Coronavirus: ‘Stay home’ order to thousands of workers, students across Australia

Thousands of people are being told to work from home, or skip school and uni amid efforts to quarantine the deadly virus.

People in Sydney's CBD are seen wearing masks and coverings on Friday. Picture: Getty Images

Australia’s largest university will delay the start of semester one classes for one week as the coronavirus crisis continues to escalate.

Orientation week activities at Monash University will also be postponed, with the university saying that staff and students may not be able to return in time for the start of semester one due to the virus.

“The novel coronavirus has created an unprecedented situation where some of our community of students and staff will not make it back in time from affected areas or isolation in time for the commencement of semester 1, 2020,” the statement said.

Classes will now begin on March 9 instead of March 2.

The first week of classes, starting on March 9, will be taught online instead of face-to-face classes.

Monash University is recommending all students and staff who have travelled to China in the last 14 days self isolate.

it comes as thousands of people may be forced to work from home, and miss school or university as the fallout spreads from the deadly coronavirus outbreak.

Almost all major Australian universities, schools, big banks and businesses are quoting federal government advice that anyone who has visited, or transited through, parts of China, all of mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau should isolate themselves at home for 14 days. Some organisations are suggesting people stay away for as many as 21 days, and are ruling Taiwan off-limits for travel due to its proximity to China.

Australia has nine confirmed cases of coronavirus, which has killed 213 people and infected almost 10,000 worldwide since the first documented case in early January.

The World Health Organisation on Friday declared the virus a global health emergency, saying the outbreak had been “unprecedented”.

China and Hong Kong are Australia’s largest source of inbound tourists, with more than 1.7 million visiting in 2019.

Australians also visit China in large numbers — more than 611,000 visited there last year.

The Australian Health department on Friday issued a warning that anyone who had visited China’s Hubei province must isolate themselves in their home for the next 14 days, unless seeking medical care.

This follows the federal government’s Smart Traveller website changing its advice for China to reconsider a need to travel, and advising Australians not travel to Hubei at all.

KPMG on Friday issued a warning to its more than 6700 Australian staff that there should be no travel to mainland China, and that any staff who had returned from the mainland should work from home for 14 days and seek medical clearance before returning to work.

“If you are in contact with a person who has symptoms please quarantine yourself and seek medical advice. Please keep your partner informed,” KPMG said on its intranet page.

This mirrors similar warnings from others in the consulting community.

People wearing masks in Sydney's CBD on Friday. Picture: Getty Images

Kate Hillman, Oceania People Partner at Ernst and Young, said staff were being advised to defer all international travel in and out of Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau.

Any staff who had travelled there were being asked to report their dates of travel and quarantine arrangements.

Helen Fazzino, PwC managing partner of People and Culture, said all employees who had travelled or transited through China, Hong Kong, or Macau should work from home for the next 14 days, and potentially up to 21 days “if it makes sense for their personal situation”.

“Due to its spread and declaration by the World Health Organisation as a public health emergency, effective immediately, we are suspending all business travel to China (including Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR) until further notice.”

However, this runs counter to warnings from the Department of Health which says isolation is not necessary unless students or staff had visited Hubei province.

The NSW government on Friday requested all children who visited China in the past two weeks stay away from school or childcare services for 14 days after their date of departure.

However, the Victorian government is limiting their warning to those who had travelled to Hubei, or who had been exposed to the virus.

Melbourne University, UNSW, RMIT and several other universities have all issued similar warnings for staff and students.

The issue has highlighted the reliance on Chinese students to Australian universities, with almost 150,000 of Australia’s half a million international students from mainland China.

University of Sydney only extends requirements to self-isolate to Chinese students who have visited Hubei, but has said there will be no student or non-essential staff travel to China until further notice.

As a further precautionary measure, there will also be no travel by University of Sydney staff to Hong Kong and Taiwan until further notice.

Monash University in Melbourne has deferred almost 900 exams locally, and shut down its Chinese campus in Suzhou until further notice.

The University said it would give students at least 14 days notice of when exams would be rescheduled.

An RMIT spokesman said students and staff who’d visited Hubei province or been in contact with anyone who has a confirmed case of coronavirus, should not return to campus for 14 days.