Coronavirus Australia live updates: Honesty crucial in contact tracing: Deputy CMO Paul Kelly
Josh Frydenberg says the country can weather China’s sharp economic downturn, as hundreds of thousands more Australians seek help.
- Death of 42-year-old Artania crew member brings toll to 65
- Honesty crucial in contact tracing: Kelly
- Australia demands transparency from China
- Downturn ‘will hit us like a truck’
- Trump announces plan to open economy
Welcome to live coverage of the continuing coronavirus crisis. Deputy CMO Paul Kelly says it’s vital to be honest in contact tracing, after the PM claimed a Tasmania healthworker lied about their history to health authorities. A seventh Tasmania death and another from the cruise ship Artania brought the death toll to 65, while Australian leaders are demanding transparency and answers from China.
Agencies 8pm: Police to issue cruise ship surveys
More than 5600 people will be sent online questionnaires regarding the ill-fated Ruby Princess cruise ship amid one of NSW Police’s biggest-ever investigations. The 2647 passengers who disembarked the Ruby Princess in Sydney on March 19, as well as the 2995 passengers on the preceding voyage that docked on March 8, will next week receive the survey on what they saw and heard during the cruises. The survey includes questions about who passengers travelled with, medical treatment and extra cleaning on board, ports travelled to, offshore tours and whether they had a set dining time or table every night.
Passengers are also asked if they’re aware of any fellow travellers or crew members being separated or quarantined, if there were any announcements about how to avoid contracting COVID-19 on board and if they took any photographs or videos on the cruise.
Police will then conduct interviews with those who give noteworthy responses, with a team of 30 detectives being led by the state’s homicide squad. Passengers who arrived home from the second Ruby Princess voyage to New Zealand were permitted to disembark without adequate health checks. The ship is connected to 19 coronavirus deaths in Australia and hundreds of cases across the country.
Authorities handling the probe are investigating if criminal negligence took place by operator Princess Cruises or Ruby Princess crew members in the March 19 disembarkation of the ship, as well as any failures of NSW or Commonwealth departments.
Richard Ferguson 7.15pm: Signs of China recovery despite GDP shock
Josh Frydenberg has assured Australians that the nation is a strong position to weather China’s sharp economic contraction.
China’s GDP fell 6.8 per cent in the March quarter, for the first time since it publicly recorded such economic data in 1992.
The Treasurer told The Australian that despite China’s contraction, there were signs the Chinese economy is starting to get through to the other side of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The economic impacts of the coronavirus crisis are becoming more apparent here and abroad as the health and economic crisis evolves,” he said.
“While economic activity in a range of economies is expected to fall significantly in the June quarter, a range of information confirms that the Chinese economy is continuing to recover from the sharp contraction experienced in the March quarter.
“The latest Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), a leading indicator for activity, showed a sharp rebound with the manufacturing sector increasing 16 percentage points and the services sector increasing 23 percentage points for the month of March.
“We have also seen evidence that supply-chain issues appear to be easing, with data showing some recovery in Australian imports from China in the second half of March.”
Mr Frydenberg said Australia’s financial position pre-pandemic and measures such as JobKeeper would help it face COVID-19’s continuing economic challenges.
“Prices for Australia’s key bulk commodity exports have been relatively resilient with iron ore prices around US$80 per tonne free on board, reflecting continued demand from China for steel production. This compares to a Budget assumption for the June quarter of US$55 per tonne,” he said.
“Australia approaches this crisis from a position of economic strength. The Budget returned to balance for the first time in 11 years, we have maintained our AAA credit rating and Australia’s debt to GDP is about a quarter of what it is in the United States or United Kingdom, and about one seventh of what it is in Japan.
“Together with our $130 billion JobKeeper payment, our measures will ensure Australia bounces back stronger on the other side.”
READ MORE: Alarming picture emerges of COVID-19 death from UK
Max Maddison 7pm: Struggling Australians make massive super grab
Almost 900,000 people have raced to register for early access to their superannuation funds, adding to fears that the amount withdrawn could massively exceed government projections.
Latest Australian Taxation Office figures revealed over 260,000 Australian’s had registered for the early drawdown scheme over the past week, bringing the total number of people registered to 880,000.
With almost 70 per cent of the government’s initial 1.3m estimates already registered, the number of people accessing their nest egg early will add to industry concerns about the total figure that could be withdrawn.
Read the full story here.
Imogen Reid 5.05pm: Single overnight case brings SA infection tally to 435
South Australia recorded one COVID-19 case overnight — a person in their 50s with a history of overseas travel — bringing the state’s tally to 435.
Chief public health office Dr Nicola Spurrier said the person was tested as part of the screening taking place at Qantas.
“This is not somebody who worked in the Qantas area that we have been particularly concerned about, but it happens to be somebody who was tested but has actually, we believe, contracted the illness as part of international travel,” she said.
Dr Spurrier said 76 per cent of its cases have recovered from COVID-19.
She said the number of people in SA with no known epidemiological link remains at four.
“It confirms we have a very low level of community transmission and that remains very low,” Dr Spurrier said.
“We still have seven people in hospital and unfortunately there are still two people in intensive care.”
READ MORE: Fight for jobs as NAB ‘reshapes’
Paige Taylor 4.55pm: 42-year-old Artania crew member dies, national toll now 65
A 42-year-old Filipino man who worked on the Swiss-owned cruise ship Artania has died from coronavirus in a Perth hospital.
He was one of about 400 men and women — mostly from Indonesia and the Philippines - who crewed the vessel as COVID-19 broke out during an around-the-world voyage that began last December when the Artania sailed from Germany.
The Artania was only due to refuel and take on supplies when it reached Fremantle south of Perth in March but the ship — which carried no Australians — arrived with sick passengers and crew and since then more than 70 people have been brought ashore and taken to hospital. Three have died.
Most of the approximately 800 passengers were well enough to fly home to Europe on mercy flights from Perth to Frankfurt March 29. But about 400 crew remain isolated on the vessel, which is due to sail out of Australian waters on Saturday.
The man who died had been removed from the Artania in the past two weeks because he displayed symptoms then tested positive for coronavirus. He was taken to isolation in a hotel but became so unwell he had to go to hospital.
West Australian health minister Roger Cook said the man’s death was incredibly sad.
“This is someone who had the job of a lifetime, had the opportunity to travel the world denied many other people in their country and it is very sad that it has come to this,” Mr Cook said.
“Our hearts and all our thoughts go out to that person’s family.”
Seven people have died from coronavirus in WA, all of them from cruise ships. Three of those were foreign nationals from the Artania and four were Australians who had recently returned from holidays on cruise ships.
READ MORE: US man first overseas Ruby death
Agencies 4.35pm: Boy cautioned after coughing on elderly couple
A teenage boy has been cautioned after he coughed at an elderly Port Stephens couple out on a walk.
A 73-year-old man and a 68-year-old woman were approaching a pedestrian crossing on Victoria Parade in Nelson Bay about 2pm on Easter Sunday when a car pulled up.
A young man leaned his head and shoulders out of the window before coughing at the couple, NSW Police said in a statement on Friday.
He and the other occupants in the vehicle started laughing before the vehicle drove off.
The couple contacted police and following investigations, a 16-year-old boy attended Ryde station.
He will be issued a caution while the two other occupants of the car have been issued warnings, police said.
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller earlier in the week called the offenders “hoons” and said the couple was left greatly concerned by the incident. It is an offence to cough or sneeze on someone under new regulations tackling the spread of the coronavirus.
In March, two men were charged after allegedly coughing on police officers and claiming they had the coronavirus in separate incidents.
READ MORE: Going harder, faster set to pay off
Paige Taylor 4.20pm: WA in schools ‘soft’ reopening from April 29
Western Australia will reopen school for all students from April 29, making attendance optional but issuing a strong recommendation that students in Year 11 and 12 should turn up.
WA premier Mark McGowan announced the “soft” reopening of the state’s classrooms from kindergarten to Year 12 would coincide with an extra $43 million for extra cleaning of classrooms. WA students are currently on school holidays.
Mr McGowan said his government would review the new arrangements over the first three weeks of Term 3 with particular attention to whether level of coronavirus transmission across the state lifted after children went back to school.
“We have carefully considered options for the start of Term 2, based on the best health advice,” Mr McGowan said.
