Coronavirus Australia live updates: You still have to pay rent, Scott Morrison warns
As the NSW government defends its handling of the Ruby Princess cruise ship debacle, Victoria’s Premier has foreshadowed even tighter restrictions to come.
- You still have to pay rent, PM warns
- Andrews sets up ‘crisis council’
- Rental waivers to reflect turnover reductions
- Landlord, tenants code ‘close’: PM
- Another NSW death, national toll 27
- New virus cases drop to lowest level in weeks
Welcome to live coverage of the continuing coronavirus crisis. The PM says a code of condct for tenants and landlords is not far away as the national death toll hits 27. The Ruby Princess scandal has escalated with another two passengers dying, while NSW Police Minister David Elliott has defended a police crackdown on social distancing.
Matthew Denholm 9.55pm: Two hospital workers test positive in Tasmania
Two Tasmanian hospital workers from the same northwest hospital are among the state’s latest coronavirus cases.
Chief Medical Officer Tony Lawler said the two staff of Burnie’s North West Regional Hospital tested positive for coronavirus on Friday night.
“An investigation has begun immediately into identifying and contacting any person who has had close contact with either of these two staff, both inside and outside of the hospital,” said Professor Lawler.
“The Tasmanian Health Service has moved immediately to establish an Incident Management Team, which will work to ascertain any people who may be at risk of being exposed to coronavirus at the hospital and ensure necessary actions are taken.
“While it may be necessary for other staff and patients to be tested for coronavirus, this will occur as investigations progress. We will assess and test any patient or staff member who is determined to be at risk of coronavirus and ensure the highest standards of care continue to be provided at the hospital.
“We acknowledge this situation may cause some concern. The safety of our patients and our dedicated staff remain our highest priority, and neither the hospital’s operations nor patient services have changed at this time.”
There are now a total of three hospital staff among the state’s 80 cases. The other is a worker at the Mersey Community Hospital, at Latrobe, also in northwest Tasmania.
Patients, staff and the public will be kept informed of the situation as the investigation progresses.
Robyn Ironside 8.17pm: Qantas, Virgin strike operation agreement
Qantas and Virgin Australia have reached agreement with the federal government to operate a number of flights over the next month to bring Aussies home.
The destinations of Los Angeles, London, Auckland and Hong Kong were chosen to provide maximum accessibility to Australians overseas, seeking to return down under.
The government will subsidise the cost of the flights going to the destinations, and if load factors are insufficient on return journeys, the airlines will get further assistance.
Passengers will be expected to pay normal commercial rates for seats on the services and will go into quarantine for 14 days on their return.
Flights to other less accessible locations, such as South America and the Pacific are the subject of ongoing discussions between the airlines and government.
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said the arrangements were about getting Australians back home as soon as possible and would provide much-needed freight capacity to Australian exporters as well.
“The assistance builds on the more than $1bn of support we have already committed to the sector showing the Government’s determination to sustain Australia’s aviation industry,” Mr McCormack said.
Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne said Australians overseas should not hesitate if they have an opportunity to take commercial flights home.
“Many Australians will be able to get to one of these four destinations. They can do so knowing there will be an Australian airline to get them home,” Minister Payne said.
“We recognise that, in some cases, this will not be possible. We will continue to work closely with airlines and our overseas consular assistance network in these situations.
“Where there are no commercial options available, the Government will consider supporting, on a case-by-case basis, non-scheduled services to other overseas destinations.”
This week, The Australian revealed that 16,000 Australians had left the country to travel overseas since March 19.
READ MORE: 50 Qantas staff infected with virus
Matthew Denholm 8pm: Tasmania records six new COVID-19 cases
Tasmania has confirmed six new cases of coronavirus, taking the state’s total to 80.
“Five of the cases are women, one is a man,” said health official Scott McKeown. “Two are from Southern Tasmania, two are from Northern Tasmania, and two are from the North West. Two are aged in their 20s, one is in their 30s, one is in their 50s, one is in their 60s and one is in their 70s.
“Further information about the cases will be released later.”
Imogen Reid 7.30pm: NSW Health defends handling of cruise ship debacle
NSW Health has stood by its handling of the Ruby Princess cruise ship debacle.
The statement says there have been 342 confirmed cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in NSW from passengers on board the ill-fated liner, and 11 probable cases of transmission.
The statement claims the transmission of coronavirus “could not have been prevented by NSW Health staff” and reiterates no cases of COVID-19 were identified on board the cruise ship before it docked.
“The vast majority of these passengers reported they did not develop symptoms until after leaving the Ruby Princess,” a spokeswoman said.
“All passengers were advised to self-isolate for 14 days following disembarkation, which NSW Health has confirmed was provided by the Federal Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment.”
The statement said NSW Health had plans already prepared in the event coronavirus was confirmed on the ship, but the Ruby Princess was assessed as low risk, based on the level of illness on board, the negative coronavirus tests done on passengers while in New Zealand, and the positive influenza tests done on a large proportion of the passengers with “influenza like illness”.
The spokeswoman said the risk assessment process recognised removing passengers from the ship was more suitable than keeping them on board.
“Rapid influenza tests identify only a proportion of people who actually have the infection, meaning some people return a negative result even though they are infected with the flu,” the spokeswoman said.
“The illness and test results identified on board was consistent with influenza.”
Ewin Hannan 7.10pm: PM cautions Fair Work Commission on minimum wage rise
The Fair Work Commission should be cautious when deciding whether to award an annual minimum wage rise to the nation’s low paid, and prioritise the need to keep workers in jobs and business viable, the Morrison Government says.
In a submission to the tribunal’s expert panel on Friday, the Government did not say if it opposed or supported a rise for 2.4 million workers this year but said it was of “paramount importance” that Fair Work focused on keeping people employed.
It said the “economic shock” from the coronavirus pandemic would be significant but there was “considerable uncertainty around the magnitude of the increase in the unemployment rate that will result.
“The delay of the 2020-21 Budget reflects the significant challenges in making reliable, robust economic forecasts in the near future, the submission says.
“The absence of such forecasts clearly impacts on the panel’s ability to assess the performance and competitiveness of the national economy, including productivity, business competitiveness and viability, inflation and employment growth, as required by the (Fair Work) Act.
The government urged the panel to take into account the wide-ranging potential impacts of the pandemic.
“In particular, the panel should take a cautious approach, prioritising the need to keep Australians in jobs and to maintain the viability of the businesses, particularly small businesses, that provide those jobs.”
The government says the past experience of economic downturns shows involuntary unemployment can have a ‘scarring impact’ on individuals’ labour market outcomes as well as negative social, mental and health effects, underscoring the importance of keeping Australians in work.
Amos Aikman 7.05pm: Positive signs the message is reaching the bush
In a sign health and safety messages are making their way into some parts of the bush, Gapuwiyak Culture and Arts artists have begun incorporating coronavirus themes into their work.
Nicola Berkovic 7pm: ‘Fearful’ medicos write open letter to plead with PM
Frontline healthcare workers have urged the government to make their safety a top priority, saying they are “fearful” of contracting coronavirus and infecting patients.
In an open letter to Scott Morrison, they have called for more transparency about supplies of personal protective equipment and say they do not feel confident that their safety and wellbeing is getting enough attention, resources or practical results.
The letter, circulated to healthcare and emergency workers and other health system workers such as cleaners and administrative staff on Friday night, warns those on the frontline are at “very high risk” of COVID-19 infection, illness and death.
“(We) are fearful for our safety and wellbeing during this pandemic,” the letter says.
If infected, they might inadvertently pass the virus on to others, including family members and patients, the letter warns.
It urges the government to “immediately communicate” any concerns about supplies of PPE and to be transparent about the reduction of standards to ration supplies.
“These measures will help to build trust, allay fears and enable frontline workers to adapt our way of working to manage risk,” it says.
The letter urges the government to take further steps to remove all rules on treating patients in specific locations, such as hospitals, for three months, so that treatments could be delivered via telehealth or at home if that was safest.
Sydney-based intensive care specialist Greg Kelly, who authored the letter, said this was important to reduce exposure for healthcare workers and patients and to preserve masks, gowns and other protective equipment.
Urgent support was also needed to redesign patient flows and ventilation systems to reduce risks to patients and staff, and detailed plans were needed for failures of equipment, interruption of supplies or workforce shortages.
Monash University professor of oncology Eva Segelov said strict pharmaceutical and medical benefit rules were preventing cancer patients from accessing the safest treatment options during the pandemic.
For example, subsidies for some treatments, such as some forms of chemotherapy, were only available if delivered at a hospital via an intravenous infusion. This meant exposure to numerous staff members.
For many patients, it was safer to be given tablets or for a nurse to visit them at home to give them an injection. However, subsidies were not available for this.
Oncologists also wanted to give patients a break from treatment if possible because it suppressed their immune system and made them more vulnerable to COVID-19. However, under strict PBS rules, they could not get subsidies for certain cancer drugs a second time.
“The current restrictions are not allowing us to make sensible choices to help cancer patients and other patients with chronic illness, who are the most vulnerable in our community, to stay at home or have their treatment adjusted to lessen their risk in the pandemic,” Professor Segelov said.
The letter comes after three cancer patients at Melbourne’s The Alfred hospital have died from coronavirus, while another two patients and 10 staff have tested positive.
The letter has been copied to Health Minister Greg Hunt, Australian Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy and state premiers and health ministers.
Imogen Reid 6.45pm: WA Premier calls residents back before closing border
West Australian Premier Mark McGowan has urged any residents who are not in the state to return before the borders close at 11.59pm on Sunday.
