, up 55 since yesterday, Premier Daniel Andrews has confirmed.
Mr Andrews said authorities had now introduced Stage One and Stage Two.
“There will be a Stage Three,” he said.
“If we don’t slow this thing down, we won’t just have people waiting in line for Centrelink – we’ll have people waiting in line for machines to help them breathe,” he said.
READ MORE: Life in isolation a mental strain
Yoni Bashan 8.45am: Berejiklian: authorities need to step up over cruise ships
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian deflected questions about the Ruby Princess cruise ship on Wednesday morning, saying the fiasco highlighted a need for stronger communication between federal and state agencies controlling Australian borders.
But Ms Berejiklian stopped short of laying blame for the incident with any one agency, as she did in the privacy of a party room meeting on Tuesday.
As revealed by The Australian, the premier told a gathering of NSW colleagues that Australian Border Force officials had erroneously advised NSW Health that the ship was low-risk on arrival.
Ms Berejiklian said this advice was provided because the ship had informed the ABF there was noone unwell onboard as it sailed into Sydney; this is despite flu testing having been carried out on passengers in previous days and an ambulance waiting on standby at the dock when the ship arrived.
“All authorities have to step up, including NSW Health, including all the other authorities involved. This is a joint-responsibility for all of us, whether you’re a federal authority or a state authority,” Ms Berejiklian said.
Asked whether she blamed the ABF for a decision to let nearly 2,700 passengers off the ship, before COVID-19 testing could be completed, the premier said “every single agency needs to take responsibility for our borders”.
But she also took a veiled swipe at the ABF, which is responsible for screening passengers arriving by plane.
“Whether it’s a ship at a port, whether it’s a plane load of people coming in from a plane from overseas. We’re still having thousands of people coming in on planes every day,” she said.
READ MORE: Border Force blamed for cruise ship disaster
Robyn Ironside 8.40am: Virgin grounds 90 pc of domestic flights
Virgin Australia will reduce its operations to just 10 per cent of normal domestic flights and stand down 8000 workers, or 80 per cent of staff, until at least the end of May.
Budget carrier Tigerair will temporarily cease flying altogether, and 125 aircraft will be grounded – or 90 per cent of the fleet.
The latest cutbacks follow last week’s announcement of a suspension of international services from the end of this week, and a halving of domestic capacity.
READ MORE: Trump wants US open by Christmas
Chris Griffiths 8.30am: Data allowances boosted for rural users
Satellite data allowances are being boosted for NBN customers in rural and regional Australia in the wake of the coronavirus catastrophe.
Sky Muster Plus unmetered services will be expanded to cover all online content and applications, with only two exclusions – video streaming and VPN traffic – which will continue to be metered. NBN says this will be available on an ongoing basis from April 1.
Additionally, households with lower data needs can access a new 25GB entry plan with 25GB of peak data and 25GB of off-peak data, with an option of ‘top up’ data, should customers exhaust their monthly metered data allowance. This will be available in coming months.
NBN resellers will be allowed to customise data allowances on retail plans in 5GB increments, and include top up data in plans.
Read the full story here.
Yoni Bashan 8.10am: NSW sees first cases in children under 10
A two-month old boy and a seven-year-old girl have become the first confirmed cases of COVID-19 in children under the age of 10 in NSW, with the state now reporting more than 1000 cases of coronavirus across the state.
NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said COVID-19 cases had reached 1,029 in the 24 hours to 8pm on Tuesday night. The number represents a one-day increase of 211 cases, the highest since tallying began.
It is the second time in Australia children under 10 have tested positive. An eight-month-old baby who returned from Iran with his 40yo mother was diagnosed with COVID-19 in South Australia on March 6.
As the numbers were released, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian moved to assure the community that while cases had increased, hospitalisations remained few.
“The number of people hospitalised out of those thousands of cases is relatively small, and that’s the way we want to keep it,” Ms Berejiklian said.
Dr Chant told reporters the latest statistical release included two children under the age of 10; the youngest previous COVID-19 case was a 12-year-old girl.
She said the two-month-old boy was showing minimal symptoms and remained in isolation at home. He contracted the disease from a confirmed contact with COVID-19. she added.
The seven-year-old-girl had also developed her symptoms from a close contact, and was showing minimal symptoms. She, too, is in isolation at home.
Ms Chant said of the latest confirmed cases, 500 infections had been acquired overseas, 176 were locally acquired through a contact or association with a cluster, and a further 74 cases had been locally transmitted.
More than 200 cases remain under investigation for their source.
READ MORE: Checkpoints set up on state borders
Cameron Stewart 8.05am: Trump chooses the economy over pandemic
Donald Trump wants the US to be opened up and “raring to go” in just over two weeks, despite the soaring rate of coronavirus infections and deaths in the country. Read more here
David Rogers 7.50am: Dow rebounds with stunning surge
The ASX is set to jump after the Dow surged 11.3pc, its biggest rally since 1933, on US stimulus plans to fight the impact of COVID-19. Read more here
Elias Visontay 7.35am: Farmers federation chief’s rural jobs pitch
National Farmers’ Federation chief Tony Mahar has called on recently unemployed Australians to consider jobs in the agriculture industry, with the sector planning to ask government to “incentivise” relocations to rural and regional Australia.
