Coronavirus: We have a clear plan to see Australia through, says Scott Morrison
Scott Morrison has assured Australians his government is equipped to respond to the challenges of coronavirus, in a special address to the nation | WATCH
- Cash is king: F1 driver blasts Melbourne GP organisers
- Australia considers Europe travel ban
- Fan at T20 final tests positive
- Trump announces Europe travel ban
- Households to receive $750 payments
- PM unveils stimulus package
- NSW considers shutting mass events
- Italy closes all shops, bars, restaurants
- ‘Obviously no surplus’
- WHO declares pandemic
Hello and welcome to The Australian’s live coverage of the coronavirus. WHO has declared the virus a pandemic and urged countries to “scale up your emergency response mechanisms.”
In Australia, cases have risen to 140 with three deaths, as Scott Morrison unveils the $17.6bn stimulus package, including one-off $750 payments to certain households. Donald Trump has announced a 30-day ban on all travel from Europe to the US.
Meanwhile, a spectator who attended the women’s T20 final at the MCG on Sunday has been diagnosed with COVID-19, one of six new cases in Victoria.
Greg Brown 7.28pm: PM addresses the nation
Scott Morrison has assured Australians his government was equipped and prepared to respond to the challenges of the coronavirus health scare in his special television address to the nation.
The Prime Minister said the government was taking the crisis seriously and had a “clear plan to see Australia through”.
“The medical experts tell us that for most Australians in good health who contract the virus, they will experience a mild illness. That said, this virus is also highly transmissible, and for those Australians whose health is more vulnerable, especially the elderly, the risk is more severe,” Mr Morrison said on Thursday evening.
“While this is a global health crisis, there are very real and severe economic impacts. For all of these reasons we have been taking the coronavirus very seriously.
“I want to assure you and your family tonight that while Australia cannot and is not immune from this virus we are well prepared and we are well equipped to deal with it and we do have a clear plan to see Australia through.”
It was the first televised national address from a prime minister since Kevin Rudd’s during the global financial crisis in 2008.
Mr Morrison said the government’s plan was around three key areas: protecting Australians’ health, securing jobs, and setting up the economy to “bounce back stronger when the crisis is over”.
“As our economy bounces back, which it will, so will the budget because we have not loaded up spending off into the future,” Mr Morrison said.
“We can take this action now because we have worked hard to bring the budget back into balance, to maintain our AAA credit rating, and work with the state governments to maintain a world class health system.
“I know many Australians are anxious about this and we do still have a long way to go. But be assured we are taking action and we have a clear plan.
“The months ahead will present many challenges but we will respond to it. We will continue to keep you updated and take decisions based on the best possible medical advice.”
Amanda Hodge 6.36pm: Bali could be locked down
Bali authorities have not ruled out temporarily locking down the tourist mecca in the event of a serious coronavirus outbreak there, a day after it confirmed its first death from the disease.
A 53-year-old British woman died at Bali’s Sanglah Hospital early Wednesday morning, eight days after she was first hospitalised with symptoms, but before Bali authorities had even been informed by Jakarta health officials that she had tested positive for the disease.
Bali currently has 11 suspected cases of coronavirus though health authorities are still awaiting the results of swab tests that must currently be sent to Jakarta for analysis, and admitted yesterday their hospitals were not ready to deal with a major outbreak.
“This is a problem not only for us in Bali or Indonesia, but it’s an issue all around the world because the disease has spread to many countries and there’s a shortage of personal protection tools,” Bali’s Prevention and Disease Control chief Wayan Widya said Thursday, adding however that Bali hospitals had enough for now.
Asked whether an outbreak on the island could force it to close its borders, vice governor Cok Ace said the decision ultimately lay with the Indonesian government.
“For isolation…we have to wait and see developments because Bali is an international tourist destination.”
However, Bali Tourism Board chief IB Agung Partha said if Bali did become a new outbreak centre “then we just have to accept it” and consider temporarily suspending tourism.
“Closing Bali….well, if necessary then we should do it,” he said.
David Swan 6.13pm: Atlassian closes Sydney office
Australian tech giant Atlassian has closed its Sydney office on George street and ordered its hundreds of employees to work from home, after a contractor was tested for coronavirus.
The company said in a statement that the individual had been tested and results were pending.
“[On Thursday afternoon] we took immediate action to close our Sydney sites until we know more,” the company said.
“Unrelated to Sydney, all employees in our US and European offices started working from home earlier this week.
“We continue to monitor the situation. We are always working to keep our staff, partners, contractors and customers safe and healthy.”
The tech giant last week cancelled its Las Vegas ‘Summit’ conference, scheduled for early April.
Mackenzie Scott 6.13pm: Ernst & Young’s virus scare
Ernst & Young has shut down a floor within its Brisbane office and instructed employees to work from home as a worker awaits test results for coronavirus.
The international professional services firm said the worker developed flu like symptoms on Wednesday and is currently undergoing testing for the COVID-19 virus.
The company occupies five floors within one of the CBD’s most sought after office addresses, 111 Eagle St. Tower owner, GPT Group confirmed one floor is closed and will be sanitised overnight.
A note to EY clients sent this afternoon said it will be “business as usual” going forward, with no change to scheduled meetings across the operational four floors.
At this stage, it is unlikely that the entirety of the tower will be closed.
Stephen Lunn 5.13pm: Leading F1 driver blasts Melbourne GP going ahead
The best Formula One driver in the world, Lewis Hamilton, has launched a scathing attack on race organisers for pressing ahead with the Melbourne Grand Prix this weekend as the coronavirus threat escalates worldwide.
At a drivers’ press conference on Thursday, Hamilton said his sport was falling behind in its response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, and suggested organisers were putting money before safety.
“I am really very, very surprised we are here. I think motorsport is great but … it is really shocking that we are sitting in this room,” the six-time Formula One world champion said.
“Already this morning you’ve seen Trump shutting the borders of the US to Europe, the NBA has been suspended, but Formula One continues to go on,” Hamilton said.
Asked why he thought the event was proceeding, Hamilton said “cash is king.” Read more here.
Craig Johnstone 5.01pm: Seven new cases in Queensland, including Hanks and Wilson
Five other people have joined Hollywood superstar Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson on the list of coronavirus cases in Queensland, taking the total number of cases in the state to 27.
One of them is a 19-year-old man who is close to the 22-year-old university student previously confirmed with the virus who spent time at Friday’s nightclub at Brisbane over the weekend.
Hanks and Wilson are in isolation at the Gold Coast Hospital “in a stable condition” according to Queensland Health.
Queensland Health is urging anyone who has been overseas in the last 14 days and is feeling unwell to see a doctor immediately, but to call ahead with symptoms and travel history so they can prepare.
The total number of cases in Australia now number 155, including the three people who have died of the disease.
NSW have also announced an additional case, bringing the state’s total to 78.