“This soft opening is about transitioning students back into our classrooms in a responsible manner, to receive the best education, without risking the health of students, staff or parents.
“The return of Year 11 and 12 students is prioritised to give them the best chance to complete their course requirements, while practicing good social distancing.
“This is about striking the right balance for Western Australian schools, and it gives us the opportunity to review the situation and adjust accordingly when it’s suitable to do so.
“Once again, I thank our teachers and school staff, who continue to play a crucial role educating our children during this difficult and evolving time.”
WA Education Minister Sue Ellery thanked the state’s school teachers for their leadership on the issue. She said the State School Teachers Union had at no point threatened that teachers would withdraw their labour over the issue.
READ MORE: States split on reopening schools
Angelica Snowden 3.50pm: Kelly: Honesty crucial in contact tracing
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly has said it was vital to be honest in contact tracing,
after Scott Morrison claimed a healthcare worker in Tasmania lied about their history to health authorities investigating an outbreak in the northwest of the state.
“I’m not going to go into the specifics of the north-west Tasmanian situation but I will definitely at this point encourage people to be honest and help with contact tracing,” Dr Kelly told reporters on Friday.
“It is a crucial way we can get to the bottom of what happens and to prevent others from developing illness.
“And crucially - this has happened as well again in north-west Tasmania - to make sure we are protecting the most vulnerable people in the community, including those in residential aged care.”
Earlier, Tasmanian director of public health Mark Veitch told Tasmanian reporters that his team did not make “judgements” on the advice they received from coronavirus cases they interviewed, saying they take information they receive on “face value”.
“Neither I, nor my contact tracing team have provided specific advice to the Prime Minister on this matter,” Dr Veitch told reporters.
Dr Kelly said the mobile phone tracing app being considered by the government was a “really important” part of contact tracing and would help to keep Australia’s COVID-19 cases at a minimum.
He said a 40 per cent uptake was the government’s goal, but the more uptake, the better.
“The more the better obviously,” he said. “Forty per cent has been our target for the time being, but let’s see how we go.
“If we could all do this and everyone had the app on their phones then this would certainly make this experience much easier for the process of finding cases and contacts.”
Coronavirus - app: "I think the app is really important...it's really a technological component of what is standard practice for public health practitioners." - Professor Paul Kelly. https://t.co/MlW1GFkZNa #Coronavirus #7NEWS https://t.co/18SH2DCZXb
— 7NEWS Sydney (@7NewsSydney) April 17, 2020
Dr Kelly said although health authorities would not be starting at “zero” in terms of collecting information, the app would provide an “extra piece of the puzzle”.
“It would allow us to really consider releasing those social distancing measures that we have had in place,” he said.
“Above that it also gives an opportunity for us to protect ourselves and our families, because it’s one thing to be a case and have that data on the app to assist with contact tracing.”
Dr Kelly said initally Australians could sign up voluntarily, and said the government would “see how it goes” before making it compulsory.
“I’ve always been a believer in the Australian people making the right decision so I think the voluntary approach at first is the way to go,” he said.
“As I’ve said, this is an add-on to what we have in terms of contact tracing and case finding, so I think we need to make their case for the app.”
The COVID-19 mobile phone tracing app proposed by the government will register a user’s close physical contact with other users’ mobile phones.
The government’s proposed app, which would help governments map a path for the potential scaling back of strict social-distancing measures, would work in tandem with ramped-up testing and existing tracing measures.
READ MORE: PM pushes ahead on mobile tracing app
Agencies 3.00pm: Tassies’ seventh death brings national toll to 64
Tasmania has recorded its seventh coronavirus death, taking the national COVID-19 toll to 64.
The 72-year-old man died on Friday morning at the Mersey Community Hospital at Latrobe in the state’s northwest.
“This is another sad reminder that this disease takes lives, and we must do everything we can to contain the spread of coronavirus,” Premier Peter Gutwein said in a statement.
“I again ask Tasmanians to work with us, do the right thing, stay home and save lives.” Tasmania has increased policing of social restrictions and upped virus testing in the northwest, where an outbreak has forced the closure of two hospitals in Burnie.
All residents and staff at three nursing homes in the region are being tested after it was revealed a COVID-19-positive healthcare worker had shifts at the facilities.
Almost 100 of the state’s 180 virus cases are linked to the hospital outbreak, including 60 workers.
The state’s sixth death on Tuesday, a 91-year-old woman, was also a patient at the Mersey Community Hospital.
READ MORE: Long road to life without virus
2.10pm: Australia demands transparency from China
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has demanded China be more transparent about the origins of coronavirus.
Mr Dutton said the families of more than 60 Australians who have died from the disease deserve answers about how the outbreak originated.
“I think it is incumbent upon China to answer those questions and provide the information so that people can have clarity about exactly what happened,” he told Nine on Friday.
Anthony Albanese also called for China to be more transparent about the origins and spread of coronavirus, and says he would prefer it if the communist superpower was a democracy. The Opposition Leader said in Sydney that China needed to be more clear on the virus to prevent a deadly global second wave.
“One of the great distinctions between Australia and China is that we are a democracy,” he said. “So, of course, when you have a one-party state, you have less democracy, you have less transparency there as well. So, that is a circumstance we want there to be transparency about all the events surrounding this crisis.
“China needs to be transparent about it, because the world needs to know not just what happened as a matter of record, but they need to know so that it can be avoided, this happening ever again. I would prefer for China to be a democracy. I’m a supporter of democracy.”
“What we don’t want is theories that don’t have any basis spreading out there — we’ve seen a lot of that on social media — what we want is the facts.”
“The facts of what the origin of this coronavirus was, what occurred in terms of how it originated, how it spread, and the circumstances around that.”
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said he would not give China advice on its system of government, but acknowledged the Asian superpower had some explaining to do.
He said the most pressing priority was for the world to get through the outbreak.
“What we need to do is make sure we get the health and economic conditions right, we need to get a vaccine, we need to get through this crisis,” he told reporters in Canberra.
“Then we can talk about why it started, where it started, and certainly China has some answers to give in that regard and some questions to own up to and to answer.”
The prime minister said Australia intended to maintain a strong trade relationship with China after the crisis but added a caveat. “We have an eyes-wide-open relationship,” Scott Morrison told 3AW radio.
Scientists say the virus arose naturally in bats. They say the leading theory is that infection among humans began at an animal market in Wuhan, probably from an animal that caught the virus from a bat, according to the AP. — with AAP
READ MORE: US investigating source of virus in China
Lachlan Moffet Gray 2.00pm: Inquiry head’s vow on Ruby Princess deadline
The head of the special commision of inquiry into the Ruby Princess debacle has said the inquiry is already underway, with an aim to complete its tasks ahead of the current reporting deadline of three or four months.
Sydney Barrister Bret Walker, SC, said working to beat the time limit on the inquiry will motivate him to get to the bottom of the case.
“I’m going to observe the time limit that the governor has imposed on me,” Mr Walker told ABC News 24 on Friday.
“I’ll try and beat it, if I can.
“You could spend a very long time indeed investigating complex events like this, but experience teaches me that a time limit can be a very good spur to efficiency.”
The complex inquiry could include interviewing individuals beyond the commission’s jurisdiction due to the complicated nature of cruise ship registration and the recent death of a Ruby Princess passenger in the US.
“I can make inquiries from anybody I like. It’s whether they can be compelled to answer, is the real question,” Mr Walker said.
“My jurisdictional power doesn’t extend outside Australia but ... it may well involve making requests for information and hoping that there will be a degree of cooperation.”
Mr Walker also said there would be some public sessions of the inquiry and that he “will not shrink” from attributing blame to any particular individual or agency.
“There almost certainly will be some public occasions, although ... it’s not likely that there’ll be anything resembling a crowded hearing room,” he said.
But there will be, from time to time, occasions for which there will be considerable publicity in advance so as to permit a degree of public participation.
“Our task involves finding out the facts. And that will, in particular, involve the attribution of responsibility where the facts permit us to do so.
“We won’t shrink from pointing to matters to the credit or discredit of persons and agencies involved in the unhappy narrative.”