“We have an advantage here in Western Australia - it is our isolation from the rest of Australia,” Mr McGowan said.
“It would be irresponsible of me as Premier not to use our best advantage in this fight.
“After the deadline, West Australians will only be allowed back into the state if they meet one of the exemptions.
“The Police Commissioner or his delegate will be the final decision-maker, including on specified compassionate grounds.”
Mr McGowan said final details on the exemptions will be released soon and will also apply to those in forced hotel quarantine in the eastern states of Australia.
“For them to return home to WA directly from that hotel, after they have completed their 14 days of quarantine. They would then be required to self-isolate for a further 14 days in Western Australia,” he said.
The Premier addressed the current trajectory of the spread of COVID-19 in the state, saying that while it is “promising” West Australians must not become “complacent.”
“Western Australia needs you. It needs your understanding and support at this time. And most of all, it needs you to follow the advice,” he said.
The premier said “rents will need to come down” for commercial tenants and hopes the state government will come to a resolution next week.
“Work is continuing through the national cabinet on new commercial tenancy regulations,” he said.
“It is important we have commercial rents reflect the commercial realities of today. Many tenants, many businesses, have had their incomes collapse. Commercial rents should reflect that simple fact.
“Rents will need to come down - it’s as simple as that. We will work through the detail and make an announcement soon”
Victoria Laurie 6.25pm: 25 more Artania crew tested for suspected infection
The German cruise ship Artania has another 25 crew members who are being investigated for possible coronavirus infection, with nine already testing positive.
The news closely follows the death of one Artania passenger, a German man in his 60s, who died overnight in hospital after being taken off the ship a week ago. He was the third person to die of COVID-19 in Western Australia.
Western Australia had 22 new cases overnight, nine of them from the Artania. It confirms that WA cases have a high proportion of cruise-ship related infections but a declining number of positive tests among other West Australians.
Health minister Roger Cook said “in excess of 25 crew” out of approximately 400 remaining foreign crew members were being taken off the Artania in coming hours. “They will not necessarily go to hospital but to a (quarantine) hotel,” he said.
“Some have tested positive and others are symptomatic. It goes to show we have a very dynamic and potentially dangerous situation.”
Chief health officer Andy Robertson said 13 crew were tested overnight and seven had returned positive tests with others retested.
He said a total of 49 people from the Artania have tested positive to coronavirus, with one death. Five are in hospital.
The German ship, which has been ordered by Australian Border Force to leave Fremantle but has requested to stay until April 14.
It is undergoing a deep clean and the remaining crew are being isolated in their cabins. He said AUSMAT will continue to monitor the remaining crew daily.
“In a few more days, if satisfied there is no more spread, the ship can leave.”
The Artania was not scheduled to come to Perth as part of its 140-night round the world cruise. It went to South Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, Darwin, Brisbane and Sydney then was meant to go to Peru and New York before returning to Germany.
It asked Australian authorities for permission to enter Fremantle port when a number of passengers fell ill and required hospitalisation.
READ MORE: Cruise ship chaos and a tale of two states
Robyn Ironside 6.15pm: Qantas reveals how virus is spreading despite masks
A Qantas medical officer has outlined the different ways coronavirus is spreading after revealing the airline had recorded up to 50 cases among staff, including eight pilots, 18 or 19 flight attendants and 14 baggage handlers.
Addressing a staff webinar on Friday, Dr Russell Brown said most of those infected were from overseas and were taking precautions.
“They are wearing masks when flying and being careful and we’re still seeing these cases,” Dr Brown said.
“So clearly when you’re dealing with a community that has more spread, the risk goes up and we have to start thinking about what’s going on here.”
He said surface transmissions were not considered to be a big component in the infections, and he described as “disappointing” some of the information South Australia Health had distributed following an outbreak among baggage handlers at Adelaide Airport.
“The virus either spreads from a symptomatic infected person, or, if you’re infected and not having many symptoms then having close contact (with another person). So far that’s by far the most occasions,” said Dr Brown.
“The third one is an infected symptomatic person who contaminates the surface and then you touch that surface and pass it on to yourself. We know that with our workers’ hand washing and cleaning processes, that would be very unlikely.”
He told employees that South Australia Health’s instruction for people to wipe down their bags was “not in line with anything we know about the outbreak”.
Dr Brown also stressed the 14-day isolation was necessary and revealed COVID-19 was likely to cause symptoms between day three and seven after infection, and most commonly on day five.
“So that’s the key timing – once you’ve done more than five to seven days in isolation you’re probably in the clear,” he said.
Angelica Snowden 5.40pm: New figures reveal latest virus hotspots
NSW Health has released the latest COVID-19 hotspots in the state, with Waverley in Sydney’s eastern suburbs taking out the top spot, followed by the Northern Beaches and greater Sydney local government areas.
Waverley, which includes the suburbs of Bronte, Bondi and Tamarama, recorded the highest number of cases in the south eastern area and is the number one hotspot in NSW with 151 coronavirus infections.
The Boogie Wonderland Party that saw backpackers defy social distancing rules on March 15 at Bondi is the source of a major cluster in the area, where 34 people were infected with the virus.
NSW Health are also investigating a major cluster that originated from the Bondi Hardware restaurant, the source of 14 infections and is a backpacker hotspot.
The Northern Beaches local government area is the second highest hotspot, with 124 cases. The area includes suburbs such as Manly, Mona Vale and Avalon Beach.
Sydney, which includes the CBD and other suburbs like Surry Hills, Newtown and Wolloomooloo is the third highest hotspot with 120 cases.
NSW Health also confirmed the local health areas with the highest number of COVID-19 cases.
South eastern Sydney took out the top spot with 510 infections.
This was followed by Northern Sydney with a total of 409 cases.
Northern Sydney includes the local government area of Ryde, that has 57 cases, and is where a major cluster of COVID-19 infections is being investigated.
The Dorothy Henderson Lodge, an aged care facility in Ryde is linked with 22 cases and the deaths of five residents, after a worker in her 50’s contracted the virus.
The local health region with the third highest amount of cases is the Hunter New England area where 237 people tested positive to COVID-19.
It encompasses the Central Coast with 94 cases, Newcastle with 48 cases and Lake Macquarie with 39 cases.
Richard Ferguson 5.15pm: Crossbench MPs call for crisis committee
Crossbench MPs have demanded the government set up a parliamentary committee to hold the government’s coronavirus pandemic response to account.
In the style of a similar group in New Zealand, the crossbench want Scott Morrison to approve two committees into the economic and health responses respectively.
The committees would have four government MPs, three Labor members, three crossbenchers and one Green. The chairman would be a non government MP or senator.
All crossbench MPs in the Senate support the move, giving them a potential majority to push it in the upper house.
Greens leader Adam Bandt told The Australian that the pandemic response was so far facing little scrutiny as the government resists bringing back parliament full-time.
“This is quickly becoming an unaccountable juggernaut, with Liberal and Labor cutting deals to fast-track legislation without accompanying oversight or scrutiny,” he said.
“We should be able to pass important legislation quickly to deal with a crisis but then also have some ongoing oversight as the laws are implemented.”
READ MORE: Road map needed for getting back to work
Imogen Reid 5.10pm: Stranded liner passenger tests positive
A seriously ill passenger on board the Greg Mortimer cruise ship stranded off the coast of Uruguay has been taken off the ship and since tested positive for COVID-19.
The passenger, an Australian man in his 60s, was rescued from the liner on Tuesday local time as other passengers watched on. Cruise operator, Aurora Expeditions, provided a letter to passengers on Wednesday confirming the man had tested positive for coronavirus and was in a critical condition, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.
It is reported the man evacuated had pneumonia and was being treated at the private British Hospital in Montevideo.
The ship’s doctor is among three new cases recorded in the past 24 hours.
95 Australian passengers of Aurora Expeditions cruise ship, which left Chile on MArch 15 for an Antarctic expedition, have been confined to their cabins for more than a week after a fellow passenger developed a fever. The passenger since tested negative for the illness, but with other passengers subsequently developing a fever, the ship was denied permission to berth in Chile, the Falkland Islands and Uruguay.
READ MORE: Germany’s ‘Wuhan’ could hold virus key
Amos Aikman 5.05pm: NT dumps worker exemptions from quarantine
The Northern Territory will tighten its border rules still further by no longer automatically exempting certain types of workers from quarantine requirements.
Chief Minister Michael Gunner said exemptions would henceforth require approval from the chief health officer. “Just fitting into a category is not enough,” he said.
“You must either be employed under an approved plan or be an approved person.”
Mr Gunner said the Territory was a “safe haven” away from the rest of the country “full of coronavirus hotspots”.
“The biggest threat to the Territory is clear: it’s not us; it’s them,” he said.
With no known community spread in his jurisdiction, people were asking if social-distancing rules might be relaxed earlier than in the states.
Mr Gunner said not, adding that a coronavirus cluster in the NT could swiftly become personal. “In places like Sydney and Melbourne, when they see on the TV that another person has died from coronavirus, for almost everyone, it’s someone I don’t know, in a suburb I’ve never visited,” he said.
“It won’t be like that in the NT. If coronavirus gets loose in our community, it will kill people, and we will know the people it kills,” he said.
“There’s not a lot of us. We know each other; we went to school together; we worked together; we played footy together; we are all in each others’ business. If someone dies here, there is a good chance you will know them.
“It may seem far away right now, but it could suddenly seem very close and very real.”