NSW: 78
QLD: 27
VIC: 27
SA: 9
WA:9
ACT: 1
NT: 1
TAS: 3
With Lachlan Moffet Gray
Richard Ferguson 4.51pm: MP travel ban
MPs and senators have been prevented from going overseas for two months in the midst of the coronavirus crisis.
All overseas parliamentary delegations in March and April have been postponed by House Speaker Tony Smith and Senate President Scott Ryan.
“Due to the evolving situation for international travel, several outgoing parliamentary delegations scheduled for March and April have been postponed. The situation will be reassessed as circumstances develop,” the pair said in a statement.
Peter Lalor 4.04pm: Spit and polish may disappear in coronavirus era
Players are yet to make a decision about using saliva to polish the ball in Friday’s first ODI between New Zealand and Australia in Sydney, but coronavirus was the topic of the day among both teams as they trained at the SCG.
The two sides gathered as news broke that the NBA had suspended the basketball season in the USA.
Cricket Australia has a medical group monitoring the situation and advising players.
Elias Visontay 3.08pm: Australia considers Europe travel ban
Australian is considering a ban on all travel from European countries in an attempt to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, hours after the US introduced the precaution.
Health Minister Greg Hunt announced the Prime Minister “referred the question of all travel from Europe to medical experts”.
The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee will now assess the ban and provide a recommendation.
“We will continue to follow the medical advice,” Mr Hunt said.
“I’m not in any way preempting it.
“We’re planning for all contingencies.’’
He also said the National Security Council met earlier today and “decided to reaffirm and continue all existing country travel bans”.
This means the bans to China, Iran, South Korea and Italy have been extended.
Leo Shanahan 2.47pm: Today Extra host in isolation
Today Extra host David Campbell has been forced to self-isolate after interviewing Rita Wilson, the wife of Tom Hanks, on Monday. Both Hanks and Wilson have tested positive to coronavirus while filming Baz Luhrmann’s new Elvis Presley biopic on the Gold Coast.
Crew members associated with the Rita Wilson interview have also been forced isolation, a Nine spokesman said: “We are taking all the appropriate precautions according to the government guidelines and supporting our people.”
Rosie Lewis 2.40pm: PM to present omnibus bill
Scott Morrison will present an omnibus bill to federal parliament in the final week of March containing the vast majority of measures that make up his $17.6bn coronavirus stimulus package.
The Australian understands one other piece of legislation will be required to push through the package in its entirety and there will also be an appropriations bill associated with the government spending.
The one-off $750 payment for about 6.5 million welfare recipients, which is expected to cost the government $4.8bn this financial year, will be in the omnibus bill.
Stephen Lunn 2.38pm: More F1 staff quarantined
The number of Formula 1 team members who have been quarantined and tested for the coronavirus has jumped to five.
With preliminary events now underway and crowds lining the Albert Park track, it has emerged two more members of the Haas team have fallen ill and been isolated.
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner says the two latest quarantined staff had reported feeling unwell.
“It’s four in total, one engineer and I think three mechanics,” he said. “We should collect the results in the afternoon.”
“At the moment we can cope ... the most impact for me is that I hope that they are well and this afternoon that they just have a cold and can come back and work tomorrow.”
Results of testing undertaken Wednesday on two other Haas team members and a member of the McLaren team has not yet been made available.
The new cases creates more difficulties for the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, with any positive coronavirus diagnosis putting significant pressure on organisers to either cancel the event or run it without spectators.
Damon Johnston 2.30pm: Fan at T20 final tests positive
A fan at Sunday night’s T20 Cricket World Cup final at the MCG has tested positive for coronavirus.
Victorian health authorities have revealed the positive came from a fan in Level 2 of the Melbourne Cricket Club stand.
The MCC stand has a capacity of 22,000.
The T20 World Cup final positive is one of six new confirmed cases in Victoria, bringing that state’s total positives to 27.
Victoria’s chief health officer Brett Sutton issued a stark warning on Thursday afternoon.
“The situation is evolving rapidly, and we expect to see more and more cases of COVID-19,” he said.
Professor Sutton said close personal contact of between 15 minutes face-to-face or just being in the same room as a sufferer for two hours could be enough for a transmission.
“For the virus to spread, extended close personal contact is most likely required,” he said.
Natasha Robinson 2.06pm: 1.5m in NSW could become infected
NSW’s chief health officer Kerry Chant has predicted 1.5 million people in the state – or 20 per cent of the population – may become infected with coronavirus.
Giving evidence to a NSW budget estimates committee on health, Dr Chant said modelling undertaken by the government indicated that each person infected was likely to pass the disease to two other people.
Community transmission of the virus is already occurring in NSW, with a small cluster of cases in the northwest of Sydney. NSW’s cases rose by 12 overnight, and authorities do not know how four of the new cases contracted the virus.
“We’ve got early evidence of limited community transmission and now is the time we are continuing our endeavours to contract, trace and isolate cases,” Dr Chant said.
She said NSW was “nowhere near the peak” of infections. The number of cases in the state stands at 77 amid a national total of more than 130 cases.
The ACT has also today recorded its first case.
Ben Wilmot 1.53pm: Property stocks hit
Property stocks exposed to the impact of the coronavirus and the potential for widespread building closures, as well as a further fall off in the retail trade, were heavily sold off in intra-day trade on Thursday.
Fears about the how assets would be affected by the virus were secondary as large capitalisation stocks were sold off and property’s reputation as a defensive play for investors seeking a haven from volatility was hit.
The dramatic falls in property stock prices have hurt many of the larger, previously star performers of the sector, many of which out-performed in boom conditions but are now being tested as both operational factors and sentiment turn against them.
Westfield owner, the Scentre Group, hit $2.75.5, a 6.29 per cent fall at just past 1pm. Rival mall owner Vicinity Centres had fallen 6.58 per cent down to $1.80.5.
Other sector leaders including the Charter Hall Group were also down but not by as much, with Charter Hall off by 3.78 per cent to $9.88. Industrial property powerhouse the Goodman Group had fallen by 4.2 per cent to $13.44.
Read more in the Trading Day blog
Lisa Allen 1.44pm: Webjet stocks hammered
Led by Webjet local travel stocks were further hammered during intra day trade following President Donald Trump’s decision to ban European flights into the US.
Webjet was down 18 per cent, Flight Centre down 16 per cent and Helloworld lost 10 per cent.
Comment is being sought from Flight Centre founder Graham Turner.
Read more in the Trading Day blog
1.40pm: New virus cases dip in China
China has eight new coronavirus infections in Hubei province, the first time the epicentre of the epidemic has recorded a daily tally in single digits.
The latest tally comes as more businesses reopen, with local authorities also cautiously easing strict containment measures, Reuters reports.
The capital of Hubei, Wuhan, reported all of the new cases on Wednesday, the National Health Commission said on Thursday.