READ MORE: Timeline to tragedy aboard cursed cruise ship
Lachlan Moffet Gray 1.40pm: UN sounds alarm on potential ‘child-rights crisis’
The UN has declared coronavirus a potential “child-rights crisis”, with a new report warning that the social and economic impacts of the pandemic will be “catastrophic for millions of children” with the institution’s chief Antonia Guterres saying it could result in “hundreds of thousands of additional child deaths in 2020.”
The report says that all children across the world will feel the impact of the virus, but children living in slums, refugee camps and conflict zones “destined to bear the greatest costs.”
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a video statement launching the report on Friday that the coronavirus pandemic is putting many of the world’s children “in jeopardy”, urging families and world leaders to “protect our children.” as their lives are being “totally upended” by COVID-19.
He pointed to almost all students out of school, family stress levels rising as communities face lock-downs, and reduced household income expected to force poor families to cut back on essential health and food expenditures, “particularly affecting children.”
Mr Guterres also said the global recession that is gathering pace as a result of the pandemic and the measures being taken to mitigate it could lead to “hundreds of thousands additional child deaths in 2020.”
“This would effectively reverse the last two to three years of progress in reducing infant mortality within a single year,” the report reads.
The estimate of hundreds of thousands of additional child deaths came from a 2011 paper by three economists — Sarah Baird, Jed Friedman, and Norbert Schady—- who investigated the impact of “income shocks,” like a recession, on infant mortality.
On education, the report said 188 countries have imposed countrywide school closures, affecting more than 1.5 billion children and young people.
It also said nearly 369 million children in 143 countries who rely on school meals for daily nutrition must now look to other sources.
Noting that children are both victims and witnesses of domestic violence and abuse, Mr Guterres said: “with schools closed, an important early warning mechanism is missing.” — with AAP.
READ MORE: Coronavirus research hub: The search for a cure
LACHLAN MOFFET GRAY 1.20pm: ACT has fifth consecutive day without a new case
The ACT has recorded its fifth consecutive day without recording a new coronavirus case and has added only one in the past week, a sign that the territory’s efforts to flatten the curve is working. The total number of confirmed cases in the territory remains at 103 and 81 cases have recovered.
Only two coronavirus patients are being treated in Canberra hospitals, and the remaining 20 cases are recovering in isolation at home. The ACT death toll remains at three.
ACT Chief Health Officer Dr Kerryn Coleman said two cases under investigation had now been finalised. “We have received back final test results in these two cases and have finalised both of these investigations,” Dr Coleman said. “In the case of the ICU staff member, we can confirm that this individual acquired COVID-19 from a close contact.
“Both individuals did all of the right things in their specific circumstances and I thank them for their diligence. In the other case under investigation, we have not been able to find a source of exposure and this will now be classified as the ACT’s first case of local transmission from an unknown source.
“Because this is only one case, it does not mean we have community transmission in Canberra. It is an indicator though that there is the possibility for community transmission, which is why we need to continue with the great work we have been doing as a community to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the ACT.”
READ MORE: Timeline to tragedy aboard the cursed Ruby Princess
LACHLAN MOFFET GRAY 1.15pm: NZ announces two more deaths, taking toll to 11
New Zealand has announced a further two coronavirus deaths, bringing the country’s overall toll to 11. One of the victims was a man in his 90s who died at Waikato Hospital in the north island city of Hamilton while a woman in her 80s became the seventh person to die in connection with a cluster outbreak at the Rosewood rest home aged care facility in Christchurch.
The case of the man was linked to a cluster outbreak at Matamata, where a pub held a St Patrick’s day celebration on March 17, infecting at least 71 people.
Finance Minister Grant Robertson provided the government’s sympathies to the families of the dead. “The fact we knew we would lose some New Zealanders to COVID-19 doesn’t lessen the shock or sadness when it happens,” he said.
Despite the spike in deaths, the country recorded its lowest daily increase in cases since March 18, adding just eight new occurrences of the disease. The overall case count is 1409.
On Monday the government will announce whether the country will move from draconian level four restrictions to level three restrictions, which will allow the partial re-opening of schools and businesses, as well as the lifting of bans on outdoor activities like swimming.
New data revealed on Friday shows how the the pandemic and associated lockdown is affecting New Zealand’s economy and people. The number of Kiwis seeking the dole has grown by more than 22,000, or roughly 15 per cent, in the last three weeks despite the implementation of a vast wage subsidy scheme to prevent job losses.
That program has paid out more than $9 billion dollars in up-front cheques to businesses.
Traffic levels have lowered by up to 80 per cent on the same time last year. Accordingly, spending on fuel is down almost 20 per cent since the start of the year, with hospitality and apparel spending down by more than 30 per cent. Business confidence, as measured by ANZ New Zealand, is also at a record low. — With AAP
READ MORE: ANZAC spirit in battle of COVID-19 lockdown
ANGELICA SNOWDEN 1pm: Trump’s former lawyer to be freed from jail early
US President Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen will be released early from jail due to the coronavirus pandemic, CNN reports.
BREAKING: President Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen will be released early from prison due to the coronavirus pandemic https://t.co/MfVV5UEjyA pic.twitter.com/ITvBKXOPVf
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) April 17, 2020
Mr Cohen was serving a three-year sentence in a New York prison, but 14 inmates and seven staff contracted COVID-19 prompting his early release.
He was due to be released in November 2021, but will be allowed to serve the rest of his sentence in home confinement. Mr Cohen, 52, was sentenced to prison in December after committing tax fraud, lying to congress and admitting he paid hush money during the 2016 presidential election, in violation of electoral laws, to two women who said they had affairs with the US President. — With AFP
READ MORE: The big flaw in Donald Trump’s pandemic recovery blueprint
Lachlan Moffet Gray 12.50pm: Tasmania contradicts PM on ‘lie’ to contact tracers
The Tasmanian director of Public Health has said his department provided no specific information to the Prime Minister about contact tracing, contradicting comments from Scott Morrison who claimed an aged care worker in the state’s north west had lied to contact tracers about their movements.
Dr Mark Veitch told Tasmanian reporters on Friday that his team did not make “judgements” on the advice they received from coronavirus cases they interviewed, saying they take information they receive on “face value”.
“Neither I, nor my contact tracing team have provided specific advice to the Prime Minister on this matter,” Dr Veitch told reporters from the Advocate and Launceston Examiner.
“Our contact tracing team did an initial round of contact tracing, asking questions of this person, on Wednesday night and they gave a considerable amount of information.
“We identified that this person may have had some symptoms that started a little earlier in April than we initially anticipated so we threw the net wider over the time where they may have posed a risk while working. We take information on face value. We recognise that anyone giving information under pressure may omit information or get things wrong.
“The change in the information was a result of following up an additional lead and taking a very careful approach to the setting in which this person may have posed a risk through the process of contact tracing and quarantine and so on.”
Premier Peter Gutwein said he discussed the issue with the Prime Minister on Thursday night, but said he would not make a judgement call on whether the health worker lied to authorities.
The incident comes just days after Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy claimed that the outbreak in the region was linked to an illegal party thrown by health workers at the North West Regional Hospital, a claim he later walked back.
READ MORE: Tasmania’s health system is done like a dinner
Richard Ferguson 12.40pm: Albanese: China needs to be transparent about virus
Anthony Albanese has called for China to be more transparent about the origins and spread of coronavirus, and says he would prefer it if the communist superpower was a democracy. The Opposition Leader said in Sydney that China needed to be more clear on the virus to prevent a deadly global second wave.
“One of the great distinctions between Australia and China is that we are a democracy,” he said. “So, of course, when you have a one-party state, you have less democracy, you have less transparency there as well. So, that is a circumstance we want there to be transparency about all the events surrounding this crisis.
“China needs to be transparent about it, because the world needs to know not just what happened as a matter of record, but they need to know so that it can be avoided, this happening ever again. I would prefer for China to be a democracy. I’m a supporter of democracy.”
READ MORE: Dutton demands transparency from China
Lachlan Moffet Gray 12.30pm: Rate relief for NSW residents, businesses
Rate relief for NSW residents is on the way, with the NSW government on Friday making a suite of changes to allow local councils to defer billing their residents and reduce fees levied on businesses. In a statement, Minister for Local Government Shelly Hancock said the changes were made to recognise that councils were dedicating resources to coronavirus response in their communities.
