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Schools closed from Tuesday in drastic bid to curb coronavirus spread
By Benjamin Preiss and Rob Harris
School holidays will be brought forward to this Tuesday and all non-essential activities shut down in Victoria as the state government introduces drastic measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Hours after the Victorian government announced its extreme action plan on Sunday, the AFL made public its decision to postpone the home and away season until the end of May after playing just one round.
The national cabinet meets on Sunday nightL L-R foreground: Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Phil Gaetjens, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy, speak with NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian (on screen).Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Premier Daniel Andrews said he would tell the national cabinet on Sunday night that Victoria was moving ahead with its dramatic plan in order to save lives.
"This is not something that we do lightly, but 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," Mr Andrews said.
"Victorians will still be able to go to the supermarket, the bank, the pharmacy and other essential stores, like petrol stations and convenience stores. Freight, logistics and home delivery are also considered essential and will remain open."
Prime Minister Scott Morrison told Australians to avoid all non-essential travel and warned more restrictions from state and territory governments would be inevitable.
Premier Daniel Andrews has announced school holidays will be brought forward to Tuesday but no decision has been made about when schools will re-open. Credit: AAP
"We will give you as many rules as we can and as many guidelines, but we need you to think carefully about what you are doing and your behaviour and the impact it has on others," Mr Morrison said.
Many independent schools had already decided to close early.
The state government is set to announce on Monday whether childcare centres are to be closed.
As the health crisis deepened, Carlton & United Breweries said it was "greatly concerned" there would be no beer available for at least three months if beer was not given exempt status.
Widespread closures are expected in the retail sector.
The decision will have a major impact on cafes and bars, but delivery services will be allowed to continue.
Eateries are expected to be closed to people dining inside.
The Victorian and NSW governments announced similar decisions on Sunday afternoon.
Scenes of people flocking to Bondi beach and reports of Victorians disregarding social distancing requirements in cafes and bars were factors in the government's decision.
The number of confirmed cases reached 296 in Victoria on Sunday up by 67 cases – the biggest jump in one day so far, with six people recovering in hospital. The new cases comprised 42 men and 25 women with ages ranging from late teens to early 80s.
By 4pm, the total number of cases confirmed in Australia had reached 1315. The death toll remained at seven, with no fatalities in Victoria.
Almost 23,000 Victorians have been tested so far.
Mr Andrews said the decision to enact the extreme measures was based on advice from Victoria's Chief Health Officer, Brett Sutton.
The Premier said the decision on whether to re-open schools after the term-one holidays would also depend on advice from Dr Sutton.
The school term in Victoria was due to finish on March 27.
Sources told The Age there are no immediate changes to public transport timetables, but further announcements are expected on Monday.
Public transport is considered an essential service.
On Sunday morning, Mr Morrison flagged stronger containment measures, saying they would also be introduced in "localised areas" to deal with outbreaks.
"Those decisions will be being made by state premiers and chief ministers as they apply to their individual jurisdictions," he said.
He said the need for social distancing was "deadly serious".
"People cannot be cavalier about these things. They must take them extremely seriously because lives and livelihoods are at stake," he said. "What we saw on the weekend at Bondi beach, I know would have been innocently done, but negligently done."
Public health experts warned that an extensive lockdown was required to avert the catastrophic consequences visited upon countries that have suffered a rising death toll due to their failure to contain the virus early.
Australian-born professor Adam Palmer, a faculty member in pharmacology and computational medicine at the University of North Carolina, warned that the actions of Australians to protect themselves and their families "cannot come soon enough".
He told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that Australia’s window of opportunity to avoid catastrophe was "closing soon".
"Deaths from the coronavirus COVID-19 have continued to grow exponentially in Italy nearly two weeks after a nationwide lockdown," he said. "This is horrifying but predictable and holds a lesson for Australia."
He said even by preventing all new infections in Australia, the number of detected cases would still grow "exponentially for a week or two".
"With cases in Australia growing 20 per cent daily, the number of deaths could increase a hundred times or more after we take actions to stop new infections, just as it has in Italy."
Professor John Dwyer, an immunologist and emeritus professor of medicine UNSW, said Australia should now avoid any incremental measures that would be "too little too late".
"If we don’t, we will see the same tragedy that has engulfed Europe and the US occur here."
Carlton & United Breweries corporate affairs vice-president Julian Sheezel warned that major breweries could not be turned off and on quickly. "After re-opening there could be three months of no beer for pubs and bottleshops," he said.
"The UK and other countries have kept retail and takeaway alcohol. We urge Australian governments to do the same."
Emergency packages for the most-needy Victorians in self-isolation will be distributed from this week.
Government authorities are also finishing a monitoring system to keep track of people who are required to go into self-isolation after returning from overseas.
About 6000 food and personal care packages are ready for distribution. They were assembled by Foodbank Victoria and will be distributed through the Red Cross.
The packs include long-life milk, pasta, canned fruit, cereal and sugar. Personal care items like deodorant and toothpaste will also be included, while specialised items like nappies will be provided to those who need them.
The packs will be delivered starting on Monday and can be accessed by calling Victoria's coronavirus hotline on 1800 675 398.
Who gets the packages will be decided on a needs basis, to ensure they reach the people who need them most.
On Sunday morning Deputy Chief Health Officer Annaliese van Diemen said a monitoring system would be introduced for people who had arrived from overseas, which would include confirming they were in self-isolation via text message.
“Very shortly they will also be checked on a daily basis,” she said.
With Rachael Dexter and Jennifer Duke