The domestic spread of the disease has slowed markedly in the past seven days, a result of weeks of strict measures imposed to control the movement of people and traffic, including the virtual lockdown of Wuhan, a city of 11 million people. Outside of Hubei, mainland China had seven new cases, including six cases imported from abroad.
Of the six imported cases, Guangdong province accounted for three, while Gansu province and Henan province were responsible for two and one, respectively. Overall, the 15 new confirmed cases in mainland China on Wednesday was a drop from 24 cases a day earlier.
That brings the total number of confirmed cases recorded in mainland China to 80,793. As of Tuesday, 62,793 people have recovered and been discharged from hospital, or nearly 80 per cent of the overall infections.
As of the end of Wednesday, the death toll in mainland China had reached 3169, up by 11 from the previous day. Hubei accounted for 10 of the new deaths, including seven in Wuhan.
Rosie Lewis 1.35pm: Builders welcome stimulus package
Builders have hailed the government’s $17.6bn coronavirus stimulus package, which includes measures targeted directly at the sector, but warn if there is a major contraction in building activity the benefits “will be blunted”.
Master Builders Australia CEO Denita Wawn said the package assured industry the government was committed to doing “whatever it takes” to maintain confidence in the face of the pandemic but called for expenditure on existing projects to also be brought forward to ease pressure on affected businesses.
“If there is a major contraction in building activity then the benefit of these measures will be blunted. The government must take a strong leadership role in ensuring that construction of government projects currently underway continue and that projects scheduled to commence are not delayed or withdrawn,” Ms Wawn said.
“The government could also bring forward expenditure on existing projects. Accelerating construction of current projects and bringing forward construction of shovel ready projects, big and small, would provide an immediate strong impetus for building firms to take up tax write off and investment incentive measures.”
MBA backed the “huge boost” to the instant tax write-off threshold from $30,000 to $150,000 and expansion of its eligibility for businesses with a turnover of up to $500m.
“Incentives to invest in business assets are also well targeted to our industry. There is no doubt builders and tradies will be encouraged to invest in new plant and equipment,” Ms Wawn said.
Nicola Berkovic 1.19pm: Law firm sends staff home
Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright has become the second firm to send Sydney staff home. It took the measure after being informed today that an employee had been in contact with a person who had tested positive for coronavirus.
Managing partner Wayne Spanner said the person had self-isolated and was waiting for test results, but the firm had decided to send staff home on surrounding floors for an “abundance of caution”.
Staff on levels four to eight have been sent home. It is understood the staff member worked on level seven.
“The health and safety of our people, clients and the community is our primary concern and we have already arranged for the affected floors to be deep cleaned,” Mr Spanner said.
“As a precautionary measure Norton Rose Fulbright has directed its people on the potentially affected floors to work remotely for the rest of the week.”
Tessa Akerman 1.06pm: La Trobe student diagnosed
A student at La Trobe University has tested positive for coronavirus but the Bundoora campus won’t be closing despite the student having attended classes in the past week.
In a statement released Thursday, the university said it would be following advice from the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and staying open.
It said university business, including all teaching, research and administrative activities were continuing and the university would monitor the situation.
“The affected individual is a La Trobe student who has attended class within the past week,” it said.
“The student is receiving medical treatment and the University has offered its full support to the student via the Health Department.”
La Trobe University said all staff and students with whom the student came into contact have been identified and asked to self-isolate.
It said the limited number of areas the student visited last week have been deep cleaned according to DHHS guidelines.
Anne Barrowclough 1.00pm: Trump suspends travel from Europe
Donald Trump has suspended all travel from Europe for 30 days, and said he would take emergency action on financial assistance for those affected by the pandemic.
The ban, which also applies to goods shipped into the US but exempts the UK, comes into place on Friday midnight ET (Saturday afternoon AEDT).
12.52pm: NBA suspends season
The NBA has suspended its season “until further notice” after a Utah Jazz player tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, a move that came only hours after the majority of the league’s owners were leaning toward playing games without fans in arenas.
So...here is Rudy touching all the mics following Mondays shoot around that has some people concerned... #TakeNote #utahjazz #CoronaVirus pic.twitter.com/dr4auECTr4
— Dave Fox (@Davefox2) March 12, 2020
Now there will be no games at all, at least for the time being. A person with knowledge of the situation said the Jazz player who tested positive was centre Rudy Gobert. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the league nor the team confirmed the presumptive positive test.
AP
Richard Ferguson 12.51pm: Warning for university conference attendees
Delegates at a major university sector conference held a fortnight ago have been warned to watch for coronavirus symptoms after one attendee tested positive for the virus.
The Universities Australia conference held in Canberra was attended by hundreds of vice-chancellors, university officials and other academics at the end of February.
On Thursday, Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson revealed that the delegate tested positive for the virus after leaving the conference and authorities were tracing who they had been in contact with.
“Universities Australia has been working closely with health authorities for a number of days as they have conducted investigations,” she said.
“The conference finished on February 27 and the delegate left the ACT and returned to their home state.
“Now, in line with the advice of ACT Health, we have emailed all delegates and asked them to be alert to any of the symptoms of COVID-19 and supplied health information and contact details.”
The revelations come after the ACT confirmed its first case of coronavirus. The delegate and the ACT patient are separate.
Richard Ferguson 12.48pm: Targeted households to get a $750 cash boost
Read more on Scott Morrison’s announcement of a $17.6bn package to fight off a pandemic-sparked recession here.
David Rogers 12.47pm: Shares nosedive as stimulus disappoints
The ASX sell-off has accelerated to 5pc, after Trump announced a $50bn stimulus plan and banned travel from Europe to the US. Read more in Trading Day.
Simon Benson 12.40pm: Morrison’s sober package will ensure no fiscal hangover
COMMENTARY
Scott Morrison has moved swiftly but sensibly to spare the country from economic recession.
It is a sober response to a crisis that has yet to reach its peak.
Whether he succeeds or not is now in the hands of business, pensioners and the unemployed.
The strategy is simple and coherent.
By shielding company cash flow, the prime minister is issuing a challenge to businesses to hold their nerve and hold on to their workers.
Charlie Peel 12.38pm: Hanks tests positive
Hollywood superstar Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson have been admitted to an Australian hospital after testing positive with coronavirus.
The actor has been on the Gold Coast filming an Elvis Presley biopic with director Baz Luhrmann.
Hanks confirmed the positive test on Thursday morning and shared a post with his Instagram and Facebook followers detailing how he and his wife took the test as a precaution after they began feeling ill.
Anne Barrowclough 12.09pm: Trump announces Europe travel ban
Donald Trump has announced a ban on all travel from Europe for the next 30 days. The ban, which exempts the UK, will go into force on Friday midnight ET.
Mr Trump blamed the cluster of new cases in the US on travel from Europe, which he blamed for the spread of the coronavirus.