“Councils are playing a vital role in supporting and protecting local communities during these unprecedented times,” Mrs Hancock said. “The changes provide councils with the flexibility to adjust to rapidly shifting circumstances. Importantly, they also give ratepayers more time to pay their rates notices and allows councils to provide financial support to businesses suffering from reduced cash flows or forced closure by waiving or reducing fees.”
Specific measures include allowing councils to delay sending out first quarterly rate notices, extending the payment deadline by one month, enabling councils to immediately wave fees to businesses for restaurant inspections or footpath usage and removing the requirement for council notices to be advertised in newspapers. “The NSW Government will continue to work with local councils to identify, develop and implement more measures to support them and their local communities during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mrs Hancock said.
READ MORE: Community ties bind neighbourhoods
Wall Street Journal 12.20pm: China’s economy contracts for first time since 1992
China’s economy contracted for the first time since at least 1992 in the first quarter when the coronavirus pandemic halted factories and kept millions confined to their homes. Gross domestic product fell 6.8 per cent from a year earlier, compared with 6.0 per cent growth in the fourth quarter of 2019, the country’s National Bureau of Statistics said on Friday.
The result was better than the median forecast of an 8.3 per cent contraction in a poll of economists by The Wall Street Journal. It was the first time the economy had contracted in a quarter since 1992, when the government began to release quarterly figures.
The economy was 9.8 per cent smaller when compared with the fourth quarter of 2019.
The spread of coronavirus and the government’s containment measures ground the world’s second-largest economy to a near standstill in early 2020. Other economic data reported Friday, including investment, consumption and industrial production, also suffered falls.
READ THE FULL STORY here
LACHLAN MOFFET GRAY 12.10pm: Disability providers not satisfied with funding
The peak industry body for disability service providers in Australia has slammed the government for claiming the industry is satisfied with the level of coronavirus support it is receiving, claiming that support is insufficient and many providers are in danger of going out of business.
National Disability Services chief David Moody said that although the government’s Jobkeeper wage subsidies apply to providers with a charitable status that have suffered a 15 per cent decline in revenue due to coronavirus, for-profit providers not eligible for the subsidy are reaching “crisis point.”
“As it stands, disability service providers only get paid for services rendered, and with clients staying at home and socially isolating there is a danger many providers will go under and not survive corona,” Mr Moody said. “Even before Corona there were significant issues with this funding model. All NDIS registered providers are subject to the same set fee structure, whether or not they are a charity. Last year half of service providers weren’t turning a profit so were already in a precarious position leading into COVID.”
Mr Moody slammed federal minister for government services for claiming in an ABC interview that the sector was receiving adequate support. “There are still urgent and significant issues to address in terms of access to PPE (personal protective equipment), the potential loss of 20,000 jobs for disabled employees, the lack of disability support workers, and the funding of services,’ he said.
“There are fixed overheads and staff to be paid so a model which says you only get paid when you provide services is disastrous in this climate.
“Not paying providers who were already in significant distress and who don’t have clients to service and bill the government for could lead to many services folding.
“What we need is for the government to assist us with that so that we have a viable sector on the other side of COVID.”
READ MORE: Statistics show coronavirus’ mounting toll on economy
RACHEL BAXENDALE 12pm: Victoria unveils $261m for TAFE and training
The Andrews government has announced almost $261m in emergency funding to ensure the Victorian TAFE and training system can continue to function amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Premier Daniel Andrews said the government expected student numbers to drop as a result of a decrease in international student numbers, and domestic students being unable to pay fees.
The $260.8m package includes $191.9m to lock in funding at expected pre-COVID-19 levels, and an additional $68.9 million in crisis support to ensure Victoria’s public training system can respond and recover from the pandemic.
Mr Andrews said some of the crisis funding would help TAFEs and training providers to transition to online and remote learning, as well as to teach skills which will be critical in the fight against coronavirus.
“Not every TAFE course can be done that way, but you’d be quite surprised, some courses that you would think were not conducive to online learning like plumbing, for instance, TAFEs have done great work in transitioning to make sure that their students can continue to learn, their students can continue to get every day a step closer to getting their ticket, a step closer to being able to play the part that we need them to play in the strongest economy in the nation,” he said.
Mr Andrews said 685 Victorians had already completed TAFE short courses in hygiene and cleaning practices to enable them to work in those areas as part of the government’s Working for Victoria coronavirus response. “Those numbers will continue to grow. Of course that training, and so much more, simply couldn’t happen if we let TAFE fall over, as it were, as part of this pandemic,” he said. Courses in areas such as infection control and first aid are expected to come online this week.
READ MORE: Unis face $19bn loss if travel bans continue
Angelica Snowden 11.50am: Tas worker ‘not honest’ amid outbreak: PM
Scott Morrison has accused an aged care worker in northwest Tasmania of being dishonest with contact tracers investigating a COVID-19 outbreak in the region. Speaking to Triple M Hobart, the prime minister said it was a classic case of why more rigorous contact tracing was needed.
“We had someone down there not tell the truth to the contract tracers about where they’ve been and who they’ve been with,” he said. “And that means a lot of people have been put at risk in northwest Tasmania. They had been working in the health system more broadly, the aged care system, so this has been very unhelpful.”
Two hospitals have been forced to close in Burnie, with a COVID-19 outbreak hitting almost 100 people linked to the facilities including 60 workers and 16 patients.
His comments come as authorities plan to test all residents and staff in three northwest nursing homes after it was revealed a worker with COVID-19 may have spread the virus at the facilities. The person, who was diagnosed on Wednesday, worked at the North West Regional Hospital and North West Regional Hospital.
It was revealed on Thursday night the worker also completed shifts at Melaleuca Nursing Home in East Devonport, Eliza Purton Home for the Aged in Ulverstone and Coroneagh Park in Penguin. No virus cases have been confirmed at the homes, but one resident with mild respiratory symptoms is expected to get test results back on Friday. — With AAP
READ MORE: Levelling with the public must be the new normal
Lachlan Moffet Gray 11.40am: Trio charged with entering remote community
Two men and a woman have been arrested and charged with violating federal biosecurity laws and Queenslate public health orders after illegally entering a remote community subject to travel restrictions. On April 12 the trio, who live in Townsville, entered the Aboriginal shire of Doomadgee in north west Queensland, 150 km from the Northern Territory border.
The area is designated as a “restricted biosecurity area’’ under the federal Biosecurity Act, with all non-essential travel to the area banned on March 26 in a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus to areas with poor health infrastructure.
The trio allegedly told a border control officer they had self-isolated in Townsville before travelling to the area, in line with government policy for entry.
Local police commenced inquiries within the community and ultimately determined that the two men, aged 51 and 30, and the woman, 51, lied about self isolating.
Doomadgee police arrested the trio and charged each of them with one count of failing to comply with an emergency requirement in relation to the biosecurity act, and one count of failing to apply with COVID-19 public health directions under Queensland state law.
Doomadgee Office in Charge, Senior Sergeant Lisa Damman said the Queensland Police Service continues to enforce the directions of the Chief Health Officer as we work together to reduce the spread of COVID-19. “We urge everyone to follow the public health directions, employ social distancing practices and avoid unnecessary travel so we can limit the spread of Coronavirus,” she said. “Local police will not tolerate this reckless behaviour and have strict measures in place to ensure the Doomadgee community is protected.
READ MORE: Rapid tests on way to remote indigenous communities
Angelica Snowden 11.20am: Ruby probe extends to two voyages
The NSW Police criminal investigation into the Ruby Princess is to be extended to include interview with passengers and crew from two voyages of the COVID-19 ridden cruise ship rather than only the most recent.
Police will send a questionnaire to 2,995 passengers who travelled on the ship from 24 February to 8 March to collect more witness statements and information.
This is in addition to the 2,647 passengers who disembarked the cruise ship in Sydney on March 19 that sparked the investigation.
This cruise has been linked with over 600 COVID-19 cases and 19 deaths in Australia.
Investigators will use the results of the questionnaire to prioritise who they collect formal statements from.
The investigation will determine whether the company or crew were criminally negligent as the virus spread on board.
It will also determine if “actions or omissions” made by NSW or commonwealth departments may have caused the death of any passengers who contracted COVID-19.
An additional four crew members aboard the Ruby Princess have tested positive to coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases on board to 153. There is approximately 1040 crew quarantined on board the vessel which is moored at Port Kembla south of Sydney.