READ MORE: Noone can come in as state shuts the gate
Remy Varga 4.55pm: Andrews: Plan for stage four restrictions
Mr Andrews said he believed stage four restrictions would be introduced but did not detail what that would entail.
“I think there will be a stage four, when I’m in a position and when I need to make those announcements I will,” he said.
“I’ve tried to be very upfront about these different stages and the journey that we’re on,” he said.
“If I’m planning for it then VIctorians have a right to know and I am looking at a number of different steps and further measures that I believe will save lives.
“That’s the fundamental responsibility and obligation that I have. That’s not for today.”
READ MORE: Henry Ergas writes: Italy’s dreadful mortality isn’t our destiny
Remy Varga 4.50pm: ‘We’ll have people queuing for machines to breathe’
Daniel Andrews said his new crisis committee would meet weekly for at least six months to discuss not only the coronavirus response but also other government matters including the state budget.
The Premier said adhering to social distancing measures was a “matter of life and death” and implored Victorians to stay home.
“Whether it be a big city hospital, or a smaller regional hospital, they’ll all be overrun,” he said.
“We’ll have people queuing for machines to help them breath.”
Richard Ferguson 4.45pm: PM warns: ‘You still have to pay rent’
Scott Morrison has warned residential renters that a moratorium on evictions does not mean they do not have to pay rent.
In an update on Thursday afternoon, the Prime Minister said further protection for residential tenancies still needed to be worked out by the national cabinet, but would be a priority in future meetings. “You will recall there was a moratorium on evictions. That doesn’t mean there is a moratorium on rents,” he said.
“It means people are responsible for their rents but there is a moratorium on evictions. We won’t have anyone thrown out of their homes, that’s very important.
“There will be further work done by the treasurers on residential tenancies.”
READ the full story here
Remy Varga 4.30pm: Crisis cabinet will ‘manage response then repair state’
Daniel Andrews said his new crisis cabinet would assume the coordination functions across government departments in order to make quick decisions in response to COVID-19 pandemic as well as helping Victoria rebuild after the crisis.
“This council is all about managing the COVID-19 crisis and then making sure Victoria is in the strongest possible position once we get to the other side to repair the damage that’s done,” he said.
Mr Andrews said crisis cabinet included ministers James Merlino, Tim Pallas, Jacinta Allan, Jenny Mikakos, Jill Hennessy, Martin Pakula and Lisa Neville.
READ MORE: Keep your distance
Imogen Reid 4.20pm: 11 new cases in SA take toll to 396
Eleven new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in South Australia, taking the state’s total to 396.
Three of the new cases are people who were on the Ruby Princess, signifying that almost one-third of cases in the state are from cruise ships.
“We are still reporting cases from the Ruby Princess, so three more cases today of people who were on the Ruby Princess, bringing the total number of cases from people who were on this cruise ship to 84,” SA Health Chief Public Health Officer Associate Dr Nicola Spurrier said.
“This gives us 116 cases in total from cruise ships in our state.”
The number of people who have recovered from coronavirus in SA is 46.
“That is based on testing, a nose and throat swab being negative on two occasions,” Dr Spurrier said.
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Remy Varga 4.10pm: Vic ‘crisis council’ to coordinate response
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced the establishment of a “crisis council” of seven state ministers to coordinate the response to the coronavirus outbreak. The ministers were sworn in via video conference in what Mr Andrews said was a ‘world first.’
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Richard Ferguson 3.45pm: Rental waivers to reflect turnover reductions
Scott Morrison and the national cabinet are considering a mandatory code of conduct for commercial tenants and landlords, which would see rents reduced in line with declines in turnover.
The code is yet to be finalised but landlords and tenants - who are part of the JobKeeper wage subsidy program - would have room to reach their own agreements.
“What is important as part of this code is that both parties negotiate in good faith,” the Prime Minister said in Canberra.
“That there is a proportionality principle that needs to be in this code. And that proportionality principle is simply this: That the turnover reduction of the tenant needs to be reflected in the rental waiver of the landlord.
“Now, how that is done inside the lease is up to the landlord and the tenant.”
Solutions available to landlords and tenants include extending leases if there is a three or six month waiver of rent to protect both parties.
Mr Morrison said businesses who are not receiving wage subsidies would have to abide by their current renting
READ MORE: Robert Gottliebsen writes: Property’s dog eat dog game
Victoria Laurie 3.35pm: Artania death takes national toll to 28
Western Australia’s COVID-19 death toll has risen to three after a German passenger from the Artania cruise ship died in Perth.
The man in his 60s had tested positive for coronavirus and had been in hospital for a week before his death, which was announced today.
The WA Department of Health has confirmed that the man passed away overnight at Joondalup Health Campus after testing positive for COVID-19. He was a cruise ship passenger from the Artania.
It brings Australia’s national toll to 28, and comes hours after NSW authorities confirmed the death of a 75-year-old man who was a passenger on the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship.
The Artania, which is still docked in Fremantle port, is already responsible for 41 coronavirus cases in WA hospitals. None of the passengers or crew is Australian.
The man’s death brings the number of WA’s COVID-19 fatalities to three, with all deaths involving cruise ship passengers.
Diamond Princess passenger James Kwan, 78, died in a Perth hospital on March 1, becoming Australia’s first casualty from COVID-19. Perth retiree Ray Daniels, 73, who collapsed at home on March 25 and later died was also a recent passenger on the Celebrity Solstice cruise ship, which travelled to New Zealand earlier this month.
Dozens of Artania passengers and crew remain in Perth hospitals, after most of the 832 passengers and some of the 515 crew flew home from Perth to Germany on March 28.
It was discovered on Wednesday that 12 frail or medically unfit passengers had remained on board instead of flying home, but they have now been taken off the ship. Most are in being kept in isolation in Perth hotels.
The cruise ship has been directed by Australian Border Force to leave Fremantle, but has been permitted to remain longer to make preparations for its return to its German home port.
READ MORE: Ship to shore: Ruby Princess in deaths probe
Angelica Snowden 3.00pm: Four new cases in ACT, total 91
Four new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the ACT overnight, bringing the total to 91.
ACT Health said that two men and two women contracted the virus and they are aged between 31 years old and 59 years old.
The territory’s health authority also announced that it will “actively look for evidence of community transmission” by randomly testing people at a walk-in clinic.
ACT Chief Health Officer Kerryn Coleman said the ACT could expand “surveillance” as fewer overseas travellers need to be tested.
“Given the recent drop in demand for testing from returned travellers and close contacts of already confirmed cases we are now able to expand our surveillance,” Dr Coleman said.
“This increased surveillance will help us gain an even better insight into the effectiveness of our efforts to flatten the curve.”
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Angelica Snowden 2.55pm: 39 new Queensland cases, total 873
Queensland Health confirmed 39 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the state total to 873.
The part of the state with the highest number of cases is the metro north that encompasses Brisbane, Moreton Bay and Somerset with 259 cases.
The health authority said the majority cases are linked with overseas travel or those who have had direct contact with a confirmed case who travelled overseas.
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Richard Ferguson 2.25pm: Social distancing curbing cases: PM
Scott Morrison says there would be 5000 more active cases of coronavirus in Australia without recent social distancing restrictions.
The Prime Minister will release COVID-19 modelling next week showing a range of different scenarios.
Unlike Donald Trump, Mr Morrison would not say how many lives have been saved by recent restrictions.
“Now what we are looking to do is let Australians know what our goals are,” he said.
Richard Ferguson 2.15pm: Code of conduct for tenants, landlords ‘close’
Scott Morrison and the national cabinet are working on a code of practice for commercial tenants and landlords to help keep businesses afloat through the coronavirus pandemic.
The Prime Minister says the code is not yet ready but would give protections on evictions for tenants and lease terminations for landlords.
Mr Morrison also said he wants industry to finalise the code and help tenants and landlords to make their own arrangements as much as possible.
“We want to ensure tenants and landlords are in the same room,” he said.
The PM also warned residential renters that a moratorium on evictions does not mean they do not have to pay rent.
He said further protections for residential tenancies still need to be worked out by the national cabinet, but would be a priority in future meetings.
“You will recall there was a moratorium on evictions. That doesn’t mean there is a moratorium on rents,” he said.
“It means people are responsible for their rents but there is a moratorium on evictions. We won’t have anyone thrown out of their homes, that’s very important.
“There will be further work done by the treasurers on residential tenancies.”
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Richard Ferguson 2.05pm: Backpackers to rural areas after isolation: PM
Backpackers in the cities will have to self-isolate for 14 days before going to work in regional Australia to ensure coronavirus does not spread to rural communities.
Scott Morrison said he and the national cabinet want backpackers to still work on farms, but rural employers would have to ensure working holiday visa holders do their self-isolation first.
“It’s important those businesses and producers are able to continue that business,” he said.
“They will have to self-isolate ... before they transfer to a rural or regional area.
“It’s important we do this so we don’t have a pick-up of the virus ... we don’t sick backpackers in a caravan heading to rural and regional Australia.”
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Lachlan Moffet Gray 1.50pm: Another NSW death, now 27 national fatalities
A passenger of the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship has passed away in New South Wales, the state’s health department has confirmed.
The death of the 75-year-old man in Wollongong Hospital was confirmed in a release by NSW Health on Friday, bringing the state’s coronavirus toll to 12 and the nation’s to 27.
The Ovation of the Seas cruise ship, which docked in Sydney on the 18 of March, is linked to 84 of NSW’s 2389 coronavirus cases and now one death.