In a rare address to the nation, Mr Trump said: “From the beginning of time, nations and people have faced unforeseen challenges — including large-scale and very dangerous health threats. This is the way it always was and always will be. It only matters how you respond.”
Mr Trump encouraged older Americans to avoid all travel if possible.
He reviewed other measures his administration is taking to address the pandemic.
“The vast majority of Americans, the risk is very, very low,” he said. But he said that older Americans should avoid travel, and endorsed social distancing and avoiding large gatherings. “Every community faces different risks,” he noted and encouraged Americans to listen to local officials.
Mr Trump has also announced a $50bn stimulus to help businesses negatively impacted by the coronavirus and said tax payments for individuals would be deferred without penalty.
“I will take emergency action to provide financial relief for people facing hardship over missing work due to Coronavirus concerns,” he said.
“It is time to put politics aside.”
Matthew Denholm 12.05pm: Virus patient caught flight, went to library
Tasmania’s latest coronavirus victim caught a flight and attended a library before being isolated, as the state’s Director of Public Health suggests mild cases of COVID-19 may be treated at home.
Tests late on Wednesday confirmed the woman, in her 30s, as Tasmania’s third coronavirus victim, prompting advice to people who may have come into contact with her in preceding days.
These include those on Jetstar flight JQ727 from Sydney to Hobart, which landed at about 10.20pm on Sunday, March 8, and those who attended the Morris Miller Library at the Sandy Bay campus of the University of Tasmania between 9.30am and 5.30pm on Monday, March 9.
“The latest case is not related to either of the previous cases and is not due to local transmission in Tasmania,” said Director of Public Health Mark Veitch. “The woman travelled to Australia from South America, via New Zealand. “
Public health officials were using the flight manifest to contact those sitting within two rows of the woman and would also advise other passengers.
Dr Veitch said the risks of transmission to those sitting close to the woman in rows 13 to 17 were “low but not zero” and they were being required to self-quarantine for 14 days.
The risk to other passengers was “very low” but they would be contacted and advised to report any illness 14 days after the flight. Similar advice was being provided to anyone who had been at the university library at the same time as the woman.
Ewin Hannan 12.13pm: Casual workers ‘cruelly exposed’: Union chief
ACTU secretary Sally McManus has accused Scott Morrison of leaving casual workers “cruelly exposed” after the government refused to back special paid leave for casuals impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.
Mr Morrison said on Thursday the government would waive waiting times for casuals to access sickness payments under the welfare system if they were required to be away from work due to the outbreak.
The ACTU, which had called for impacted casuals to be guaranteed two weeks paid leave, said it was absurd to suggest casual and contract workers could be expected to financially survive on the payments for an extended period.
“This is not only a policy laced with cruel indifference to struggling Australian workers, it is also a reckless public health strategy,” it said.
Ms McManus said the government had gone “from ignoring casual and contract workers to suggesting they should have been putting aside money just in case there was a pandemic to now putting them on poverty-level welfare payments”.
She said workers would need to make decisions to self-isolate in order to slow down the spread of the coronavirus.
“We must remove the financial penalty for people to make this decision,” she said.
“Newstart payments are far less than what nearly all casual workers are currently paid, so the financial penalty remains. This announcement by the Prime Minister falls far short of what is required. Public health concerns must be put first, this response fails to do so.”
Elias Visontay 12.00pm: Labor’s concerns over stimulus
Opposition treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers has said Labor is concerned there are no guarantees written into the government’s coronavirus stimulus package that financial support for small businesses will ultimately make it to employees.
Mr Chalmers said the opposition supported the government’s plan to help businesses retain apprentices and increasing the threshold for instant asset write offs for small businesses.
He also said the stimulus package was a “step in the direction” for including income support for casual workers, but worried that any delays in signing up and accessing the benefit might deter workers from self isolating.
“I think the government unfortunately spends far too much time trying to differentiate itself from Labor,” Mr Chalmers told Sky News.
He said elements of the government’s stimulus package are “extraordinarily similar” to what Labor had been calling for and what Labor had done in response to the GFC.
Mr Chalmers said the stimulus announcement was “in many ways an admission” that there was a role for cash payments in responding to a financial downturn.
It remains to be seen whether what’s been announced today is big enough or will deployed fast enough
Mr Chalmers said he hoped the stimulus package would be successful, and said Labor wants to play “a constructive role in helping Australians through this”.
“Clearly we support apprentices and instant asset write off … the other element of course is the grant payments to businesses.
“We want to make sure that that money also finds its way into the pockets of workers.
“It remains to be seen whether what’s been announced today is big enough or will deployed fast enough.”
Lachlan Moffet Gray 11.49am: Canberra’s first case
Canberra, the last state or territory without any confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia, has just confirmed the existence of a coronavirus patient.
The first coronavirus patient in Canberra is a 30-year-old-man who has not been overseas.
ACT chief health officer Dr Kerryn Coleman said on Thursday the man had travelled outside the ACT and could have contracted the virus in Australia.
The man presented himself to the Weston Creek medical centre on Wednesday after becoming unwell and then entered self isolation. He is currently in Canberra Hospital.
Peter van Onselen 11.40am: Don’t panic but it’s time we went into lockdown
Why hasn’t the government moved to close our borders and impose social distancing rules? They had better have information the rest of us don’t to justify the inaction, because from where I stand it’s hard to understand.
We are witnessing first hand how damaging a slow response can be when it comes to this virus as information from Italy comes in. Don’t forget how slow the government was to put a travel ban on people arriving from Italy, even though it has emerged as the nation suffering the most from the coronavirus crisis. That was a clear mistake.
Today the stimulus package was announced, and not a moment too soon. We know conservative governments can be slow to move when splashing taxpayers’ cash, for fear of doing so wastefully. That can be a virtue, but when the money is urgently needed it becomes a vice.
Only time will tell which scenario is the case here.
Richard Ferguson 11.25am: $1bn fund for regions
Scott Morrison will also set up a $1bn regional community fund to protect remote and rural communities impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
“There are businesses across this country that will be more impacted than most and there will be regions and communities across this country that will be more impacted than others,” he said.
“Those in particular in more remote areas, those who are particularly exposed when it comes to the external sectors of the economy – the tourism sector, travel sector, parts of the export sector, in crayfishing in places where that is a predominant activity, and that is a significant exposure.”
Rosie Lewis 11.17am: Deeming rates cut
Nearly 900,000 Australians will receive increased fortnightly social security payments after the Morrison government announced it would cut deeming rates due to “changing economic conditions”.
Social Services Minister Anne Ruston said 565,000 pensioners and 323,000 other payment recipients with financial assets affected by deeming rates would benefit.
The changes will see age pensioners receive on average an additional $219 a year or $8.42 per fortnight, with the extra money to start flowing into bank accounts from May 1.