NSW Health has previously said most of the infected crew are exhibiting mild symptoms and can be treated on board, although 13 crew members have fallen ill enough to warrant being transported to NSW Health facilities for treatment.
READ MORE: Caledonia Sky last to set sail
Rachel Baxendale 11.15am: Poker players, AFL player fined
A group of 13 people gathered at a private residence playing poker, a group of four gathered at a friend’s house, and an AFL footballer have become the latest Victorians issued with $1,652 fines under the state’s social distancing laws.
Victoria Police said they had conducted 540 spot checks at homes, businesses and non-essential services over the past 24 hours, issuing 67 fines.
AFL Premiership player Lachie Hunter was issued with a $1,652 fine in addition to being charged with drink driving, after allegedly crashed into a row of parked cars in the bayside suburb of Middle Park on Thursday night and fleeing the scene, before being arrested and recording a blood alcohol reading of 0.123.
Since 21 March, police have conducted a total of 22,894 spot checks.
READ NOW: One in five depressed most or all of the time
Sarah Elks 10.50am: Qld pathology lab worker positive
A Queensland pathology laboratory worker at the Cairns hospital has tested positive for coronavirus, as the state records an extra six positive cases taking its total to 1007 COVID-19 diagnoses in 79 days.
Health Minister Steven Miles said the result was good, and the state’s “doubling rate” had lengthened to 40 days, after peaking at three days during the height of the crisis.
Mr Miles said the national doubling rate was 30 days, so Queensland was doing well.
Of the coronavirus cases, 19 are being treated in hospital with 11 in intensive care.
In the past 24 hours, Queensland has tested more than 2500 people.
Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the Queensland Health pathology lab in Cairns had to be shut down due to the positive test. Other staff had been placed into quarantine, and the lab is being thoroughly cleaned.
READ MORE: Long road to life without virus
Angelica Snowden 10.45am: 2.700 tests, 1 new case in Victoria
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed only one new case of COVID-19 in the state overnight.
“There were 2,700 tests that were completed over the last 24 hours with just one positive result,” Premier Daniel Andrews said on Friday.
“That, I think, gives you a really clear indication that this strategy is working.”
In total, there are 1,302 infections in the state and no further deaths were reported.
So far, 14 people have died from coronavirus in Victoria.
Victoria remains in stage three lockdown to contain the pandemic’s spread, with people urged to stay at home, unless it’s essential to leave.
READ MORE: Victoria to borrow $24.5bn loan
Angelica Snowden 10.25am: Anglicare nursing home cases double overnight
Anglicare says that 10 staff and 20 residents have contracted COVID-19 at the Newmarch facility in western Sydney after NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant revealed infections doubled overnight.
In a statement, Anglicare says its staff are “greatly distressed” about the news of more positive cases.
“Staff and management have been greatly distressed for our residents and their loved ones at Newmarch House,” the statement read.
The owners of the aged-care facility in Sydney’s west say a “specially trained” team of staff who wear full personal protective equipment have been deployed to care for COVID-19 residents.
Staff who contracted the new coronavirus are self isolating at home.
The statement says residents are being retested if they initially returned a negative result as a precaution.
READ MORE: Capt Tom takes $24m walk
Lachlan Moffet Gray 10.10am: Mum avoids jail for coughing on cops
A Toowoomba mother who kicked Queensland Police Officers and coughed on them while claiming to have coronavirus has been handed a jail term for her conduct.
The 34-year-old mother of four had moved her family into her mother’s four-bedroom home in Oakey after losing her home in Toowoomba, the Courier Mail reports.
The Police Prosecutor reportedly told the court that the lack of space in the home sparked tensions, with the mother, who cannot be named for legal reasons, getting into a heated argument with her mother while drunk.
Officers attended the property and arrested the woman after she allegedly made a remark about killing her mother once the police left.
Once arrested, the woman reportedly kicked and punched a senior constable, breaking his glasses.
When placed in the police van, she coughed over the senior constable and the car seats, while laughing and claiming she had coronavirus, according to the Courier Mail.
Arriving at the Toowoomba watch house, the woman screamed and banged her handcuffs against glass in her cell door and coughed on the watch house sergeant while being processed for entry.
After spending 12 hours in custody the woman appeared in court over the phone to plead guilty to three counts of serious assault of police, three of wilful damage, and one of obstructing police.
The woman allegedly knew the senior constable, and felt very sorry for her behaviour towards him.
Magistrate Kay Ryan sentenced the woman to six months in prison, but ordered her release on parole and on 18 months prohibition.
The woman also had to pay $200 to the constable for his damaged glasses and agreed to a five-year order of good behaviour towards her mother.
READ MORE: Going harder, faster set to pay off
Agencies 10.05am: Cocaine Cassie released from Colombian jail
Convicted Australian drug smuggler Cassie Sainsbury has been released from a Colombian prison, according to reports.
The South Australian resident was serving a six-year term for smuggling almost six kilos of cocaine out of Colombia in April 2017.
It is understood Sainsbury walked free from El Buen Pastor women’s prison on Friday after spending three years behind bars.
READ MORE: Cassie Sainsbury gets six years jail
Richard Ferguson 10.00am: Reset in relationship with China: Bishop
Former foreign minister Julie Bishop has flagged that Australia and the rest of the world will have a different relationship to China once the coronavirus pandemic is over.
Ms Bishop - who served as the nation’s chief diplomat under Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull for five years - said the move by many nations to be less dependent on China’s manufacturing sector will have global consequences.
She also said on Friday the coronavirus pandemic would result in changes to international power structures and the “economic base” of nations like China.
“Many nations will be looking to diversify and perhaps bring greater domestic focus on supply chains and the like,” she told Sky News.
“Australia’s relationship with China is under constant review. It’s a relationship that requires a great deal of nurturing and management and development of trust. We are very strong economic partners but we have very different perspectives with the world.
“I think we see a different world when we pass through this pandemic.
“There will be changes in power structures, the economic base, the economic strength of a number of countries.”
China’s communist regime is coming under increasing pressure from the United States and Great Britain for its failure to contain COVID-19 when it first broke out in Wuhan in January.
READ MORE: WHO in need of reform: Sharma
Lachlan Moffet Gray 9.55am: Expanded testing for Tasmania’s north west
Tasmania will receive Commonwealth assistance to roll out expanded testing in its north west region after it was revealed a healthcare worker with coronavirus employed at the infected North West Regional and Private Hospitals worked shifts in three nursing homes.
The worker, who was diagnosed on Wednesday, worked shifts at the Melaleuca Nursing Home in East Devonport, the Eliza Purton Home for the Aged in Ulverstone and Coroneagh Park in Penguin.
No cases have been confirmed at any of the facilities, but one resident with symptoms is being tested, with results due on Friday.
Premier Peter Gutwein said his government would seek to provide further details as soon as possible.
“I know this is very concerning news for families, friends and the loved ones of those being cared for in these facilities and it’s important that we do everything that we can to get on top of this and provide clarity as soon as we can,” he told reporters on Friday.
“All residents and staff in these three homes will be tested today with the assistance and support of the Federal Government.
“Enhanced testing over and above what is available in the north-west will be implemented across the coast today with the support of the Federal Government.”
The Commonwealth also said it would provide the aged care facilities with additional staff and personal protective equipment.
The North West Regional and Private Hospitals were shut on Monday for a deep clean after being deemed a cluster by the state government.
More than 80 of the state’s 180 coronavirus cases are linked to the facilities.
The Tasmanian government has ordered 1200 healthcare workers and their families into isolation, and has shut all non-essential businesses in the north west region.
Mr Gutwein said he would this morning explore the feasibility of strengthening the lockdown measures.
“I’ve asked for them to be reviewed this morning and, if necessary, they will be strengthened to ensure that we can contain this virus and this outbreak to the north-west coast.
“I want to be clear if you’re travelling on the north west coast today, you should expect to be stopped and questioned about the purpose of your trip.”
The hospitals’ emergency departments are expected to reopen on Friday, and state parliament will resume sitting on April 27.
“Parliament will resume along its current sitting schedule, albeit, with a reduced number of days in the working week,” Mr Gutwein said.
READ MORE: ANZAC spirit in battle of COVID
Angelica Snowden 9.50am: Ruby systems didn’t function: inquiry head
The head of a special commission of inquiry into the Ruby Princess says it was clear that systems did not function after 2700 passengers were allowed to disembark without completed COVID-19 testing.