The the Voyager of the Seas, which docked on the same day is linked to 34 cases and one death.
The Ruby Princess, which docked on the 19 of March, is linked to 342 NSW cases and more than 600 across the country, as well as seven deaths.
The Celebrity Solstice, which docked the same day as the Ruby Princess, is linked to 12 cases.
NSW Health also confirmed that two radiation therapists from Westmead Hospital have tested positive for COVID-19.
“Contact tracing is underway for these staff members, and all 14 staff and all but two of the 24 patients who have come into contact with these staff have been contacted by our public health teams,” the department said in a statement, adding that hospital operations have not been compromised and services are still fully available.
A student from St Michael’s Primary School in Belfield was confirmed as positive, as was a child who attended Woodport Early Learning Centre in Erina.
A nurse has also tested positive at Storm Village Anglican residential care facility in Taree.
The facility has enforced restricted movement, and there will be no visitors.
NSW Health said that there have been a small number of cases with an unknown source in the northern NSW town, and that the Hunter-New England Local Health District will ramp up testing of symptomatic people in the area.
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Remy Varga 1.40pm: Love ban backdown complete in Victoria
Victorians are now allowed into the homes of people with whom they share an “intimate personal relationship”.
State deputy Chief Health Officer Annaliese van Diemen on Friday amended a directive introduced to enforce social distancing amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The care exemption of the directive prohibiting Victorians from leaving their homes has now been amended to “permit a person to visit another person if they are in an intimate personal relationship with that person.”
The amendment comes after Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and Police Minister Lisa Neville backed a “love ban” hours before the state’s Chief Health Officer took to Twitter to clarify that couples were indeed allowed in each other’s houses.
READ MORE: Love ban backflip
Lachlan Moffet Gray 1.30pm: PM to update at 1.40pm
Scott Morrison will hold a press conference at 1.40pm, Watch live in the video t the top of this article, our on our Facebook page.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 1.25pm: AMA open to updating advice to wear masks
The Australian Medical Association is open to updating its coronavirus health guidelines to encourage all people to wear facial masks in public instead of just those who are ill, following a mooted recommendation to the same effect from the US Centre for Disease Control to the White House. Federal Vice President of the AMA Dr Chris Zappala said it was worth following the new guidelines to see if they are of any benefit.
“I think we have to watch the evidence very carefully,” Dr Zappala told ABC News on Friday. “It is obviously emerging quickly on a day by day basis. The Australian Medical
Association remains quite comfortable with the current advice around use of masks et cetera and limiting surgical masks used to largely healthcare facilities and people who are unwell.
“But this is a rapidly changing space and we just need...to be prepared to shift our guidance if that evidence suggests so.”
Dr Zappala said an issue that might prevent the AMA from advising people to wear masks in public is that it may promote a “false sense of security.”
“A huge number of people wear those masks incorrectly, they take them on and off, they touch them, they do not change them after a few hours or when they get wet and all those things make them useless. So I think there is a danger, by using the mask improperly, that they give a false sense of security.”
Dr Zappala also said Australians were “doing not too badly with our social distancing.”
“We always have room to improve without hand washing and so on and those other things that are going to beat this virus. Those basic things on a behavioural level that we do every day, there is room for improvement... for example, our coughing etiquette, that remains the most important thing by far and that is how we will defeat this coronavirus.”
READ MORE: Americans to be told to wear face coverings when leaving home
Lachlan Moffet Gray 1.15pm: Call for ‘Royal Commission inquiry’ into Ruby debacle
NSW opposition leader Jodi Mckay has called for “an independent inquiry with Royal Commission powers” to investigate how the Ruby Princess cruise ship was allowed to disembark passengers in Sydney on March 19 when the government was aware there were ill people on board. The ship is responsible for more than 600 of Australia’s coronavirus cases and seven deaths.
“To the passengers of the Ruby Princess and the families of the 7 Australians who have tragically lost their lives — I am very sorry for what you are going through, for your pain and grief,” the Labor leader posted on Twitter on Friday.
“You have been let down, as has the entire community. The Premier has refused to apologise or take any responsibility for the actions of her Government, including the actions of NSW Health & NSW Ports. Today I say we need an independent inquiry with Royal Commission powers into the Ruby Princess. We need to restore public trust.”
To the passengers of the Ruby Princess and the families of the 7 Australians who have tragically lost their lives - I am very sorry for what you are going through, for your pain and grief.
— Jodi McKay (@JodiMcKayMP) April 3, 2020
You have been let down, as has the entire community.
READ MORE: NSW top cop in death ship probe
Angelica Snowden 1.10pm: Unclaimed lottery winnings donated to research
Unclaimed lottery winnings worth $1 million will be donated to researchers developing a COVID-19 vaccine. The money will go to The University of Queensland’s School of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences to fight the spread of coronavirus.
University of Queensland project director Dr Trent Munro, said the extra money could help scientists deliver a vaccine sooner than the anticipated 18 months. “This gift will help to significantly accelerate vaccine development efforts and we are incredibly grateful for the support,” Dr Munro said. “Additional funding means we can act now to work towards developing a safe and effective vaccine as quickly as we can to protect vulnerable people, including the elderly and healthcare workers.”
The Lott Managing Director Sue van der Merwe said the donation was in line with spirit of lotto. “Identifying a safe and effective vaccine is more critical than ever and we want to do what we can to assist the team at The University of Queensland who are working tirelessly on finding a potentially life-saving vaccine,” Ms van der Merwe said. “Delivering important health infrastructure services is why lotteries were first established in Australia more than a century ago. This donation continues our proud heritage of giving back to our community.”
READ MORE: Murdochs support crucial vaccine trials to protect health workers
AMOS AIKMAN 1pm: NT arrivals plummet by two-thirds
The number of people entering the Northern Territory each day has plummeted by about two thirds since the government imposed a new requirement for all arrivals to spend two weeks in a guarded quarantine facility. Chief Minister Michael Gunner said earlier this week that about 300 people were arriving daily.
At that time, new arrivals had to spend two weeks in self-isolation. In the 24-hours after the rules were strengthened late on Wednesday, just 72 people crossed the Territory’s borders, according to police.
Police said more than 2600 people were now meant to be in quarantine facilities or in self-isolation. Officers had conducted almost 1,300 compliance checks and issued two fines.
READ MORE: No one comes in as Western Australia shuts borders
Remy Varga 12.45pm: Flu-season could be a ‘devastating double whammy’
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton on Friday warned the approaching flu-season amid the coronavirus outbreak could be a “devastating double whammy” for the health system.
“Influenza is a serious illness that kills many Victorians each year,” he said. “With COVID-19 now also circulating in the state, a widespread influenza outbreak would be a devastating double-whammy for our health services to cope with,” he said.
It comes as the number of confirmed cases in the state jumped by 49 on Friday, bringing the state’s total to 1,085, according to Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services. There is now at least one confirmed case of the coronavirus in every local government area in Victoria but Melbourne’s affluent east remains the worst hit, according to new data.
The Stonnington region, which includes the suburbs of Toorak and Prahran, has recorded two new cases overnight, bringing the total to 84. The Banyule and Boroondara areas have 62 and 54 cases respectively while Greater Geelong has recorded 51 cases. The Mornington Peninsula has 51 cases while Melbourne has 46.
READ MORE: 1950s TB vaccine may protect against coronavirus
Angelica Snowden 12.35pm: Aussie builder stranded on boat near Panama
An Australian builder turned First Mate is stranded on a catamaran near Panama with four crew members after the coronavirus pandemic interrupted their pacific adventure. Jamie Vandenbulk, 34, is on board the Parlay Revival that has been docked at the Las Perlas Islands, 35 nautical miles off Panama for the last two weeks.
“Panama city is in full lock down. Supermarkets, pharmacies and fuel stations are open three days a week but you are only allowed out two hours at a time,” Mr Vandenbulk said.
“We’re worried about these countries because no one has got income so they could break out...into the crime side of things,” he said. “We’re trying to keep a distance because we don’t know what the situation is going to be.”
Two years ago Mr Vandenbulk joined his friend from New Zealand and Captain of the 42ft catamaran, Colin MacRae, to restore the vessel after it was damaged by Hurricane Irma in 2017.
The pair documented the process and after nine months the vessel set sail around Central America and Mexico from Taltola in the British Virgin Islands.
The vessel made it through the Panama Canal six weeks ago and Mr Vandenbulk said the crew were most worried about the cyclone season, due in May. “Our biggest concern is the cyclone season and our safety. At the moment it’s fine but it could change anytime,” he said.
Mr Vandenbulk said if safety becomes a major concern, the “worst case” scenario would see the catamaran attempt to sail to New Zealand or Australia without stopping.
“If we sail to New Zealand that is six thousand nautical miles, or to Australia that is eight thousand nautical miles to get back in one shot,” he said. “It would take up to four months.”
Mr Vandenbulk said he has not attempted to contact the Department of Foreign Affairs to try and fly to Australia because the vessel is “like his home” and he will not abandon it.
“We do have six months worth of food on board. We stocked up because we were ready to cross the pacific and then this happened — it’s not like we panic shopped. We already had it and then this situation happened,” he said.
Despite rapid international border closures and the spread of coronavirus, the crew remain healthy and are in good spirits.
They are three months into their six month visa in Panama, and Mr Vandenbulk said they will continue to discuss their plans but for the moment they are safe, “locked down” on the Parlay Revival. “We’re all keeping our spirits high. We have got 70 cartons of beer and 100 bottles of rum so we’re going alright.”
