BBQ ban as Scott Morrison tells nation that social life is ‘not OK’

Scott Morrison has tightened the COVID-19 lockdown further, ­restricting social gatherings and closing services to curb the virus’s spread.

Scott Morrison addresses the media and the nation on Tuesday night. Picture: Getty Images

Scott Morrison has tightened the COVID-19 lockdown further, ­restricting social gatherings including weddings, funerals and barbecues, and closing services such as real estate auctions and beauty parlours, as the national cabinet attempts to curb the spread of the virus.

The Prime Minister on Tuesday night asked Australians to “stay at home unless it is absolutely necessary” as he extended the shutdown to food courts at shopping centres, urged people against hosting barbecues and flagged criminal penalties for holding house parties.

The Prime Minister emerged from a bipartisan national cabinet meeting to urge Australians against attending outdoor events in groups of more than 10 people.

“So that means barbecues of lots of friends, or even family, ­extended family coming together to celebrate one-year-old birthday parties, and those sorts of things, we can’t do those things now. These will be a significant sacrifice,’’ he said.

But Mr Morrison warned people who wanted a full lockdown of society to “be careful what you wish for’’.

The crackdown on gatherings comes as national cabinet prepares to consider tracking the ­mobile phones of returne­d travellers forced into quarantine and self-isolation over frustration that people with confirme­d cases of COVID-19 are not complying with government directives.

Under the new restrictions, weddings can have no more people than the couple being married, the celebrant and two witnesses. ­Funerals can have no more than 10 people at the service.

Mr Morrison also put a ban on beauticians, tanning salons, waxing salons, nail salons, tattoo parlours and massage parlours. Amusement parks and arcades are also banned, as are museums, ­libraries, historic sites and community halls.

Property auctions where bidders are physically present are also banned, as are open houses.

Hairdressers and barber shops can remain open but must strictly manage social-distancing measures. Each appointment must be limited to half an hour.

Mr Morrison urged people to work from home if they could, but said there was not a formal ban on working from an office.

“Stay at home unless it is absolutely necessary you go out,” Mr Morrison said. “Going out for the basics, going out for an exercise, perhaps with your partner or family members, provided it’s a small group, that’s fine.

“But going outside and going out and participating more ­broadly in the community — unless you’re shopping for basics or there are medical needs or you’re providing care and support to an individual at another place — (should not happen).”

Mr Morrison said every person who had a job was an “essential worker”.

“Every single job that is being done in our economy with these severe restrictions that are taking place is essential,” Mr Morrison said.

Schools will remain open after the holiday break at the end of term one.

Mr Morrison said states and territories would look at house parties “and consider whether they’ll specifically put measures in place that could lead to that being an offence for those who have ­organised those types of events’’.

South Australia Police said it had implemented phone-tracking technol­ogy to trace the movements of infected people, as part of a national crackdown on Aust­ralians and visitors refusing to adhere­ to health warnings.

Victoria Police flagged on Tuesday that it would use digital technology, including FaceTime on mobile phones, to monitor those who had COVID-19 or had returned from overseas and been forced into quarantine.

The Australian can reveal the federal government is seeking legal advice on the proposal to ensure­ it complies with privacy laws and the Biosecurity Act, which gives Health Minister Greg Hunt absolute power to stop the spread of a pandemic.

The states have no power to move on mobile phone tracking in a pandemic until a directive is signed off by the commonwealth.

The Morrison government is understood to be actively considering the Singapore model, which uses phone tracking and messaging to ensure compliance with quarantine and self-isolation.

At the national cabinet meeting, federal, state and territory leaders also confronted the economic shock of COVID-19, discussing new measures to combat mass job losses and business closures, including rental assistance. However, The Australian understands there was no change in advice to national cabinet in relation to school closures.

Advice released on Monday by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee, which is ­advising the national cabinet on response measures, said stronger action might be needed due to the increasing number of people who arrived in Australia and later ­tested positive for the virus.

“The continued growth of cases in returned travellers (including the Ruby Princess) necessitates even stronger action on enforcing the quarantine of any returned traveller, with phone checks, mobile­ phone tracking and other measures,” the AHPPC said. “Similar attention needs to be given to case contacts in ­quarantine.”

A South Australia Police spokeswoman declined to provide the number of people who had been tracked via mobile phones, but added: “Phone tracking can be effectively used to track movements of where people have been that have become infected.”

SAPOL said that early last month it had used phone tracking to understand the movements of a Chinese couple who had the virus. Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Rick Nugent warned on Tuesday that infected people would be closely monitored, both in ­person and via video calls, under unprecedented measures to fight the virus spread.

Infected individ­uals or overseas travellers in self-isolation would be required to provide proof over a phone video conversation that they were at the right address. This could be by showing real-time vision of the front of the house showing the street number, which could then be matched by searching the locatio­n on Google Earth.

Mr Nugent said offenders would be hit with fines of up to $20,000 per person and companies up to $100,000 if they failed to self-isolate after arriving from overseas or being infected.

He said 500 police would be used each day across the state to monitor large groups as well as doorknock areas where people gather in large numbers.

Victoria Police said it had not yet sought to use mobile phones.

Legal experts said the Biosec­urity Act did not specifically allow for the tracking of the telecommunications of people in quarantine or isolation. Maria O’Sullivan, a senior lecturer in Monash University’s law faculty, suggested legislative amendments would be required to enforce the measure.

Additional reporting: Natasha Robinson, David Murray, Chris Griffith