Leading barrister Bret Walker SC said he would “stand aside from any political exercise or finger pointing” in his investigation of the protocols, or lack of, that led to the debacle.
He said on ABC Radio National that if one party over another was blamed for the fiasco, then “so be it”.
The inquiry, announced on Wednesday, will be overseen by Mr Walker — who successfully had Cardinal George Pell’s conviction for historical sexual abuse overturned by the High Court last week — and will last three to four months.
READ MORE: US man first overseas Ruby death
Angelica Snowden 9.45am: Cormann silent on sectors to lift restrictions
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann would not confirm which sectors would benefit from a progressive lifting of COVID-19 restrictions after the government announced it’s three step strategy yesterday.
“There will be opportunities over the next few months to progressively lift the restrictions on parts of the economy but I am not going to pre-empt the timing or the nature of those decisions,” he said on Sky News.
Mr Cormann said Treasurer Josh Frydenberg should not apologise for criticising the International Monetary Fund after he accused it of failing to take into account the $130 billion JobKeeper package in their dire projections for the Australian economy.
“The Treasurer was making comments based on what he had been advised,” he said.
“I understand that The Treasury is taking that up with the IMF.
“Treasury understood that IMF has concluded it’s work on 29 March and the understanding was that the JobKeeper plan hadn’t been accounted for.”
Mr Cormann refused to comment on claims that he called Scott Morrison a “machiavellian plotter who couldn’t be trusted” in Malcolm Turnbull’s new book and said he had “no time” to read it.
“I wish Malcolm and his family very well for the future,” he said.
“I have no time (to read Malcolm’s book).”
READ MORE: Turn secret into tale - tell Turnbull
Lachlan Moffet Gray 9.40am: Elective surgery set to resume
Elective surgery and IVF treatments could resume in the immediate future, Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said, with National Cabinet set to examine the issue next week.
“We are bringing it forward to the National Cabinet next week to look at elective surgery, IVF, and as part of that we are very hopeful,” Mr Hunt told Sunrise on Friday.
“The two reasons why elective surgery was pulled back is one, fear of the hospital system being overwhelmed. We are in a strong position now.
“Two, PPE (personal protective equipment) is now in an increasingly strong position.
“I am hopeful that a week from now we will have some positive news on elective surgery.”
Mr Hunt also reemphasised the three key criteria that must be achieved before the National Cabinet looks at lifting its nationwide restrictions in four weeks’ time: “testing, tracing and rapid response.”
“Testing is at the heart of it. We had Australia has the most accurate testing regime in the most accurate testing regime in the world according to the London School of hygiene and tropical medicine. We want to go further,” the Health Minister said.
“That means two things - As Gladys Berejiklian said, expanding the range (of people) we are testing.
“We can focus on hot spots, health workers, aged care institutions, all of these different things to be expanding out.
“At the same time we are making progress in securing additional (testing) supplies in a tight global environment.”
Mr Hunt said that rapid response includes new initiatives “such as wastewater testing.”
“If is a suburb that hasn’t had a case identified, but it is in the wastewater stream, then we realise we have to focus on that suburb to find the people.”
READ MORE: Hospitals at odds on safety of face masks
Richard Ferguson 9.30am: PM: Really bad news coming our way
Scott Morrison has warned the coronavirus pandemic will hit the economy like “a truck” but has ruled out introducing a COVID-19 levy.
The Prime Minister has warned Australians more bad economic news is coming, after dire predictions for the nation’s growth and unemployment rates from the International Monetary Fund.
“All I know is the hit that the Australian economy is the biggest we have seen since the Great Depression,” he told Melbourne’s 3AW radio.
“The GFC was an entree compared to what this is, this is on a whole other level.
“On the economy we have some really bad news coming our way ... this thing is going to hit like a truck.”
Mr Morrison said he would not bow to the “inevitability” of an economic depression and that programs like JobKeeper were designed to cushion the economic blow of the pandemic.
His comments came as Finance Minister Mathias Cormann revealed that the Treasury was going to approach the IMF about its unemployment projections which did not take JobKeeper into account.
READ MORE: Robert Gottliebsen writes: Economy already gravely wounded
Richard Ferguson 9.20am: ‘Eyes wide open’relationship with China
Scott Morrison says Australia has an “eyes wide open” relationship with China, as other Western countries reconsider their relationship with the communist superpower after COVID-19.
Overnight, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told the UK public that their relations with China would have to change, as the regime of Chinese President Xi Jinping comes under fire for allowing the virus to spread from Wuhan right across the globe.
The Prime Minister on Friday said Australia’s tough foreign interference rules and decision to not allow Chinese tech giant Huawei to be part of the nation’s 5g mobile network put us in a different position to other nations reconsidering their stances on China.
“They’re coming from a different position than us. We already have a lot of very tough controls and rules ... like foreign interference legislation. We already have the arrangements we have under 5G,” he told Melbourne’s 3AW radio.
“We’ve always been vigilant about these things, but at the same time we’ve continued to pursue a productive, strategic partnership with China,
“But we have an eyes-wide-open relationship.”
READ MORE: Risk Trump could get fooled again
Damon Johnston 9.10am: Downturn will hit us like a truck: PM
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has warned Australians to brace for a massive economic downturn because of coronavirus.
“This thing is going to hit us like a truck,” Mr Morrison told 3AW.
Mr Morrison described the economic impact of the Global Financial Crisis as nothing more than an “entree” when compared with the cost of the virus.
READ MORE: Greg Sheridan writes: Success worlds apart and it must stay that way
Lachlan Moffet Gray 8.45am: Trump announces plan to re-open US economy
US President Donald Trump’s pitched battle with his state counterparts over when to lift economy-flattening lockdown measures has reached a resolution, with the White House officially announcing federal guidelines to facilitate a gradual lifting of restrictions based on the discretion of individual state governors.
Addressing the country at a White House Press Conference today (AEST), Mr Trump said the guidelines would allow governors to lift restrictions on a statewide basis, or on a county-by-county basis.
LIVE: Press Briefing with Coronavirus Task Force https://t.co/NB3LRIZHI7
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 16, 2020
“Now that we have passed the peak in new cases we are starting our life again. .. in a safe and structured and very responsible fashion,” Mr Trump said.
“Some states will be able to open up sooner than others. If they need to remain closed, we will allow them to do that. We love them all.”
HOW THE US PLAN WILL WORK
■ Phase 1: Restaurants and gyms reopen under social distancing regulations and elective surgery will continue on an outpatient individual.
■ Phase 2: Social settings can consist of up to 50 people, non-essential travel bans will be lifted, schools will reopen and elective surgery can resume for inpatients and outpatients.
■ Phase 3: Almost all restrictions will be lifted, including visits to hospitals and nursing homes, but individuals will be required to practice healthy social distancing and good hygiene.
READ MORE: Risk Trump could be fooled again
Angelica Snowden 8.30am: Sunday departure still target for Ruby Princess
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said he still hoped Sunday was a “realistic” departure date for the Ruby Princess.
Mr Fuller said he would allow the cruise ship to remain at Port Kembla for longer if the results of a health report means it would be safe to do so.
The health report will be delivered to NSW Police today.
Mr Fuller also said that NSW Police have been responding to more incidents of domestic violence since social isolation measures have been introduced.
He said reported assaults are down and street crime is down.
READ MORE: Mum, dad investors up them for rent
Lachlan Moffet Gray 8.25am: Federation working better than it ever has: Morrison
Scott Morrison has praised the National Cabinet for ushering in a golden era for Australia’s federation, refusing to criticise state premiers for going above and beyond the government’s baseline recommendations on coronavirus restrictions — instead saying their co-operation meant restrictions would soon be able to be lifted.
“The federation is working better than it has ever worked,” the Prime Minister told 2GB’s Alan Jones on Friday.
“We are getting a level of co-operation that I don’t think we have ever seen before.”
Victoria and Queensland have imposing restrictions on schools above and beyond recommendations from the Health Protection Principal Committee. However, Mr Morrison said the federal government’s advice was a “baseline” level of advice that they would look at winding back in four weeks’ time — assuming three criteria were met.
“We have got to broaden the testing even further than it is now. It is called sentinel testing, also called surveillance testing,” Mr Morrison said, referring to an advanced form of testing that can build the capacity to pre-empt undetected cases in the community.