Under the new rates couples whose income is assessed using deeming could receive up to $62 a fortnight, or $1612 a year, while singles could earn up to $50 a fortnight or $1300 annually.
“The lower deeming rate will be cut from 1.0 per cent to 0.5 per cent for financial investments up to $51,800 for single pensioners and $86,200 for pensioner couples,” Ms Ruston said.
“The upper rate, which only impacts about 40 per cent of payment recipients with deemed assets, will decrease from 3.0 per cent to 2.5 per cent.
“Through this change and my July 2019 cut to deeming rates the government has boosted income support payments by more than $1.2bn to ensure Australians with cash assets who rely on social security can maintain their quality of life.”
The government uses deeming rates to means-test investments held in term deposits, which then determines how much they receive in welfare.
“The government is absolutely committed to ensuring the deeming rate is fair and is a reasonable reflection of the state of the market,” Ms Ruston said.
The changes to deeming rates are separate to the government’s $17.6bn coronavirus stimulus package.
Richard Ferguson 11.02am: One-off $750 payments for households
Households with family tax benefits or pensions will receive a one-off $750 payment from March 31 to boost the economy during the coronavirus pandemic.
Scott Morrison said the one-off payments should improve consumer confidence, despite the possibility people who receive the payment will bank it rather than spend it.
“I believe their common sense has demonstrated in the wake, and in response, to previous situations like this that it speaks for itself,” the Prime Minister said.
“The cash payments have two purposes. And they’re both important. Of course, those who received them – that is obviously a benefit to them.
“But more importantly, frankly, it is about a cash injection into the Australian economy, which supports small businesses and supports medium businesses.
“That, in turn, supports the jobs, which means people can continue to participate positively in the economy and have greater confidence going forward.”
Richard Ferguson 10.57am: $1bn tourism fund announced
Josh Frydenberg has announced a $1 billion fund to support Australia’s tourism sector in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
“This will include the waiver of certain fees and charges for tourism businesses operating in Commonwealth National Parks, and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park,” the Treasurer said.
“Increasing domestic tourism promotion, and additional assistance through Austrade to address supply chain breakdowns.
“As occurred with the bushfires, the ATO will also be providing relief for those significantly affected with deferral of various tax obligations by up to four months.”
The tourism sector has been battered by both the coronavirus pandemic – with travel bans on foreign nationals from China, Iran, South Korea and Italy – and the summer bushfire crisis.
Richard Ferguson 10.51am: Wait times waived for casual workers
Scott Morrison has announced waiting times for a government sickness allowance will be waived for casual workers forced into self-isolation.
“It is a Newstart-level payment and people who are casual employees that wouldn’t be able to go to work – because they have to self-isolate or, indeed, have the virus – they would be able to access that payment,” the Prime Minister said.
“The normal assets test rules apply – as they do to all these payments – but the waiting period will be waived to enable them to access that payment and that will provide that support.
“Many other countries don’t have that in the system. I note that the UK has made some announcements on that.
“We already have a system that deals with that and we’re going to make sure that that payment is more readily able to be supported.”
Business groups had warned the government earlier this week that small and medium businesses could not afford to cover the costs of casual workers put in quarantine.
Mr Morrison has warned big business that their brands will be defined by how they treat workers in self-isolation, after The Australian revealed some had advice they would have to provide paid leave until workers proved they were sick.
Richard Ferguson 10.47am: PM unveils $17.6bn virus stimulus package
Scott Morrison is unveiling his $17.62bn economic stimulus package in Canberra to tackle the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which he says will pour $22bn into the domestic economy.
“That’s 1.2 per cent of GDP. This is a significant investment,” he said.
“We have taken the decision to put this stimulus in place that has an obvious impact on the budget outcome for 2019-20 and Australians understand that.
“Australians know that this needs to be the priority and our government agrees with that priority and that’s why we’ve taken the decision to put these measures in place.”
The package will not extend beyond June 30 next year in the hope the budget will bounce back.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 10.30am: Cruise bans proposed
New regulations proposed by the cruise industry in the US could see some people over 70 forbidden from taking to the seas for a holiday.
On Tuesday the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) submitted a plan to Vice President Michael Pence to tackle the spread of coronavirus on board cruise liners following outbreaks of the disease on the Diamond Princess and Grand Princess cruise lines.
According to the proposal, boarding could be denied to anyone over 70 years of age unless they are able to present a doctor’s note verifying they are in good health.
Also being considered is a measure that would ban anyone with a chronic health condition from boarding as they would be at an increased risk of death should they contract coronavirus.
Vice President Pence is currently reviewing the proposal, telling reporters on Tuesday that “The president’s objective is for us to make cruise lines safer, even as we work with the cruise lines to ensure that no one in our particularly vulnerable population is going out on a cruise in the near future.”
The CLIA has also reportedly banning passengers from boarding if they have visited Japan or Italy in the last 14 days. Passengers who have visited South Korea, Iran, China, Hong Kong, Macau and parts of Italy in that time frame are already subject to boarding bans.
Peter Lalor 10.10am: No decision on ODI cancellations
Cricket Australia is yet to make a decision on the ODI series against New Zealand in light of fears around the Covid 19 pandemic, but its medical staff has consulted infectious disease experts and is meeting constantly to monitor the situation which a spokesman admits could change at any time.
Cricket, like other sports, is confronting the realities of the situation. Bangladesh has postponed two games between an Asia XI and World XI in Dhaka on March 21 and 22 out of concerns international players may not be able to attend.
Two of England’s county teams, Surry and Worcestershire, have cancelled pre-season trips to Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
England players have banned selfies with fans and limited any engagement with the public during its tour fo Sri Lanka.
India is planning for the IPL to go ahead this month but is facing court challenges and objections from some quarters because of health fears.
Ben Packham 10.03am: RAAF cancels conference
The RAAF has cancelled its 2020 Air Power Conference in Canberra due to the coronavirus. More than 1000 delegates who were booked to attend the conference, on March 24-25, have been advised to cancel their travel and accommodation plans.
Speakers, including Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, Chief of Defence Angus Campbell, and Chief of the Air Force Mel Hupfield, will now pre-record addresses to be uploaded to the internet.
“To significantly reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 while still achieving one of the key outcomes of the conference, which is to contribute to the global dialogue focusing on the contribution of Air and Space Power to Indo-Pacific security, we will be providing remote access for delegates to the distinguished line up of speakers,” organisers said.
“This will occur through the pre-recording of speakers’ presentations for subsequent broadcast via a web-based platform that would enable delegates to listen at a time of their choosing.”
The biennial conference brings together ADF and foreign military officers and delegates from government, defence industry, academia and think tanks.
“On behalf of the Royal Australian Air Force, we apologise for the inconvenience caused and ask for your understanding that this difficult decision was made in the best interests of all concerned,” organisers said.