READ MORE: The health of nations as Sweden goes it alone
Remy Varga 12.25pm: Victoria Police issue more fines for distancing breaches
Victoria Police have issued 16 fines for violations of social distancing laws introduced to curb the spread of the coronavirus over the last 24 hours.
The 500-strong coronavirus taskforce Operation Sentinel has further conducted 1542 spot checks at homes, businesses and non-essential services in the state over the last 24-hours. This brings the total of spot-checks conducted since March 21 to 11,834. Under social distancing laws introduced to combat the coronavirus, individuals can be fined up-to $1652 while the penalty for businesses is $9913.
READ MORE: Backpackers are keen to stay on, despite warnings
Lachlan Moffet Gray 12.20pm: 26th Australian dies in border town of Albury
A 26th Australian has died of the coronavirus in the NSW border town of Albury. The victim, NSW’s 11th death, was a 74-year old woman who contracted the illness overseas, according to the Murrumbidgee Local Health District.
The Murrumbidgee health district, which encompasses towns in NSW’s Riverina region, has 41 confirmed cases of coronavirus as of Friday morning, according to NSW health.
READ MORE: Hidden victims may add 6000 to Italy’s coronavirus death toll
PATRICK COMMINS 12.15pm: Pandemic crushes car sales despite dealers staying open
The coronavirus crisis crushed new car sales in March, with purchases tracking 18 per cent below the same month in 2019 despite many dealerships staying open through the health scare.
There were 81,690 new vehicles bought last month, data from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries showed. That was 2 per cent above the February result, but almost a fifth lower than in the same period a year before. It was the 24th consecutive month that sales have dropped on a year prior basis, speaking to a lengthy slump for the industry which has only intensified as the epidemic triggers a sudden drop-off in economic activity.
READ the full story here.
SARAH ELKS 12.10pm: Nurses, midwives abused in regional Queensland
Nurses and midwives are being abused in regional Queensland as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread. Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles, speaking in Mackay on Friday morning, has revealed the shocking behaviour and called on people to stop, and treat health workers like heroes. “I have heard, first-hand, from nurses and midwives and other health staff that out in the Mackay community, they have been vilified, they have been threatened, they have been treated abhorrently,” Mr Miles said.
“I want to call on every Queenslander, If you see someone out and about in a Queensland Health uniform, they’re our heroes. They are people who go to work everyday to take care of us. So thank them, don’t yell at them, thank them. I think that’s incredibly important. we’re going to need every single one of our health staff to not just be well, and be at work, but we need them to feel supported. And we’ve all got a role to play to make them feel supported.”
Queensland’s cases rose by 39 overnight, bringing the total to 873, with nine people being treated in intensive care. Mr Miles said 51,108 people had now been tested in Queensland.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 12pm: Cases continue to rise in New Zealand
Coronavirus cases continue to grow in New Zealand over a week after the country entered an extreme stage of lockdown designed to eliminate the spread of the virus. On Friday, New Zealand’s Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said a further 71 cases of coronavirus have been discovered in the country, bringing the total to 868 and putting the relatively isolated country on track to hit 1000 cases by the start of next week.
Despite all non-essential businesses, schools, universities and most childcare centres being closed across the country last Wednesday, Dr Bloomfield said that 10 clusters have been identified across the nation, including a Catholic school in Auckland and a wedding at Bluff on the south island. Only one person, a 75-year-old woman, has died in New Zealand from the virus. Thirteen of the cases are being treated in hospital, with one in ICU. Despite the rising number of cases, Dr Bloomfield said 103 people have recovered from the disease and only one per cent of cases can be attributed to community transmission.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson still sick
David Swan 11.50am: Conspiracy theories blaming 5G for pandemic false
The government says 5G misinformation is on the rise, with social media users promoting conspiracy theories blaming 5G for the global coronavirus pandemic. False claims that 5G causes coronavirus are spreading across social media and via email, despite the fact that viruses — like coronavirus — are spread by person to person contact, not by radio waves.
Some users are falsely claiming that the rollout of the mobile phone technology in Wuhan is connected to the outbreak and that the virus was created in a lab.
The minister for communications, cyber safety Paul Fletcher told The Australian that misinformation is increasingly circulating via email and digital platforms. It claims that a person's immune system is affected by electromagnetic energy (EME) from 5G, and that this increases the risk of catching COVID-19, and claims that the deployment of 5G in Wuhan is somehow linked to the spread of coronavirus. “This false and misleading information is reckless and could interfere with the Morrison Government’s response to COVID-19,’’ Mr Fletcher said.
READ the full story here.
Richard Ferguson 11.40am: Albanese lashes real estate agents over super
Anthony Albanese has slapped down real estate agents over their response to the coronavirus crisis, as he calls for more clarity for renters.
The Opposition Leader has called for agents to behave responsibly after corporate watchdog ASIC warned agents they could be fined up to $1m for telling tenants to pay their rent using their superannuation.
“This could well be illegal because this is financial advice, for which real estate agents are simply not licensed to do,” Mr Albanese said in Sydney.
“The truth is that the more people who stay-at-home, the better the health outcome and
therefore the better the economic outcome as well.
“We know that most real estate agents are doing the right thing, but we are all in this together. aAnd that is why it requires the government, private sector, people who are dealing with these difficulties to negotiate out sensible outcomes that are in the common interest.”
Scott Morrison and the national cabinet are discussing protections for residential and commercial tenants this morning.
READ MORE: Real estate super crackdown
Lachlan Moffet Gray 11.30am: Arrest over alleged drug delivery to quarantined man
NSW Police have arrested a man for allegedly trying to deliver drugs to a man quarantined in a hotel in Sydney.
At 1.15pm on Thursday the 37-year-old man attended a hotel on Elizabeth street to deliver a fruit box to a man in quarantine at the hotel under the Public Health (COVID-19 Air Transportation Quarantine) Order, which came into force last Sunday and requires all Australians returning from overseas to spend fourteen days in quarantined in a hotel.
Police intercepted the man and searched the box, allegedly discovering a white envelope containing an MDMA capsule.
The 37-year-old was then arrested and searched, where police allegedly found a bag of what is believed to be cocaine on his person.
The man was issued a Court Attendance Notice for supply prohibited drug and possess prohibited drug and is due to appear at the Downing Centre Local Court on Friday 19 June 2020.
READ MORE: Third patient dies in hospital cluster
Lachlan Moffet Gray 11.20am: NSW small businesses to get extra boost
Thousands of small businesses will receive a boost above the stimulus being offered by the federal government, with NSW set to offer a $10,000 cash grant to businesses that have been “severely affected” by the coronavirus-caused economic downturn.
Businesses that employ more than 19 people, a payroll below $900,000 and an annual turnover in excess of $75,000 a year will be eligible for the scheme.
“We want to make sure that as many small businesses remain open or for those that have closed, re-open once this pandemic has passed,” New South Wales Treasurer Dominic Perrottet told reporters in Sydney on Friday.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the grants will provide a big boost for small businesses.
“These grants will provide a big boost, and we will make the application process easy to ensure small businesses can receive some cash-flow as soon as possible to meet pressing needs,” she said in a statement.
READ MORE: Salvator Babones writes: Road map needed for return to work
Amos Aikman 11.10am: Calls for return of Northern Australian loan scheme
Labor wants the Morrison government to use its “idle” Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility to provide further economic stimulus once the coronavirus crisis is over.
The $5 billion concessional loan scheme, a central part of the Coalition’s 2015 Northern Australia white paper, is widely acknowledged to have been slow to get going.
But former Northern Australia minister Matt Canavan argued it was delivering results shortly before he stepped down earlier this year.
Shadow Northern Australia spokesman Murray Watt issued a statement arguing many parts of the region suffered high unemployment even before the coronavirus crisis hit.
“With the collapse in tourism, retail and other industries, we are seeing regional centres across Northern Australia among the hardest hit,” the statement said.
“Places like Cairns, which normally have a thriving tourism industry, are seeing businesses closing and hundreds of jobs lost. It needs support urgently.”
READ MORE: Noone can come in as state shuts the gate
Robert Gottliebsen 11.00am: Property plays a dog-eat-dog game
The Prime Minister hoped that in the commercial property market landlords and tenants would work on compromises.
Sometimes that happens but, as I will explain below, it is a “dog eat dog” world which is reducing commercial property values over wide areas, but particularly in retail.
There is nervousness that housing will not escape the downward thrust.
Both bank and non-bank property financiers are suddenly waking up that their loans no longer have the same asset cover. Most banks will sit tight and take no action to demand more asset cover until six months has passed.
But many non-banks will not wait six months, because they can’t afford to take the risk. That means both commercial and investor-owned residential properties may come onto the market at a time when buyers are looking for bargains.
READ the full story here.
Rebecca Urban 10.45am: NSW Catholic schools bring holidays forward
Catholic schools across NSW have brought forward the school holidays to give schools more time to prepare for remote teaching from term two.
Originally due to finish on April 9, Friday will be their last day. Schools will remain open to supervise children of essential workers.
It is understood the decision was made to give schools more time to ensure they had the technological capability to teach students online for the duration of term two, and possibly term three.
Most Catholic school students have been studying remotely for the past two weeks but schools have remained open to supervise those whose parents have had to continue working.
Across the state, 94 per cent of public school students have been studying from home.