“We need to get an automatic, industrial level tracing of the coronavirus.
“We’ve been working on this automatic process through an app so we can ensure we know where the contacts were over the quarantine period.”
READ MORE: PM reveals long road to life without coronavirus
Angelica Snowden 8.15am: NSW records just 29 new COVID-19 cases
NSW recorded 29 new COVID-19 cases yesterday as nearly 5000 people were tested.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the state would move to a roster system for students to gradually return to school in term 3.
“NSW is considering a roster system to provide some more face-to-face time,” she said.
“We are not supporting full classrooms, or every student going back at the same time. But the alternative is that students could face up to a year or longer at home and we don’t think that’s appropriate.”
The more we test, the more we can control the spread. Thank you to everyone who responded to our call to get tested. Anyone in COVID-19 hotspots & feeling unwell with a fever & cough, should go to a local COVID-19 clinic or their GP for testing. More info: https://t.co/ma3omVTHNF pic.twitter.com/awyFDp7kRg
— Gladys Berejiklian (@GladysB) April 16, 2020
NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said a 7-week old baby boy has tested positive to COVID-19, with the source of his infection unknown.
Dr Chant said there were now 29 cases of COVID-19 associated with the Anglicare Newmarch House, up from 15 yesterday.
There have been no further deaths in the state overnight, with a total of 26.
Keep yourself and your family safe, and help keep our nurses and midwives safe. Together, let’s slow the spread.
— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) April 16, 2020
Find the facts: https://t.co/YL3R12oJLO#Nursing2020 #COVID19 #COVID19au pic.twitter.com/JuBYN0EBRi
READ MORE: Henry Ergas — we must avoid an economic defeat
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.55am: Dutton: I was on top of the world, then it hit me
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton — back on the job after 26 days in isolation following a coronavirus diagnosis — has warned Australians not to underestimate the virus, revealing he was almost admitted to hospital for a second time.
“That second week, people have got to be careful about that,” Mr Dutton told Channel 9’s Today.
“I felt on top of the world after about five days and day seven or eight it really hit me. I was really short of breath almost to the point where I went back to hospital.”
Despite his harrowing personal experience with the virus, Mr Dutton tentatively endorsed Scott Morrison’s goal of lifting some lockdown restrictions next month, saying Australians were “desperate” for life to return to normal.
“People are desperate to get back out, we want the economy to restart, reboot. We want kids back at school and we want a normal environment to prevail but if we do it too quickly we will see the sort of horror scenario we’ve seen overseas.”
I’m feeling much better this morning - thank you to everyone for your well wishes.
— Peter Dutton (@PeterDutton_MP) March 14, 2020
Full interview: https://t.co/6zfvXb8Q8m pic.twitter.com/B5b6asM8dV
READ MORE: One in five depressed most or all of the time
Angelica Snowden 7.50am: NSW Premier to give COVID-19 briefing at 8am
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian will hold a press conference on the coronavirus pandemic in her state at 8am AEST.
The Premier will update the public on the number of COVID-19 cases in the state, and will be joined by the Minister for Health, NSW Chief Health Officer and NSW Police Commissioner.
The press conference can be watched live in the video at the top of this article.
READ MORE: Hospitals at odds on face mask safety
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.30am: ‘We want Virgin continuing to fly’: McCormack
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said the federal government may extend the $165 million scheme to keep Virgin and Qantas planes in the air beyond a two-month period as he endorsed the idea of a private takeover of Virgin.
“After the eight-week period, we’ll see how it’s been. We’ll see the demand,” Mr McCormack told ABC news of the government’s support for the airlines, adding it was crucial for the nation to retain aviation capacity.
“It’s also, of course, to ferry important equipment around the nation, particularly medical equipment and medicine, but also to ferry defence personnel, medical personnel, key medical people who need to get around the country.”
Up to $165m will be spent by the federal government to make sure that a minimum network of domestic services will continue to be operated by Qantas and Virgin Australia. @ironsider #ausbiz #aviation #coronavirus https://t.co/3NHSXHlets
— Business Review (@aus_business) April 16, 2020
Mr McCormack said he welcomed reports of a private buyout of struggling airline Virgin, maintaining that it was the government’s position that a market-based capital injection for the company would be preferable to a government bailout or loan.
He also said Scott Morrison’s suggestion that transport industry super funds invest in Virgin was sensible.
“We want to see a market resolution for this and if Virgin can’t raise the capital through its shareholders, and they’ve tried, then let’s see what happens,” he said.
“We need Virgin to be continuing to fly. We want two airlines at the end of this, and I think there can be a market solution for this.”
READ MORE: Government to spend $165 million on key regional airports
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.15am: Tasmania won’t reopen in line with country: Lambie
Tasmania’s cluster outbreaks in the north-west will prevent the state lifting lockdown measures in line with the rest of the country, senator Jacqui Lambie believes.
A further 11 cases were confirmed in Tasmania overnight — a daily increase the same size as NSW, a state with 10 times the population.
Cluster outbreaks which began in the North West Regional and Private Hospitals in Burnie, have seen the number of cases in the state increase to 180 from 100 in little more than a week. The hospitals have been closed for deep cleaning by AUSMAT and the ADF.
“I don’t think we’ll see us coming out of lockdown like the rest of the country at this rate,” Senator Lambie told Today on Friday.
“We had another 10 or 11 cases last night. We had the big amount last weekend which was 45 to 47 so we’re waiting to see what happens obviously in the seven to 10-day period which will take us to this weekend through to next Wednesday before we have any idea of exactly where we’re at.
“It’s just a merry-go-round down here, mate, so the next 72 hours for us are vital.”
“No one is left without being under microscope and that includes China.†Tasmanian’s Senator @JacquiLambie on calls for China to come clean about the origins of the coronavirus. #9Today pic.twitter.com/QIezSS4P0G
— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) April 16, 2020
Senator Lambie also endorsed a senate inquiry into Chinese influence in Australia.
“If you want a fresh start in this country and want manufacturing and want international security, unfortunately no-one is left without being under the microscope, mate, and that includes China,” she said.
READ MORE: Tasmania hospital closures force 5000 into quarantine
Angelica Snowden 7.05am: Russian government green lights controversial drug
The Russian government has allowed the controversial medication hydroxychloroquine to be used in the treatment of coronavirus infection.
The antimalarial drug has been touted by President Donald Trump as potentially effective against the virus, but clinical studies are inconclusive.
The drug is not registered for use in Russia, but a Chinese pharmaceutical company provided a large supply to the National Medical Research Centre for Cardiology, according to an order from Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin reported by Russian news agencies on Thursday.
The order authorises the centre to provide the medication free to institutions treating coronavirus infections.
The US President said 29 million doses of hydroxychloroquine had been “stockpiled” to help treat the symptoms of COVID-19.
The drug is used to treat malaria and other auto-immune diseases like lupus. But the nation’s coronavirus advisor and infectious diseases doctor Dr Anthony Fauci said as yet there was no evidence to support the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat coronavirus.
READ MORE: Rita Wilson warns on chloroquine’s ‘nauseating’ side effects
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7am: Trump will allow governors ‘to call the shots’
President Donald Trump’s plan to reopen schools and businesses in some parts of the country has been revealed, with some states set to return to normalcy within a matter of months.
States with declining rates of coronavirus infections and strong rates of testing will reopen businesses and schools carefully from May 1 over three periods at least 14 days in length.
We are using every available authority to accelerate the development, study, and delivery of therapies. pic.twitter.com/GKbkUd0nxd
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 15, 2020
Individuals vulnerable to the disease will be advised to shelter in place until the third phase is reached, a milestone that state governors will have a high degree of autonomy in deciding when to bring into effect.
We are having very productive calls with the leaders of every sector of the economy who are all-in on getting America back to work, and soon. More to come! #MAGA
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 15, 2020
In a call with state governors on Friday, President Trump reportedly told his counterparts they would have the autonomy to “call the shots” on exactly how long each phase lasts and where in their territories restrictions are lifted.
President Trump will brief the nation on the plan later on Friday.
