Coronavirus: Scott Morrison bans crowds of 500 or more, forms national cabinet

The PM bans non-essential gatherings over 500, while warning of international travel as he announced a national cabinet.

Professor Brendon Murphy, Scott Morrison and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian at a press conference announcing the banning of crowds above 500. Picture: Getty

Scott Morrison has announced the government will advise against the gathering of more than 500 people from Monday.

The Prime Minister said the guidelines would apply to non-essential, organised gatherings of 500 people or more, and would not include public transport, airports or universities.

He said there would be more issues to work through and confirm before the advice kicks in on Monday.

Mr Morrison also announced that he would join state premiers and chief ministers of the territories in sitting on a new National Cabinet to respond to the coronavirus.

He announced the creation of the cabinet at the conclusion of a COAG meeting on Friday.

The Prime Minister also advised that all Australians should reconsider their need to travel overseas.

He said the updated travel advice applied to all countries.

“Consider carefully whether now is the right time,” Mr Morrison said. This means all countries will now come under level 3 travel advice.

Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy reiterated that the risk to Australians remained low and that new measures against mass gatherings were to put Australia “as far ahead of the game as any country”.

“You might only have one or two people at a very large event who might be carrying the virus, and the chance of it being spread out those large events accelerates the rate of progression of this virus,” Professor Murphy said.

“So this is a precautionary measure on the basis of the numbers slowly increasing over the course of the last week in Australia.

‘Abundance of caution’

Mr Morrison has said measures to advise against gatherings of over 500 people was government “exercising an abundance of caution”, and confirmed he would still attend an NRL match on Saturday night because “it might be the last game I get to go to for a long time”.

The Prime Minister noted he considered parliament “essential” and would not be subject to the mass gathering advice.

He also said going to work, school and other facilities were essentials.

“It doesn’t eliminate all risk it is not an absolute measure,” Mr Morrison said. “We are not of any great concern right now...but in the weeks ahead this will change.

“This is a matter of scaling our response.”

Mr Morrison said he had “no doubt” organisers of sporting competitions and religious institutions will comply with the 500 person mass gatherings.

The Prime Minister said he expected churches and other religious services to be staggered into smaller sittings, and said he still planned to attend services at his church.

On sports codes, Mr Morrison said: “we will set the ground rules about how these events can be run in the future and I have no doubt that there will be strong co-operation from all of the codes as to how they manage that.”

Mr Morrison said the 500 person gathering advice, due to begin on Monday, would only change once medical advice suggested it should be.

A risk-based assessment

The COAG communique referred to the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee’s development of a “risk-based decision-making tool for mass gatherings”.

Federal, state and territory leaders agreed to work in a “co-ordinated way” should the need arise to “adjust services in response to coronavirus”.

“All decisions will be proportionate to the risk. COAG agreed to commission real-time, transparent protocols, underpinned by advice from the AHPPC and working through the National co-ordination Mechanism, to support a consistent approach to containment and preparedness for coronavirus,” the communique said.

“These protocols will include management of mass gatherings, school closures, health management in remote communities and public transport, with decisions on applying the protocols resting with states and territories. COAG further agreed that the AHPPC advice will have the status of COAG advice, and to implement and follow the advice, as necessary.”

Federal, state response

The COAG communique confirmed a commitment to combine federal, state and territory resources to “slow the spread of the virus”.

The new National Partnership Agreement on COVID-19 Response was signed by leaders agreeing to a 50-50 shared funding deal between the Commonwealth, states and territories.

“That will ensure the capacity of our health system to effectively assess, diagnose and treat people with coronavirus in a way that minimises the spread of the virus in the community and protects our most vulnerable,” the communique said.

“As part of the deal, the Commonwealth will deliver an immediate $100 million advance payment, on a population basis, to the states and territories to prepare the health system.”