READ MORE: Free childcare in family relief package
Richard Ferguson 10.35am: National cabinet to focus on tenants, childcare
Scott Morrison and the national cabinet are meeting this morning to figure out protections for tenants and further ways to keep the childcare sector afloat.
State and territory leaders will be discussing how they will both toughen protections for commercial and residential tenants and offer support to landlords during the coronavirus pandemic. New rules will be on top of a six month ban on evictions.
Following the Prime Minister’s $3bn move to make childcare free, the premiers and chief ministers will also work out changes to regulations to ensure childcare centres stay open.
Mr Morrison and the national cabinet will also likely discuss the rate of COVID-19 infections and whether to change any current social distancing and border restrictions.
READ MORE: Real estate super crackdown
Cameron Stewart 10.25am: Americans told to wear masks when leaving home
The Trump administration is formalising new guidelines telling people to wear face coverings whenever they leave home as the fast-moving pandemic tightens its grip on the US.
The recommendations, still being finalised, would apply at least to those who live in areas hard-hit by community transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19.
It is expected that officials would suggest that non-medical masks, T-shirts or bandannas be used to cover the nose and mouth when outside the home — for instance, at the grocery store or pharmacy. Medical-grade masks, particularly short-in-supply N95 masks, would be reserved for those dealing directly with the sick.
The President, who was tested again for COVID-19 on Thursday using a new rapid test, indicated this week he would support such a recommendation, potentially even for all Americans regardless of where they live. “I would say do it, but use a scarf if you want, you know, rather than going out and getting a mask or whatever.”
“It’s not a bad idea, at least for a period of time,” he added.
READ the full story here.
Matthew Denholm 10.10am: Tasmania cases slow but ‘too early to relax restrictions’
Tasmania has seen a slowing in the rate of new cases but authorities warn it is too early to relax lockdown laws.
Premier Peter Gutwein on Friday morning said the rate of increase in infections in the state was also lower than the national average, but that this could change very quickly.
“This is not the time to be complacent,” he said, adding that the national cabinet would on Friday consider further measures to ensure retail stores were not spreading the virus.
Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff confirmed the resumption of Term Two at public schools, a day later than planned, on Tuesday, April 28, would be based on home learning.
Only those parents unable to “support and supervise” their children at home should send them to school, he said.
The state had recorded 74 covid19 cases as of Friday morning, with three new cases overnight, including a tour guide who had been in close contact with an infected tourist last month.
Mr Gutwein revealed he was heading home to the state’s north of the state to be with his family for the first time in three weeks, after being based in Hobart to manage the crisis, and that his daughter Millie was turning 16.
READ MORE: PM wary on ‘reopening’ target
Sarah Elks 9.45am: Palaszczuk: Worst yet to come for Queensland
Another 39 Queenslanders have been diagnosed with coronavirus overnight, bringing the state’s total to 873, but Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has warned the worst is yet to come.
Ms Palaszczuk said the rise was smaller than the day before, when 57 new cases were identified and a fourth Queenslander died of COVID-19.
But the Premier told ABC Radio Brisbane that the worst for the state was yet to come.
“We haven’t even started to climb the curve…The evidence is telling me we’re about two or three weeks behind NSW and the peak could be July, August, September,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
The state’s border closure has been tightened today, and all interstate travellers are being turned around and sent home, unless they have an official permit.
Ms Palaszczuk said 16 people had been turned back by police before 9am.
She said the restrictions were likely to continue for six months.
READ MORE: State relaxes two person rule
Angelica Snowden 9.30am: Diocese of Parramatta brings forward school holidays
The Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta will bring forward school holidays by one week at all of its campuses that stretch from western Sydney to the Blue Mountains.
Holidays will start after the last bell rings this afternoon, but the Parramatta diocese said students would not be turned away if they needed supervision over the next week.
“Catholic Education has been listening carefully to the concerns of school communities as we respond together to COVID-19,” a statement from the organisation said.
“This decision is also an acknowledgement that in some cases, respite is needed for families who are adjusting to supporting their children with their learning from home while managing other important elements of work and home life.”
The Parramatta diocese said school staff will continue to work over the next week to prepare for term two.
“This will allow teachers to continue to collaborate to review newly established processes of online learning as well as make detailed preparations for what is expected to be the continuation of a model of remote learning in Term 2.”
READ MORE: Free childcare in $3bn relief package
Angelica Snowden 9.10am: Stranded passengers to disembark in Florida
Passengers on two cruise ships, the Zaandam and Rotterdam, will disembark in Florida after they were stranded at sea for nearly two weeks.
At least four elderly people died on board, two are dead after they contracted COVID-19.
The cruises with about 130 Australian passengers on board will dock in Fort Lauderdale, Holland America confirmed.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the Australians will be back on home ground in 48 hours.
“That will be done with a very timely evacuation flight to the west coast of the United States. And then from there, back to Australia,” Ms Payne said.
“With all things going according to plan, those passengers should be able to be back in Australia, and, of course, to spend 14 days here in quarantine, but in a very short period of time, within 24-48 hours.”
Passengers are expected to disembark shortly and will be screened for flu like symptoms by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Holland America said the healthy guests will be transferred straight from the ship onto buses to go directly to the airport and fly home.
Since March 22, 90 guests on the Zaandam and 17 on Rotterdam presented with flu-like symptoms.
It was also reported that 143 crew on Zaandam presented with flu-like symptoms.
There are 808 guests and 583 crew on the Rotterdam and 442 guests and 603 crew on the Zaandam.
Guests have been stuck on the ships since March 14 and have self-isolated in their staterooms since March 22.
READ MORE: Ship to shore: the Ruby Princess horror
Remy Varga 8.50am: 49 new cases push Victorian total to 1085
Another Victorian has died overnight from the coronavirus while the number of confirmed cases in the state has jumped by 49, bringing the total to 1085.
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton confirmed a man aged his 80’s in intensive care died overnight, bringing the state’s death toll to seven.
“We have another seven at the moment who are currently in intensive care at the moment,” he told Sunrise. “So it’s a serious situation.”
This is tough. But each of us is being asked to make sacrifices to save lives @VicGovDHHS https://t.co/QNq2DHfDEF pic.twitter.com/T3wJLMvYFi
— Victorian Government (@VicGovAu) April 2, 2020
Case update for today: 1085 cases in Victoria; an increase of 49 from yesterday. Sadly, an additional death reported overnight in a man in his 80s. Seven patients remain in ICU.
— Chief Health Officer, Victoria (@VictorianCHO) April 2, 2020
Professor Sutton said the number of confirmed cases in Victoria was still doubling every seven days.
“I think we need to do much more, we’ve gone from doubling every three or four days to doubling our numbers every seven days, but we don’t want to be doubling every seven days.”
He said the source of the coronavirus cluster at Melbourne’s The Alfred hospital, which has killed three people with another 12 sick, was unknown.
“The source isn’t known but they’re [The Alfred] doing everything possible to get on top of it and I think they will,” he said.
“It does illustrate the fact that when you are looking after very vulnerable patients in a hospital setting like this, you have to be absolutely strict about visitors and the screening of visitors.”
Professor Sutton said the social distancing measures would mean a likely decrease in the number of coronavirus cases
READ MORE: Queensland relaxes two-person rule
Richard Ferguson 8.45am: Taxes won’t be increased, Cormann promises
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has ruled out increases to taxes — including the GST — to pay for the more than $200bn in coronavirus economic rescue measures.
The Morrison government has already vowed to continue to deliver income tax cuts in 2022 and 2024, and Scott Morrison has also ruled out any reforms to franking credits.
The Finance Minister told Sky News that the best way to improve the budget bottomline after the pandemic ends was to increase employment and economic growth.
“That (increasing taxes) would be precisely the wrong thing to do,” Senator Cormann said.
“Whatever way you want to describe it, we’re not going to start pushing for increased taxes. Whatever technical terms you want to put around it, that is not on the cards.”
READ MORE: Virgin won’t get special treatment
Yoni Bashan 8.40am: ‘Unfair to pin blame’ for Ruby Princess, Berejilkian says
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says police commissioner Mick Fuller will deliver an independent report into the decision-making that led to 2,700 passengers being released from the Ruby Princess cruise ship on March 19.
Ms Berejiklian said authorities “could have done better and should have done better”, but it would be unfair to blame “anyone in particular”.
“I have asked the commissioner to look at those matters and ask him to provide me with his report,” she said.
Mr Fuller said the investigation would likely begin in earnest by Monday and would be substantial, given the number of federal and state stakeholders involved.
“It’s about getting to the bottom of what happened in the hours leading up to the ship coming in. There’ll be documentation and triple-zero calls … that will help me work out which direction to step in,” he said.
Asked whether he would examine criminal or civil negligence, Mr Fuller said that was too early to anticipate and a “step too far”.
In addition to the Ruby Princess, Mr Fuller has been managing a stand off involving eight cruise ships, including the Ruby Princess, which have been refused entry to NSW. The ships are carrying more than 8,000 crewmembers on board.
The commissioner said two of those ships agreed to leave NSW last night, with five others belonging to Royal Caribbean International due to depart by Sunday.
“We’re certainly moving in the right direction,” he said.
READ MORE: Ship to shore — the Ruby Princess cruise ship horror
Amos Aikman 8.30am: Northern Territory woman tests positive for virus
An Alice Springs woman who has recently returned from the United Kingdom has tested positive for coronavirus.
Health authorities said the woman, aged in her 20s, had been in self-quarantine since returning from overseas.
Under national medical guidelines, contact tracing on her flight was not required due to the delay between her return and becoming unwell.