Major News Conference tonight, the White House at 6:00 P.M. (Eastern), to explain Guidelines for OPENING UP AMERICA AGAIN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 16, 2020
READ MORE: Greg Sheridan — Success worlds apart, and it must stay that way
Angelica Snowden 6.45am: Italy, France show signs of winning virus fight
Coronavirus continues to hit Europe hard but there are signs of a reprieve with Italy trialling COVID-19 immunity tests and new COVID-19 cases appear to be slowing in France. In contrast, Spain is grappling with a much higher death count than official numbers reflect.
ITALY
Italy will begin administering experimental coronavirus immunity tests on an initial 150,000 people nationwide in early May as part of its efforts to reopen after a nationwide shutdown since March 9.
Italy, the European epicentre of the pandemic, has imposed a lockdown and production shutdown through May 3.
While individual regions and even companies are already gunning to start antibody tests to accelerate the reopening, Italy’s commissioner for the pandemic, Domenico Arcuri, made clear the government wanted unified testing and a voluntary contact-tracing application to provide real-time data on movements of people and possible new clusters of infection.
The number of deaths of people infected with the coronavirus in Italy grew by 525 in the last 24 hours to 22,170, the smallest increase in four days.
At the same time, new cases grew by 3,786 cases to 168,941, the largest jump in four days.
FRANCE
National Health agency chief Jerome Salomon said overnight (AEST) the virus epidemic had reached a “long plateau” that was “evolving slowly downward,” instead of hitting a peak followed by a sharp drop.
There are 141,900 infections in the country so far and 17,920 deaths due to COVID-19. However, France has not been counting people who die with the virus at home.
More than 6,000 people are still in intensive care but the number has dropped every day for a week, and the number of people hospitalised fell on Thursday for a second day.
SPAIN
The coronavirus virus has killed 19,130 people in Spain, according to national health authorities who only count cases where the victims have tested positive for the virus.
But funeral homes said the real number was likely much higher.
Mortician Jordi Fernandez said he was seeing five times more bodies come in than normal.
Earlier this week, health authorities in Catalonia released for the first time the number of virus deaths reported by funeral homes. According to those records, a total of 7,097 people had died from COVID-19 related causes in the northeastern region, nearly double the number of fatalities previously reported by Catalan officials who until now only included deaths in hospitals and nursing homes.
There are 182,816 cases of COVID-19 in Spain, the second highest absolute number of cases after the US.
READ MORE: WHO in need of reform — Dave Sharma
Lachlan Moffet Gray 6.30am: States extend lockdown despite Trump’s May 1 plan
Several states in the US have extended their lockdowns until May 15, despite President Donald Trump preparing a plan to end the lockdown in some states by May 1.
As the number of coronavirus cases in the US passed 650,000 cases with 26,708 deaths — and a further five million Americans filed for unemployment — New York Governor Andrew Cuomo extended the state’s stay-at-home order by another two weeks.
I know this is hard.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) April 16, 2020
I wish I could say this will be over soon, but I can’t.
We must make decisions based on the science and the data.
Human lives are at stake.
He said six neighbouring states would do the same in order to take a regional approach to the virus that had killed more than 10,000 in New York State.
“What happens after that, I don’t know — we will see, depending on what the data says,” Governor Cuomo said.
The policies and rules we have put in place are challenging and hard.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) April 16, 2020
But I trust New Yorkers.
Social distancing works and it's thanks to all of you.
I know that New Yorkers will do the right thing because we are #NewYorkTough.
There will be a phased return to a new normal.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) April 16, 2020
Business will reopen on a phased priority scale.
Business will reopen based on the risk posed.
We will work on a regional basis.
Last week, Los Angeles extended its restrictions to May 15 and the District of Columbia did the same on Wednesday.
Later today, President Trump is expected to detail his strategy to reopen the US cconomy, which has seen more than 22 million job losses, according to US Labor Department Figures.
Major News Conference tonight, the White House at 6:00 P.M. (Eastern), to explain Guidelines for OPENING UP AMERICA AGAIN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 16, 2020
On Thursday, the department announced a further 5.24 million unemployment claims, meaning 22.2 million people — almost 15 per cent of the labour force — have lost their job since lockdown measures were implemented on March 14.
President Trump’s plan to reopen the economy has been slammed by state governors and health experts, who consider it unwise to lift restrictions without widespread testing in place.
To date, more than 3.3 million Coronavirus tests have been completed and 48 different tests have been authorized. pic.twitter.com/oShlHhPgTK
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 15, 2020
“It is a target, and, obviously, we’re hopeful about that target, but I think it’s just too early to be able to tell that we see light at the end of the tunnel,” Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn told ABC News on Wednesday.”
“I think it’s just too early for us to say whether May 1 is that date.”
READ MORE: Trump from friend to foe and back for Turnbull
Agencies 5.45am: Melania Trump reaches out to Boris Johnson’s fiancee
Melania Trump has been in touch with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s fiancee Carrie Symonds to share well wishes for her and Johnson amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The US president’s wife called Ms Symonds on Thursday and said the nation was “praying for their speedy and full recoveries” following Johnson’s admittance to intensive care with COVID-19.
“Mrs Trump reaffirmed that the United States stands together with the United Kingdom in the fight to defeat the coronavirus pandemic,” the White House said.
Talked today w/ @carriesymonds. Our prayers are w/ her & UK PM @BorisJohnson for a speedy & full recovery. The United States & the United Kingdom will get through this difficult period & emerge stronger than before. We stand w/ the UK in the fight against #COVID19.
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) April 16, 2020
Mrs Trump also “expressed optimism that the United States and the United Kingdom would get through this difficult period and emerge stronger than before”.
Donald Trump had offered to help Mr Johnson when he was first transferred to hospital.
“We’ve contacted all of Boris’s doctors, and we’ll see what is going to take place, but they are ready to go,” Mr Trump told a press conference at the time.
Ms Symonds, who is expecting the couple’s first child in the northern hemisphere summer, said she spent a week in bed after experiencing coronavirus symptoms, but was not tested for the illness.
The 32-year-old praised staff at St Thomas’ Hospital in London following Johnson’s release earlier this week.
She tweeted there had been some “very dark” times during his illness. “I will never, ever be able to repay you and I will never stop thanking you,” she added. — PA
There were times last week that were very dark indeed. My heart goes out to all those in similar situations, worried sick about their loved ones.
— Carrie Symonds (@carriesymonds) April 12, 2020
READ MORE: Chinese liberals savage WHO boss
Jacquelin Magnay 5.30am: UK extends coronavirus lockdown by three weeks
British foreign secretary Dominic Raab has announced the extension of the coronavirus lockdown across the UK for a “further three weeks, at least”, curiously saying it was for economic as well as health grounds.
Mr Raab rejected calls by the country’s leading economists, small business owners and entrepreneurs to begin a staged exit from the extreme social distancing measures, saying it was a “delicate and dangerous time”.
Thanks to your sacrifices, social distancing is working. But if we stop now, we risk increasing the spread of #coronavirus.
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) April 16, 2020
We’re extending the rules by at least three weeks, and will not change the rules until five tests are met â¬‡ï¸ pic.twitter.com/KJnDYFguLK
But Mr Raab acknowledged the dire economic forecasts that the country faced GDP plummeting by a third and jobless skyrocketing beyond 10 per cent by insisting that the economic damage would be somehow worse if the shutdown didn’t continue.
“We’ve come too far, we’ve lost too many loved ones to ease up now,” Mr Raab said.
Slides from today’s #coronavirus press conference (16 April 2020):
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) April 16, 2020
🔵 Transport use change
🔵 New coronavirus cases in the UK
🔵 People in hospital beds with COVID-19 in Great Britain
🔵 Global comparison of deaths
âž¡ï¸ https://t.co/2d5najyxYn pic.twitter.com/qz65ouVXJS
Read the full story here.
Geoff Chambers 5.15am: Government announces three-step test process
A three-step process involving wider testing for COVID-19, enhanced tracing of cases and expanded capacity to control outbreaks will decide whether social restrictions can be relaxed from next month.
Revealing a four-week deadline for reviewing the next steps on restrictions, Scott Morrison said that despite a sharp decline in new coronavirus cases across Australia, easing measures too quickly could trigger a new wave of infections.
Under pressure from business leaders and industry groups to re-open the economy as early as possible, the national cabinet on Thursday adopted a cautious approach to lifting measures that have helped to flatten the nation’s infection curve.
Read the full story here.
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