Geoff Chambers 10.00am: Agencies use ‘extreme urgency’ clause
The Australian Federal Police has spent $300,000 acquiring safety masks for frontline officers as government departments and agencies expand their responses to the coronavirus outbreak.
Agencies are stepping-up measures to combat COVID-19 and the looming flu season, with some using an “extreme urgency or events unforeseen” clause to circumvent usual tender processes.
An AFP spokeswoman confirmed they were working with the Department of Health, Home Affairs and DFAT to “ensure the health and safety of all personnel”.
Read the full story here.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 9.55am: ‘We can’t test everyone’
Peter Dutton has defended the government against accusations that they are not doing enough to analyse the flow of people entering the country for signs of coronavirus, telling 2GB on Thursday that the government has stopped “literally thousands of people” from arriving in the country from high-risk areas.
The accusations come as it was revealed by NSW Health Chief Officer Dr Kerry Chant that a majority of coronavirus cases in NSW have been people who have recently returned from overseas.
“We were ahead of a lot of other countries, particularly in relation to the travel bans,” the home affairs minister said.
“Can you test everyone coming? No we can’t, is the answer.
“(But) we rely on advice from the plane – crews are watching who is sick on the plane – that’s sent to the border force and these people are pulled aside and dealt with.
“They don’t have to be aside standing beside every passenger and patting them down.”
Adrian McMurray 9.40am: Footballer tests positive
Italian football giants Juventus have confirmed defender Daniele Rugani has tested positive to COVID-19.
The club say they are currently following isolation procedures, including those “who have had contact with him”.
While all sports have been suspended in Italy until April 3, the club are due to face Lyon next week in the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie behind closed doors in Turin.
Champions League and Europa League matches, under the jurisdiction of UEFA, are continuing to be played despite the domestic ban in Italy.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 9.25am: UK minister tested
UK media is reporting a member of Boris Johnson’s cabinet and a junior minister are currently in isolation awaiting the results of a coronavirus test.
If the unnamed cabinet minister tests positive, they will be the second member of UK parliament to be infected with the disease following the diagnosis of Nadine Dorris, a junior health minister in the government.
The Guardian is also reporting that Ed Argar, another junior health minister, has entered isolation after dining with Ms Dorries on Thursday night.
Concerns have been raised over Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab’s health after he was seen coughing in parliament on Wednesday, but The UK Telegraph reports he has tested negative for the disease.
Eight have died from the illness in the UK while 460 cases have been confirmed.
Despite the virus reaching the centre of government, health secretary Matt Hancock has said parliament will remain open.
Elias Visontay 9.10am: ‘No time for party politics’
Opposition government services spokesman Bill Shorten has said the government’s coronavirus stimulus package “sounds positive” but he remains cautious about how to deal with casual workers employed by small businesses who must self isolate.
Mr Shorten reaffirmed Labor’s support for government measures to respond to the coronavirus, saying: “This is not a time for party politics”.
“We need to see the detail but Labor has said they’re going to be up for constructive measures,” Mr Shorten told Sky News.
“We want to make sure the package is fair, we want to make sure the package is timely,” he said, noting issues with delays in the rollout of bushfire grant and loan schemes.
“It sounds positive, sure.”
Mr Shorten also said he didn’t think small businesses alone should have to pay wages of casual workers if they’re forced to self isolate from work.
“Where you’ve got a casual worker asking them to self isolate for fourteen days or seven days or ten days when they have no income at all it puts them in a terrible bind. They either self isolate and starve or they go to work sick.”
“It’s a cooperative effort,” he said, indicating government should partly pay to help with the cost of these wages.
Mr Shorten also commended the government’s expected support for apprenticeships in the stimulus package, saying that while he has had policy differences on apprenticeships with the government before coronavirus, he is “not going to be a cloud of misery”.
“I think if they’re looking after apprentices, well Labor’s the party of apprenticeships, so that’s headed in the right direction.”
Lachlan Moffet Gray 9.05am: Trump to address nation
Donald Trump will deliver a prime-time Oval Office address to the nation at midday (AEDT) on the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite President Trump downplaying the seriousness of the disease in recent days, pressure is growing in the government for a more concerted response.
I will be addressing the Nation this evening at 9:00 P.M. (Eastern) from the Oval Office.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 11, 2020
Testifying on Capitol Hill, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned that the outbreak in the US is going to get worse.
“I can say we will see more cases, and things will get worse than they are right now,” Dr Fauci told the House Oversight and Reform Committee. Facing questions from politicians, Dr Fauci explained,
“It is 10 times more lethal than the seasonal flu.”
The hearing was abruptly paused as he and other high-level officials rushed back to the White House for meetings.
“I am fully prepared to use the full power of the Federal Government to deal with our current challenge of the CoronaVirus!” Mr Trump tweeted before a meeting with bankers in which he assured them that “we are going to get the problem solved.”
“Now we’re hitting a patch and we’re going to have to do something with respect to getting rid of this virus as quickly as possible and as safely as possible,” he said.
Among other measures, officials were considering placing a “Level 3 Health Travel Notice” on the entire European Union. Such a notice would recommend that Americans avoid non-essential travel to the region and quarantine themselves for 14 days after returning home.
“As you know, we have another part of the world, Europe, that is in very tough shape, having a hard time right now with the virus,” Trump said.
Congress is currently considering an economic stimulus package that will focus on issues such as sick pay, unemployment benefits, free tests and other resources for American suddenly hit by the crisis.
Nicola Berkovic 9.00am: Major law firm orders workers home
King & Wood Mallesons has told staff in Sydney to stay home because of a suspected case of Coronavirus.
The firm’s Australian chief executive partner Berkeley Cox said as a precautionary measure, the firm had directed all of its people in Sydney to work remotely until further notice.
It is understood the suspected case involves an employee who had recently travelled to multiple countries, but not to Asia. Staff members were informed last night.
“The health and safety of our people and the community is our first priority and as a precautionary measure, KWM Australia has directed all our people in Sydney to work remotely until further notice,” Mr Cox said.
“At this stage we hope to re-open our Sydney offices next Monday but will reassess as we have further information.
“We are supporting our people and working with our clients to avoid or minimise any disruption to the service we provide during this time.”
Test results could make it clear today whether the staff member has COVID-19.
Natasha Robinson 8.45am: NSW considers shutting mass events
The NSW government says it is considering shutting down mass events as the number of cases in the state jumped to 77.
The twelve new diagnoses of coronavirus overnight include cases in which authorities cannot trace an epidemiological link. That means authorities do not know how the victim caught the virus, which is a concern because it indicates further community transmission of the virus.
“They may represent community transmission,” said NSW’s chief health officer Kerry Chant. “They’ve obviously got it from somewhere and that source may not be readily identifiable.”
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said that given the World Health Organisation’s declaration of a pandemic, as well as the extra cases with no apparent epidemiological links, NSW would be considering whether to shut down mass gatherings.