Mr Mahar also reassured Australians that farmers produce “plenty” of food and that panic buyers “don’t have to worry” about food supply.
He also called on the government to declare agriculture an essential service as the sector braces for the closing of state borders.
“There are likely to be opportunities in the agriculture sector for those people that...have been displaced in current jobs to move out into rural and regional Australia,” Mr Mahar told ABC Radio.
“Farmers will be looking for people to help pick crops, for example citrus crops about to come off in a couple of weeks, and, you know, there will be jobs in rural and regional Australia.
“Talking to government about how we can incentivise, how we can make that process easier, and also talking to our members to make sure that they place job advertisements on the Harvest Trail website ... a website that lists off all the jobs in rural and regional Australia, in terms of harvesting, fruit picking and things like that. We’ve got a job to do there.
“People don’t have to worry about the food supply, that is one issue they don’t have to worry about ... Australian farmers produce plenty of food for the country.
On border closures and declaring agriculture an essential service, Mr Mahar said he appreciates “the difficulty and the challenges in this space around giving people certainty”.
“If you put some sort of list out there to say ‘this is an essential service and this isn’t’, and I’m conscious of what the Prime Minister said last night that everyone in a job is essential service.
“Having said that, it would be absolutely useful for the industry to have that confidence, and as I say it’s starting to come, that agriculture, food and fibre is absolutely essential. And that’s a conversation between the federal government and the state governments to make sure that that happens.”
READ MORE: Pay freeze for top public servants
Richard Ferguson 7.20am: How the latest shutdown will affect you
The Prime Minister has banned overseas travel, while more businesses and gatherings such as BBQs and funerals will be restricted. Read everything you need to know here.
David Rogers 6.50am: Markets surge as Trump announces rescue plans
US stocks rallied on signs that lawmakers and the Trump administration were nearing a deal on a giant stimulus package aimed at limiting the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1936 points, or 10.4pc, in afternoon trading. The S&P 500 climbed 8.9pc, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 7.6pc.
In Australia, markets bounced yesterday and are tipped to open strongly again, with the SPI futures index up 243 points at 6.35am (AEDT).
The Australian dollar was higher at US59.19c.
Read the Trading Day live blog here.
David Ross 6.40am: Global virus death toll now reaches 18,246
The global death toll mow stands at 18,246 and infections stand at 409,014 as the coronavirus pandemic accelerates.
Amid fears that over a million people in India could be affected, Prime Minister put the country’s entire 1.3 billion people into lockdown.
Italy marked 743 deaths overnight, the second highest daily tally so far, dashing hopes the epidemic was ending. However the 3,612 new cases, suggested a slowing rate of increase, a one per cent smaller growth in new infections over the previous day.
Italy is now the worst affected nation with 6,820 dead and 69,176 cases.
The United States has recorded 50,206 cases and 606 deaths, a growth of more than 10,779 new cases and 140 deaths.
New York State is the epicentre of the US outbreak, with 25,000 of those cases and 210 deaths.
Spain reports 39,676 cases nationally and 2,800 deaths, followed by Germany at 32,781 cases and 156 deaths, Iran at 24,811 cases and 1,934 deaths, and France with 20,149 cases and 862 deaths.
New restrictions have been imposed in the United Kingdom where there were 981 new cases yesterday, to 8,164 cases nationally.
READ MORE: Lobbyist sick after Dutton event
Jacquelin Magnay 5.30am: ‘No good reason for this’: Tube madness slammed
Deep fractures have emerged between the UK government and the London mayor over severe overcrowding on the Tube and whether construction workers should continue to work amidst the coronavirus crisis.
Transport for London, which is overseen by the Labour Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, has reduced Tube services to such an extent that essential workers trying to get to their jobs face severely crowded platforms and trains, despite pleas from the government for people to have 2m distance.
The UK recorded its highest number of coronavirus deaths in one day after another 87 people died overnight (AEDT), bringing the total deaths across the country to 422. This comes one day into tougher home isolation, with the government urging people to stay at home, shouting retail shops, and limiting any gatherings to two people.
Health Minister Matt Hancock, when announcing the Nightingale Hospital — a new 4000 bed temporary hospital at the Excel conference centre in East London — hit out at Khan’s efforts.
NEWS: We will next week open a new NHS hospital - with two wards, each for 2,000 people - to tackle #coronavirus. #StayHomeSaveLives pic.twitter.com/hlosGQ3p8Y
— Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) March 24, 2020
“When it comes to the Tube, the first and the best answer is that Transport for London [which is run by Khan] should have the Tube running in full so that people travelling on the tube are spaced out and can be further apart — obeying the two-metre rule wherever possible,” Mr Hancock said.
“And there is no good reason in the information that I’ve seen that the current levels of Tube provision should be as low as they are. We should have more tube trains running.’’
But Mr Khan claimed TfL had nearly a third of staff absent because of staff sickness and self isolation.
“There aren’t enough drivers and control staff to do it,’’ he said.
