Coronavirus Australia: pubs, churches close as nation shuts down

Pubs, clubs, churches, cinemas, gyms and casinos will be closed across the country from midday on Monday.

The strict new measures announced by Scott Morrison on Sunday night after a national cabinet meeting will be stage one of an escalation on social restrictions to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Picture: Supplied

Pubs, clubs, churches, cinemas, indoor sports venues including gyms and casinos will be closed across the country from midday on Monday as Australia moves towards a national shutdown of non-essential services after the government unleashed a second economic rescue package taking the total response to almost $200bn.

While Victoria will go it alone and close schools on Tuesday, in other states and territories schools will remain open for the remainder of the term, with parents given the choice of keeping their children at home on strict instructions they be supervised.

A decision to reopen schools after the holidays would be based on updated health advice.

Melbourne’s Degraves Street hardly turned a crowd on Sunday as Prime Minister Scott Morrison introduced further measures to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Picture: Getty

Restaurants and cafes will be open only for takeaway services only.

A complete workforce shutdown was averted when the Prime Minister “walked back” the states from such a move.

The strict new measures announced by Scott Morrison on Sunday night after a national cabinet meeting will be stage one of an escalation on social restrictions to limit the spread of the coronavirus. A stage two move, yet to be defined, would be imposed if people flouted the social distancing rules.

“We now need to take action because we cannot have the confidence as a group of leaders that the social distancing guidelines … will be followed to the level of compliance that we require to flatten the curve and slow the spread and save lives,” he said.

Mr Morrison warned more draconian social restrictions were coming as he declared the nation was facing its greatest challenge since World War II, and Josh ­Frydenberg acknowledged the economic crisis had rapidly ­escalated over the past week.

With infections across the country spiralling to almost 1300 on Sunday night, and now doubling every three to five days, the Prime Minister also issued a directive on Sunday that people cease all non-essential travel throughout the country.

Five states and territories are also now in the process of closing their borders.

A senior government source told The Australian that Mr Morrison’s directive could end up being enforced by state and territory police, and even the military in cases of civil disobedience if states’ requested the federal government deliver more resources.

Mr Morrison said on Sunday night: “I’ve already had the ­Defence Forces being deployed into the states to assist with medical check-ups and chase-ups, contact tracing. ­Because some states, particularly NSW, have become overwhelmed.

“I will be straight with Australians: this will be the toughest economic situation we’ve likely seen since the Great Depression and also, when it comes to wartime, one of the biggest challenges of keeping Australians together and focusing forward since the Second World War.

“I know when people start talking about locking things down — you can’t just lock things down for two or four weeks then open again and think it’s going to be OK. That would be foolish.”

The two biggest states sought to move unilaterally on Sunday ahead of the national cabinet meeting, with Victoria announcing it would shut all schools from Tuesday and close non-essential services.

The only businesses to remain open would include banks, supermarkets, petrol stations, newsagents, convenience stores and pharmacies.

After a meeting of the national cabinet last night, the states agreed to scale back the shutdowns over fears it would effectively shut down their economies.

The Australian understands there was frustration at the senior levels of the Morrison government at the unilateral decision by the states, announced only hours before an updated health advice briefing to the national cabinet.

A senior government source said that the “panicked” lack of detail announced by the states risked fuelling public anxiety and confusion. “They lost their nerve,” a senior source told The Australian.

But Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said: “It’s clear that if we don’t take this step, more Victorians will contract coronavirus, our hospitals will be overwhelmed and more Victorians will die.”

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian moved after NSW Health officials failed to crackdown on cruise ship passengers disembarking amid coronavirus fears and swimmers at Bondi Beach flouting social distancing policies.

“No-regrets policy, the community’s health needs to come first,” Ms Berejiklian said.

Mr Morrison pleaded with Australians to adhere to the social distancing policies. “It is a simple plea. We need you to do your bit when it comes to social distancing and keeping that healthy distancing, to respecting and following the rules that we are setting down.”

As the economic position deteriorated, the Treasurer announced a $66bn rescue package to allow people suffering hardship to access their superannuation, double the jobless payments to $1100 a fortnight and underwrite 50 per cent of up to $40bn in new loans to small business.

The measures to be taken to parliament on Monday — potentially the last time it will sit for six months — will take the total economic response to $189bn and ­almost 10 per cent of GDP.

Ms Berejiklian flagged that NSW may bring forward an early end to the first term for schools.

“Schools will be open tomorrow, though I will have more to say on this issue in the morning,” Ms Berejiklian said.

Public parks are expected to remain open, subject to restrictions on large gatherings.

South Australia, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania have also closed their borders to travel. The ACT has also announced closure of essential services, told residents not to travel outside the capital and is ­expected to follow with school ­closures.

Australia’s Olympic athletes could be caught up in the ban on all non-essential travel. With the Olympic scheduled to go ahead in Tokyo in July, the Prime Minister said athletes would not be exempt from rules about travelling out of Australia.

West Australian Premier Mark McGowan announced his government would acquire hotels to quarantine people who could not or refused to self-isolate, and would commandeer Rottnest Island, a former penal colony and wartime internment camp, as a quarantine station.

“WA is now in a war. The type of war we’ve never seen before. These are extreme steps but these are extreme days,” he said.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she would not announce her government’s approach until agreement had been reached at the national cabinet level. “This is going to be some tough love for Queenslanders but I have your best interests at heart … it’s not a time to have parties, go with your mates to the beach or go with your mates to the pub,” she said.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly on Sunday suggested the states had moved too quickly, claiming he did not think it was necessary to close schools.