“We’re on standby because it’s an evolving situation,” Ms Berejiklian said. “There is no need to panic, there’s no need to massively change what you’re doing, but it’s not business as usual.
“We’re asking everyone to consider how they move around. Some of the 77 cases are yet to trace the source of where they contracted the virus, and for that reason, NSW will continue to review all of our policies in relation to mass gathering and where there is large numbers of people congregating.”
Dr Chant urged anyone who was sick to stay away from other people. “Now is the time for caution,” Dr Chant said. “If you are unwell, don’t go to a public gathering.
“Just don’t take the opportunity to spread your germs at this time. The best thing you can do is stay home if you are unwell.
“Don’t go to work, don’t go visit aged care facilities, don’t go to visit loved ones in hospitals, don’t go anywhere where you are cheek by jowl (with other people).”
Lachlan Moffet Gray 8.30am: Italy closes all shops, bars, restaurants
Italy will close all shops, bars and restaurants except pharmacies and food stores as part of further efforts to contain the novel coronavirus, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte says.
The initiative comes after the country placed much of the country’s industrial north under quarantine last week.
In an address to the nation on Wednesday, Mr Conte urged Italians not to lose hope, warned that contagion numbers might still go up for a while and said it would likely take weeks before the outbreak abates.
“All together we will make it,” he said.
The country, which went into total lockdown on Thursday, now has 827 recorded deaths from coronavirus and 12,462 confirmed cases.
David Rogers 8.20am: ASX set to suffer
Australian shares are poised to plunge after another rout on US equity markets overnight as investors wait for the promised major US government stimulus response.
The SPI200 futures contract was down 200 points, or 3.49 per cent, at 5528 at 7.00am on Thursday.
“Markets appeared concerned at the lack of US government response to date, the WHO officially declaring COVID-19 a pandemic, and the number of new cases ex- China rose sharply, Westpac finance’s morning note says.
The Australian dollar was buying US64.87c at 7.00am on Thursday, down from 65.05 US cents from at the market close on Wednesday.
Read the Trading Day blog here.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 8.10am: 13 new cases in NSW
The NSW government has announced that the state now has 77 confirmed cases of coronavirus as of 7am Thursday morning.
Tasmania also confirmed another case overnight, bringing its total to 3. The patient, whose age and gender is yet to be confirmed, is currently being treated in Royal Hobart Hospital.
NSW Chief Health Minister Dr Kerry Chant said the majority of the cases in NSW so far were acquired overseas and 32 cases were contacts of confirmed cases.
“What is more challenging is that we have had cases where we can’t find an epidemiological link,” Dr Chant said, expressing concern over cases in the Ryde area of Sydney.
NSW: 77; VIC: 21: QLD: 20; SA: 9; ACT: 0’ TAS: 3; WA: 9; NT: 1
Total: 140, including three deaths. The federal government is reporting that 23 of these confirmed cases have recovered.
#Coronavirus vs the flu: How they differ, and why your winter jab won't protect you against #COVID19 https://t.co/FF7QPDWmMG
— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 11, 2020
Elias Visontay 8.05am: ‘Obviously no surplus’
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has acknowledged 2019/2020 is “obviously not going to be a surplus year” because of the coronavirus, but moved to distance his government from Labor’s failed surpluses after the GFC.
Senator Cormann said that while he was still working on the budget with Treasurer Josh Frydenberg in the lead up to the second Tuesday of May, it was clear the impact of the coronavirus and the government’s spend on a stimulus package – expected to be $18 billion – had ended the prospect of a surplus.
“Obviously when you deliver a stimulus package of this size I think that people can add up the numbers, they can add up what it means in terms of the budget surplus,” Senator Cormann told ABC Radio.
“Obviously we were already under significant pressure given the impact on revenue from the economic impact of the coronavirus, so this is obviously not going to be a surplus year in 2019/20.”
Senator Cormann denied his government deserves criticism equal to what Labor did when it failed to deliver on its projected surpluses, because then Treasurer Wayne Swan had promised repeated surpluses.
“I think the circumstances were very different … Wayne Swan promised four surplus years well after the global financial crisis.
“The media, our political opponents, might be interested in the politics right now, I think that people across Australia understand that we’re dealing with a very particular challenge right now, a very significant public health shock.”
Elias Visontay 8.00am: Most of stimulus spent by June
Josh Frydenberg has said the “vast majority” of the government’s coronavirus stimulus package, expected to be worth about $18 billion, will be spent by the end of June.
The Treasurer also explained the package, which he had been describing as “targeted”, would target businesses broadly to help with staff payments, as not specifically target sectors particularly hit by the coronavirus outbreak like tourism
Asked how much of the $18 billion would be spent this financial year, Mr Frydenberg said: “The vast majority.”
“It’s obviously designed to get that support into the community as quickly as possible,” Mr Frydenberg told Sky News.
“Well, there’s a couple of key differences than what we saw under the previous Labor government.
“This package is designed to back business overwhelmingly. The money is going to supporting businesses because businesses employ people.”
When asked if the stimulus package would make a surplus within this parliamentary term impossible, Mr Frydenberg responded: “I know that the work that I’ve done to help deliver a balanced budget, so too with Scott Morrison, Mathias Cormann and the rest of the coalition team, that’s put us in a position to respond now, but whether it’s the extended drought, whether it’s the bush fires, whether it’s the floods, whether it’s this spread of the coronavirus, these events have been outside of our control. But this response is within our control.”
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.40am: Schools may extend Easter
Dan Tehan has said the nation’s schools could be made to extend the Easter holidays and stay closed for longer in order to combat the spread of the coronavirus,
“One of the things we’ve been preparing for is if there needs to be an extension to school holidays,” the federal education minister told ABC breakfast on Thursday.
“That all depends on the spread of the virus.”
Mr Tehan also said universities financially struggling under the impact of coronavirus will not receive assistance in the government’s stimulus package, but the government would continue to monitor the financial health of the sector.
“The finances of our university sector are strong,” he said.
“They’ve got surpluses, strong surpluses, in place. So we’ll continue to work with them over the coming weeks and months to make sure those balance sheets do remain strong.”
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.35am: ‘We’ve been planning for pandemic’
Scott Morrison has said the World Health Organisation’s declaration that coronavirus is a pandemic will not change the government’s response to the virus.
“We called this two weeks ago and they have called it today,” the prime minister told Sunrise.
“We welcome that, but we have been planning on that basis for the last two weeks.”
Mr Morrison said that the government will bring the deeming rate, which directly impacts the incomes of pensioners, by 50 basis points, but said further measures to assist pensioners and low-income earners will be unveiled today.
“In a few hours time, we will release those details. It’s about getting a cash injection into the economy to those older Australians, pensioners, making up the majority of these arrangements.”
Mr Morrison also stressed that 120,000 apprentices working for businesses of less than 20 employees will have half their wages paid, backdated to January.