IMPORTANT: Londoners must stop all non-essential use of public transport now.
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) March 24, 2020
Growing numbers of @TfL staff are off sick or self-isolating: we cannot run more services than we currently are.
If you have to go to work, please don’t travel at rush hour. #COVID19 https://t.co/0UTcCwEKzN
He claimed the Boris Johnson government was refusing to make difficult decisions such as reducing the demand for Tube travel by banning non-essential construction work.
Mr Hancock also announced that the National Health Service would be boosted by the injection of 35,000 workers, made up of 11800 former NHS workers, 5,500 final year medics and 18,700 final year student nurses who will move to the front line.
He said the government had purchased antibody tests and would soon be able to test health workers to ascertain if they had immunity to the virus. He also called for 250,000 volunteers to assist with shopping, delivery of medicines and to support the elderly and vulnerable who need to protect their health.
"It is vital to slow the spread of the disease and that's why you must stay at home." – PM @BorisJohnson #StayHomeSaveLives pic.twitter.com/2WoliBY49B
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) March 24, 2020
READ MORE: Judith Sloan — This isn’t a wonk experiment, lives are at stake
Sanjeev Miglani 5.10am: India puts 1.3 billion people into coronavirus lockdown
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ordered a 21-day lockdown of the country’s 1.3 billion people to try to protect the world’s second-most populous country from the coronavirus.
Health researchers have warned that more than a million people in India could be infected with the coronavirus by mid-May, prompting the government to shut down all air and train travel, businesses and schools.
Addressing the nation on battling the COVID-19 menace. #IndiaFightsCorona https://t.co/jKyFMOQO5a
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 24, 2020
Modi went further last night (AEDT), saying nobody in the world’s biggest democracy would be allowed to leave their homes for the next three weeks from midnight on Tuesday.
“The only way to save ourselves from coronavirus is if we don’t leave our homes, whatever happens, we stay at home,” Modi said.
“Every district, every lane, every village will be under lockdown,” he said, warning the country would be set back by decades if it didn’t shut down and fight the virus.
Scores of people turned up at shops in Delhi and Mumbai and elsewhere to buy essentials before the ban orders went into effect.
By converging around shops, you are risking the spread of COVID-19.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 24, 2020
No panic buying please.
Please stay indoors.
I repeat- Centre and State Governments will ensure all essentials are available. https://t.co/bX00az1h7l
India has found 482 cases of the coronavirus and 10 people have died. However alarm is growing across the region about prospects for its spread into impoverished communities and the ability of resource-starved public health sectors to cope.
The Indian government said essential services including groceries, fuel stations and banks would remain open. — with Nupur Anand, REUTERS
READ MORE: Fly stranded Aussies home, Labor demands
Agencies 5am: IOC finally postpones Tokyo Olympics until 2021
It’s time for Olympic athletes to stand down, relax those diet rules and dial down the training.
The 2020 Tokyo Games won’t be opening in July as scheduled because of the coronavirus pandemic, Olympic officials announced Tuesday, putting everyone and everything on hold for possibly another 16 months.
“No box of Wheaties for me today,” American hurdler Lolo Jones wrote on Twitter alongside a video of her pouring a huge bag of candy into her tiny-by-comparison breakfast bowl.
The 37-year-old Jones hasn’t competed at the Summer Olympics since 2012, and not at the Winter Games as a bobsledder since 2014. But she’ll have to keep working hard for another year if she wants to make the team for the games in 2021. Other athletes face delaying their retirement.
FINALLY The OLYMPICS OFFICIALLY postponed for a year!! No box of Wheaties for me today. #breakfastofchampions pic.twitter.com/BAtlDUliQE
— Lolo Jones (@lolojones) March 24, 2020
READ MORE: Tokyo Olympics postponed until 2021
Simon Benson 4.35am: New restrictions on weddings, parties, anything
Scott Morrison has further tightened the COVID-19 lockdown, restricting social gatherings including weddings, funerals and barbecues, and closing services such as real estate auctions and beauty parlours, as the national cabinet attempts to curb the spread of the virus.
The Prime Minister on Tuesday night asked Australians to “stay at home unless it is absolutely necessary” as he extended the shutdown to food courts at shopping centres, urged people against hosting barbecues and flagged criminal penalties for holding house parties.
The Prime Minister emerged from a bipartisan national cabinet meeting to urge Australians against attending outdoor events in groups of more than 10 people.
Read the full story here.
Hear from Professor Michael Kidd, Principal Medical Adviser about the importance of working together as a community to slow the spread of Coronavirus #COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/MXWGtH8OPU
— Australian Government Department of Health (@healthgovau) March 24, 2020
Additional reporting: Rachel Baxendale, Richard Ferguson
Tech disrupter offers low-cost missiles to ADF
The US tech company developing Australia’s Ghost Shark underwater drone is pitching new missiles that cost less than half the price of those produced by big arms manufacturers.
Labour market adds bumper 47,500 jobs in August
Australia’s jobs market continued to show remarkable resilience last month, defying sluggish economic growth and dimming hopes the Reserve Bank will cut interest rates this year.