You shall not pass! Not any more. All new Territory arrivals are now required to spend 14 days in enforced quarantine — not self-quarantine — in accommodation of authorities’ choosing. Story: @TheNTNews #COVID19Aus https://t.co/tKExbdwldE
— Peter Brown (@SydneyEditor) April 2, 2020
She was in the care of Alice Springs Hospital.
There have now been 22 cases of COVID-19 diagnosed in the Northern Territory.
Authorities said all of these cases had been acquired overseas or interstate.
THIS WORKING FROM HOME THING IS DANGEROUS. THIS IS THE DAILY MORNING CHORE. EVERY. BLOODY. DAY. pic.twitter.com/gd81BjhSeX
— The NT News (@TheNTNews) March 31, 2020
READ MORE: Ruby Princess victim was ‘fit and healthy’
David Rogers, Melissa Yeo 8.18am: ASIC issues warning over superannuation advice
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has “significant concerns” that some real estate agents are advising tenants who can’t pay their rent to apply for an early release of their superannuation.
ASIC has written to the real estate industry warning that such advice could breach Corporations Law and attract up to five years in prison or penalties of up to $1.3 million.
The government’s coronavirus rescue package allows people to access up to $20,000 of their super early.
ASIC has written a letter to the real estate institutes in each state outlining concerns about some real estate agents who are advising tenants to apply for early release of their superannuation. https://t.co/1ceOwTpdEv
— ASIC Media (@asicmedia) April 2, 2020
ASIC says financial advice must only be provided by qualified and licenced financial advisers, or financial counsellors, not by real estate agents.
“ASIC intends to monitor this situation closely, and if contraventions of the licensing requirements of the Corporations Act are found, ASIC will not hesitate to act swiftly to protect vulnerable consumers.”
READ MORE: Harvey Norman scraps dividend
Yoni Bashan 8.15am: Premier cautious, despite lower infection rates
The number of new COVID-19 cases in NSW has dropped below 100, its lowest level in weeks, with health officials revealing 91 confirmed infections overnight.
NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said there were 2,389 cases across the state, with 42 cases in intensive care and 22 of those patients requiring ventilators.
But Premier Gladys Berejiklian said community transmission remained a focus for concern, with 336 infections locally acquired without a source.
She said restriction measures would most likely be in place for at least six months, even though under law they were in place for three.
“Until there is a cure or until there is a vaccine this crisis is something we have to deal with,” she said.
READ MORE: PM wary on ‘reopening’ target
Richard Ferguson 8am: Pay cuts’not something PM focused on’
Scott Morrison has pushed back on calls for cuts to the pay of politicians, public servants and ABC staff, calling on Australians “not to turn on each other.”
The government has frozen pay increases for a range of top public figures but calls are growing for salary cuts— and federal MPs acknowledge the issue of their pay will need to be addressed, potentially in the October federal budget.
The Prime Minister said on Friday that a pay cut for MPs, bureaucrats and workers at the public broadcaster was not something he was focused on.
“We’ve put a ban on any (pay) increases ... the percentage of total salaries of the budget is actually very small,” he told Sydney’s 2GB radio.
“We’ll look at those things if that’s necessary. Honestly, it’s not something I’m focused on. I don’t think it’s actually helpful in a crisis for people to actually be turning on each other about who’s getting what.”
READ MORE: PM firm against MPs’ pay cut
Richard Ferguson 7.45am: China’s role in pandemic can't be denied — PM
Scott Morrison has called on the Wealth Health Organisation to investigate Chinese wet markets blamed for giving birth to the coronavirus.
Wet markets in Wuhan and across China are starting to slowly reopen despite their links to the origin and spread of COVID-19.
The Prime Minister said China’s role in the pandemic could not be denied and that Australia would push for all wet markets to be investigated by global authorities.
“Wet markets I think are a very real and significant problem, wherever they exist,” he told Sydney’s 2GB radio.
“This virus started in China and went around the world and that’s how it started, we all know that. And these wet markets can be a real problem and what can occur.
“From a world health point of view, this is something the World Health Organisation should do something about. All this money that comes out of the UN and the WHO ... this is why we have to be quite strident about these things.”
READ MORE: Henry Ergas — Italy’s dreadful mortality is not our destiny
Richard Ferguson 7.40am: Travel ban flouters ‘won’t be immediately rescued’
Scott Morrison has warned Australians who continue to defy the overseas travel ban will find it “very difficult” to get home and will not be immediately rescued by his government.
The Prime Minister says he was “bewildered and frustrated” by revelations in The Australian that 16,000 people flew out of the country after he warned them not to travel internationally.
“Honestly I think it was an indication that people just weren’t getting it,” Mr Morrison told Sydney’s 2GB radio.
“There’s going to be some cases (of essential overseas travel) — for various scientific, aid reasons ... we’re still helping people in the Pacific, things like that, but it’s not 16,000.
“It shows a wilful defiance. ‘The rules don’t apply to me.’ That sort of thing. We can’t afford it, we will lose lives.
“Those who go overseas in this period, how they think they’re going to get back now is very difficult. I don’t think they’ll find themselves high on the list.”
READ MORE: Backpackers keen to remain in Australia
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.20am: Worldwide coronavirus cases pass 1 million mark
The number of coronavirus cases across the world has now passed the one million threshold, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University.
The coronavirus has now infected a million people. Here’s a look back at how Covid-19 spread from China to the rest of the world https://t.co/GQAKtNYz7G pic.twitter.com/L5RmQNCRFW
— Bloomberg (@business) April 2, 2020
Iran was one of the first countries to experience a widespread outbreak of the coronavirus, before being eclipsed by Italy, the United Kingdom and Spain in the number of cases and deaths.
But with 50,468 confirmed cases and 3160 confirmed deaths on Friday, up by 124 in 24 hours, the fight continues. Iran’s parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani was yesterday diagnosed with coronavirus and is receiving treatment in quarantine.
In a rare acknowledgment of the severity of the outbreak, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said his nation would most likely be battling coronavirus through the end of the Iranian year, which only began late last month. “We always have to follow the health protocols provided by the health ministry,” Rouhani added.
Across the Middle East there are more than 82,000 cases of the virus and more than 3,600 deaths — the vast majority in Iran.
Israel was one of the first countries to implement a mandatory quarantine for travellers arriving in the country, but the nation of eight million has more than 6800 confirmed cases and 34 deaths.
On Thursday, several top officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyatu, entered quarantine when the nation’s health minister Yaakov Litzman tested positive. Mr Litzman and his wife, who also has the virus, are members of Israel’s insular ultra-Orthodox community, which has been particularly hard-hit.
Hebrew language media reported that the head of Israel’s Mossad spy agency and the National Security Council were also asked to self- quarantine because of their interactions with Mr Litzman.
In a sign of how the virus risks fuelling regional tensions, Yehiya Sinwar, a leader of Hamas, the militant Palestinian group that rules the Gaza Strip, warned Israel that it would respond with force in the case of ventilator or food shortages.
Public health officials have said that a coronavirus outbreak could devastate the Gaza Strip, a crowded coastal territory reeling from conflict, poverty and a 13-year Israeli-Egyptian blockade.
READ MORE: Essential drugs shortage ‘critical’, regulator warns
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.05am: Police defended over social distancing crackdown
The fastidious enforcement of social distancing laws under NSW’s public health act is not politically motivated, but was simply an attempt to manage public health, Police Minister David Elliott said today.
Answering criticism from 2GB’s Alan Jones about the severity of a Public Health Act order allowing police to stop and fine people for being out in public, Mr Elliott said strict enforcement was necessary.
“Nobody likes these laws — I’m sitting at home with a woman getting chemotherapy and I can’t take her anywhere and we have to be on the different sides of the house,” he said.
“Nobody wants to see our lifestyle return more than me ... this is a short term scenario.
“These regulations do have a sunset clause.”
Mr Elliott said he was constantly reviewing the way the law was enforced and expressed frustration over public commentary.
“One moment they’re saying ‘you should have closed the border earlier’, and next they’re saying ‘please don’t take draconian measures’.
“This is not something governments want to do ... it’s not something we introduced because we want to be the fun police.
Mr Elliott warned that if lockdown measures were not enforced, coronavirus would “make the Spanish flu look like the common cold.”
READ MORE: Government continues search for more face masks
Lachlan Moffet Gray 6.35am: Democats forced to delay presidential convention
The Democratic Party has postponed its much-anticipated presidential convention until August due to widespread disruption caused by the coronavirus, which has infected 234,462 Americans and killed 5607.
Originally slated for mid-July, the convention would formally anoint a candidate the party could unify behind ahead of November’s presidential election, but health concerns have prompted the party to seek alternatives.
“In our current climate of uncertainty, we believe the smartest approach is to take additional time to monitor how this situation unfolds so we can best position our party for a safe and successful convention,” Democratic Convention CEO Joe Solmonese said.
I have always believed that American innovation and ingenuity shine brightest during our darkest days. For that reason, I am confident our team will find a way to deliver a convention in Milwaukee this summer that places our Democratic nominee on the path to victory in November.
— Joe Solmonese (@JSolmonese) April 2, 2020
The Republican party is sticking with its plan to meet in Charlotte, North Carolina, also in August to formally nominate President Donald Trump for re-election.
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said “we should be out of this” by the end of August.
“We’re ready to go,” she said. “This isn’t something that’s going to stop us.”
Presidential party conventions attract north of 20,000 people.