A $25,000 grant for small and medium-sized businesses and the expansion of the instant asset write-off will also form part of the package.
Mr Morrison also hinted at measures to support the 3.3 million casual workers who may have to lose income if they are forced into isolation, telling Today “there are payments in the welfare system that can be targeted to those sorts of things.”
Welfare recipients will be eligible for one-off cash payments while businesses will get up to $25,000 and instant tax relief as part of the Government’s multi-billion dollar coronavirus stimulus package.
— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) March 11, 2020
Prime Minister @ScottMorrisonMP joined Kochie and Sam to share details. pic.twitter.com/J9OhFr6NfR
Jacquelin Magnay 7.10am: Italian medical chief dies
One of Italy’s most senior doctors, 67-year-old Roberto Stella, has died of coronavirus in the heart of Lombardy where the virus has been rampaging through the population.
Dr Stella was the president of the Varese Medical Association, overseeing the same area where the Australian Institute of Sport has a 50 bed European hub.
Italy’s Minister of Health, Roberto Speranza said Dr Stella, who also practised in the town of Busto Arsizio, was a point of reference for Italian healthcare.
He was Head of the Strategic Communication Area of the Fnomceo (the National Order of Surgeons and Dentists) and member of the National Commission for Continuing Medical Education. He was also national president of Snamid, the general medicine scientific society. Doctors have praised Dr Stella, saying his loss is ‘’immeasurable’’.
The AIS closed the Varese campus last week. Staff, including the manager Warwick Forbes, left the premises last Wednesday and Thursday.
The regional officials had closed all schools and institutions on February 23, but initially the AIS believed the measures did not apply to them and remained open, although there were no athletes at the centre at the time.
The AIS has been approached for comment regarding the isolation of staff from the Varese campus.
Dr Stella’s death was one of 196 deaths recorded in just 24 hours across the country. In Italy the death toll has risen to 827 with 12,489 infected and severe travel restrictions are in place.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 7.00am: UK cases rocket
The number of cases in the UK rose by 87 in the last 24 hours, bringing the number of confirmed cases to 460. Of these cases, 387 are in England. There have also been another three deaths, bringing the UK toll to ten. Two of the deaths were of elderly people with underlying health conditions, but the third was a 53-year-old British woman in Indonesia.
The British government on Wednesday rejected calls for parliament to be suspended after an MP was infected with coronavirus. Former minister Rory Stewart, a former Conservative MP now running to be mayor of London, said the House of Commons “should cease to meet in person” to avoid any further spread. But Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Wednesday that “we will keep parliament open” so the government could be held to account. “Our democracy is the foundation of our way of life,” he told parliament, while adding that “in some ways this house may have to function differently”.
The government will hold another COBRA emergency planning meeting on Thursday, Mr Hancock revealed.
The total number of confirmed cases in Italy rose by more than 2000 from 10,149 to 12,462 in the last 24 hours. The head of the country’s medical association in Varese, Roberto Stella, died in Como of the illness aged 67.
India has suspended all tourist visas to halt the spread of the virus, according to a government statement.
Lachlan Moffet Gray 6.45am: Wall St stocks fall
Stocks are falling sharply on Wall Street Wednesday as fears of economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak grip markets again. The Dow Jones industrials dropped 1,600 points, or 6.7% in late trading. Both the Dow and the broader S&P 500 have now fallen roughly 20% from their recent highs.
In the US, the number of confirmed cases are now more than 1000. Public gatherings have been banned in Washington state, while Michigan and Massachusetts have joined several other states in declaring a state of emergency.
Despite the increase in the number of cases, President Trump is urging calm, claiming the government has the situation under control.
....We have the greatest healthcare system, experts, scientists and doctors anywhere in the world. Together, we will PREVAIL!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 11, 2020
Lachlan Moffet Gray 6.15am: Aussie cases rise to 123
The number of confirmed cases in Australia have shot up to 123, including three deaths. However the federal government is reporting that 23 of these confirmed cases have recovered.
Worldwide there are now over 125,000 confirmed cases and 4,500 deaths with an estimated 67,000 recovered, according to worldmeters.com.
Australia Cases:
NSW: 64.
VIC: 21
QLD: 20
SA: 7
ACT: 0
TAS: 2
WA: 9
Total: 123, including three deaths.
Jacquelin Magnay 5.20am: Virus now a pandemic
The coronavirus is officially a pandemic, the World Health Organisation has declared, as community transmission of the virus skyrocketed around the world.
“Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly. It is a word that, if misused, can cause unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death,” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General said.
“WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock and we are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction”.
He didn’t specify which countries were not taking the virus seriously but called on all countries to scale up their responses.
”I remind all countries that we are calling on you to: activate and scale up your emergency response mechanisms; communicate with your people about the risks and how they can protect themselves; find, isolate, test and treat every COVID-19 case and trace every contact; ready your hospitals; protect and train your health workers.
“Let’s all look out for each other,” he said.
In Italy there was another sharp spike in cases, with 827 deaths and 12,462 positive tests. Germany, France and the UK are also showing rates of increase of around a third each day and British health minister Nadine Norries confirmed she has contracted the virus.
In Iran, another hotspot, 9000 people are infected with 354 now dead, an increase of 63.
French president Emmanuel Macron called the developments an “exceptional crisis” as three Disneyland Paris workers test positive. France has 1784 cases and 33 deaths, but French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner insisted on Tuesday that “voting is safe” to convince people to take part in Sunday’s municipal elections.
In Belgium, a train had to be taken out of service when a man wearing a face mask was filmed licking his hand and wiping it down a handrail on the subway.
Dr Tadros said in the past two weeks, the number of cases of coronavirus cases outside China, the originating country, has increased 13-fold and the number of affected countries has tripled.
There are now more than 118,000 cases in 114 countries, and 4,291 people have lost their lives.
Dr Tadros said that describing the situation as a pandemic doesn’t change WHO’s assessment of the coronavirus threat.
“It doesn’t change what WHO is doing, and it doesn’t change what countries should do,” he said.
But he warned that the number of positive cases would continue to rise.
“Thousands more are fighting for their lives in hospitals,’’ he said.
“In the days and weeks ahead, we expect to see the number of coronavirus cases, the number of deaths, and the number of affected countries climb even higher”.
In remarks appearing to defend his organisation from criticism, Dr Tedros insisted: “We have never before seen a pandemic sparked by a coronavirus. And we have never before seen a pandemic that can be controlled at the same time. WHO has been in full response mode since we were notified of the first cases.”
In the UK, British Chancellor Rishi Sunak set aside £30 billion to tackle coronavirus and announced £600 billion of public spending over the next five years in the first Boris Johnson government budget on Tuesday.
The last time the WHO declared a pandemic was in 2009 for the H1N1 influenza outbreak.
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