“The coronavirus pandemic has put us in uncharted territory, but the Trump campaign thrives under pressure. We’re not going to let the invisible enemy stop us from doing our part to help Keep America Great by re-electing @realDonaldTrump.â€- @LaraLeaTrump https://t.co/q8IdHHFumT
— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) April 2, 2020
The Presidential election will now be defined by economic policy alongside health policy, with the coronavirus outbreak throwing 10 million Americans out of work in two weeks, the largest collapse the labour market has ever seen.
On Thursday new government data showed 6.6 million new unemployment claims were made on top of 3.3 million last week, representing around seven per cent of the nation’s labour force.
Relief may take a while to reach those who need it most with a leaked IRS memo revealing that $1200 stimulus checks expected to be handed out to around 60 million Americans may take months to be fully paid out.
READ MORE: Bosses demand wage freeze for low-paid
Lachlan Moffet Gray 6.15am: Worldwise coronavirus cases set to top 1 million
The total amount of confirmed coronavirus cases is now just a fraction away from hitting one million, while the number of deaths attributable to the disease has passed 50,000.
More than 200,000 people have recovered, according to Johns Hopkins university.
The US is the most widely-infected country in the world, with more than 234,000 confirmed cases — more than twice the amount of cases of Italy, which has 115,242.
Spain isn’t far behind with 110,238 cases and now more than 10,000 deaths — 950 of those in the past 24 hours, a new record. China, where the outbreak began, has 82,432 cases with 76,500 said to have recovered.
Spain’s Health Minister Salvador Illa insisted there was reason for optimism, saying that the data showed that the curve had stabilised and “we have reached the highest point and things are slowing down”.
Mr Illa said the participation of everyone was required in order to further slow contagion, referring to the restrictions on movement that have been imposed on all 47 million people in Spain until April 11.
Healthcare staff at a hospital in Barcelona thanked cleaning staff with a rousing round of applause for their work during the coronavirus pandemic.
— ABC News (@ABC) March 31, 2020
The total number of deaths in Spain from the outbreak has now grown to at least 7,340. https://t.co/De75qcihw4 pic.twitter.com/KxCnKg8Qvv
The number of patients who have staged a recovery also reached a high on Thursday, with 4100 people having been released from hospitals.
This means that, of the more than 110,000 people to have contracted the virus, nearly 27,000 are considered healed.
The figures also showed a slight improvement in Madrid, which has been the epicentre of the Spanish outbreak alongside Catalonia. Of the 32,000 confirmed cases in the capital, some 12,400 have recovered, according to the Health Ministry.
Italy recorded another 760 deaths from coronavirus on Thursday, just 33 more than Wednesday’s figure, which was a low for the week. The total number of deaths is now 13,915 — still the highest in the world, although it may soon slow as the daily number of new infections is now increasing at a rate of less than 5 per cent a day. Despite that, Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said a countrywide lockdown would stay in place as long as necessary.
“When the data consolidates, we will begin to program a gradual loosening of the restrictions,” Mr Conte said. “I can’t tell you when that will be.”
The head of the European Commission has apologised to Italy for a lack of solidarity from Europe in tackling its coronavirus crisis, noting there was a refusal to send aid or endorse joint bonds to mitigate the costs of recovery.
In a letter published in the Italian daily La Repubblica, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said too many EU countries had initially focused on their own problems.
“They did not realise that we can only defeat this pandemic together, as a Union. This was harmful and could have been avoided,” she wrote. “Today Europe is rallying to Italy’s side.”
Every available € in the EU budget will be directed to address the #coronavirus crisis, rule will be eased to enable the funding to flow rapidly and effectively. With the new solidarity instrument, SURE, the EU will mobilise €100 bn to keep people in jobs & businesses running. pic.twitter.com/68qFhTwGbH
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) April 2, 2020
However, wealthier European countries also need help, with France’s one-day increase of 471 one of the country’s largest. Also added to the official government toll was newly-acquired data from the number of deaths attributable to coronavirus in nursing homes. Bolstering France’s numbers by 884, the death toll is now 5387.
READ MORE: Open skies to foreign firms, Fels says
Jacquelin Magnay 6am: Fears Boris may have to continue self-isolation
Hours after emerging from self-isolation and recovering from coronavirus, Britain’s health secretary Matt Hancock was back at work, fronting a press conference and promising that there would be 100,000 coronavirus tests a day by the end of April.
On the seventh day of his illness — and just days after Prince Charles, 71, ended his self-isolation — Mr Hancock appeared chipper, even as Prime Minister Boris Johnson remained sick.
Mr Johnson may not be able to leave his seven-day quarantine on Friday if he is still showing symptoms, Downing Street said.
Official guidance says that people must stay at home for seven days or for longer if they are showing symptoms such as a high temperature or cough.
Making @NightingaleLDN a reality has been a huge national effort in our fight against #coronavirus. Thank you to everyone who has stepped forward. pic.twitter.com/eInmVL2WZh
— Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) April 1, 2020
Read the full story here.
Greg Brown 5.45am: Will borders be closed until vaccine developed?
Scott Morrison said his government did not have a benchmark on the number of active COVID-19 cases before the economy could be reopened as he ruled out reforming dividend imputation to pay off the debt incurred during the pandemic.
The Prime Minister said it “can’t be known at this point” whether the number of domestic COVID-19 cases needed to reduce to zero before restrictions were eased, given the potential for a second wave of the crisis.
He also said it was unknown whether Australia’s borders would need to be closed until a vaccine was developed, which experts predict could take six months.
“The thresholds about when you can ease restrictions, whether they be the social restrictions, the closures … put in place or indeed the travel arrangements, these are not things that are known at this point and can’t be known at this point,” Mr Morrison said.
“That’s what the government, working together with all the state and territory governments, our medical advisers and others are constantly looking at.
“I can assure you that if any of these restrictions were not necessary from a health point of view and if there was the ability to ease them without compromising the nation’s health and indeed risk … a taking-off of the virus again, well, we’d have to be very careful about that.”
Read the full story here.
Agencies 5.30am: Africa fears ‘thousands’ of deaths this month
Some African countries will have more than 10,000 coronavirus cases by the end of April, health officials projected as the continent least equipped to treat serious infections has an “enormous gap” in the number of ventilators and other critical items.
While cases across Africa are now above 6,000 at what has been called the dawn of the outbreak, the continent is “very, very close” to where Europe was after a 40-day period, the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr John Nkengasong, said.
Why Sub-Saharan Africa needs a unique response to COVID-19 | World Economic Forum https://t.co/7ZEhkHsrSz
— John Nkengasong (@JNkengasong) March 31, 2020
The virus “is an existential threat to our continent,” he said. All but four of Africa’s 54 countries have cases after Malawi yesterday reported its first, and local transmission has begun in many places.
“Countries like Cameroon just reached out yesterday, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, asking, ‘Look, we need tents because we’re running out of hospital beds already’,” Nkengasong said.
Even if equipment is obtained, getting them to countries is a growing challenge with Africa’s widespread travel restrictions, though countries have made exceptions for cargo or emergency humanitarian flights.
Simply gauging the number of coronavirus cases in Africa is a challenge, even in South Africa, the most developed country on the continent, where authorities have acknowledged a testing backlog.
READ MORE: Chinese developer ‘shipped’ medical supplies to Wuhan
Agencies 5am: Putin orders most Russians to stay off work in April
President Vladimir Putin has ordered most Russians to stay off work until the end of the month as part of a partial economic shutdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Speaking in a televised address to the nation, Mr Putin said he was extending the non-working policy he ordered earlier for this week until the end of April. He emphasised that all employees should continue earning their regular salaries during the period.
Mr Putin said some essential industries would keep operating and grocery stores and pharmacies would remain open.
While he said that Russia’s virus-prevention strategies had bought time and helped slow down the outbreak, Mr Putin also warned that the number of cases would continue climbing.
“The threat remains, and experts believe that the epidemic is yet to reach its peak in the world, including our country,” Putin said.
He noted that it would be up to regional authorities to decide which companies and organisations could keep working in their areas depending on the situation.
READ MORE: Graham Pinn — WHO missing in action on coronavirus
Yoni Bashan 4.45am: Ruby Princess cruise ship death toll jumps to 7
The horror of the Ruby Princess scandal has escalated, with another two passengers dying after contracting the coronavirus on the ship — the largest source of Australian deaths from the pandemic — and federal and state leaders accusing the multinational cruise operator of lying.
With the death toll from the ship rising to seven, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian instructed her police commissioner to launch an investigation into the tragedy.
The Premier apologised for the fiasco in which almost 3000 travellers from the ship were unleashed without checks on the community as Australian Border Force officers ferried medical staff to the ship off Sydney Harbour to determine the health of crew members aboard.
Having initially blamed Border Force for allowing hundreds of infected passengers off the ship two weeks ago, Ms Berejiklian suggested on Thursday health officials were given incorrect information from the ship’s operator, Carnival Australia.
The horror of the Ruby Princess debacle has deepened with another two coronavirus deaths and leaders accusing the cruise liner of lying https://t.co/FMzdbFMwiq
— The Australian (@australian) April 2, 2020
Read the full story here.
Albanese ‘out of his depth’ on security: Ley
Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley said the Prime Minister should have known earlier about the discovery of a caravan laden with explosives, and worried he was 'out of the loop' on national security and anti-Semitism.
Federal Labor on a collision course with miners over green push
The federal government has made a powerful enemy for itself in the west after the Chamber of Minerals and Energy WA said it would fight Labor’s push for so-called nature-positive laws.