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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Christopher Knaus (now), Calla Wahlquist (earlier) and Amy Remeikis (earlier)

PM announces pubs, clubs and cinemas to close, schools stay open in stage one measures – as it happened

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That’s where we’ll leave our live coverage for the night. We’ve obviously heard some pretty dramatic new restrictions announced by the prime minister this evening, after what has been a confusing day of back and forth on school closures and non-essential service shutdowns between NSW, Victoria, and the federal government.

More detail is expected to emerge from tomorrow and we’ll continue to keep you up-to-date, both through our live blog and our dedicated Covid-19 reporting.

Stay safe, readers. Please, please do comply with the advice on hand hygiene and social distancing. If you don’t care about your own health, at least do it for others. Do you really want to be responsible for giving someone a potentially fatal illness?

PM says pubs, clubs, casinos, cinemas will close from midday tomorrow

Just a quick recap on that significant press conference from the PM.

He told us:

  • From midday tomorrow, registered and licensed clubs, licensed premises in hotels and pubs, entertainment venues and cinemas, casinos and nightclubs will all close
  • Restaurants and cafes will be restricted to takeaway only.
  • Indoor sporting venues and places of worship will close.
  • Enclosed spaces for funerals and “things of that nature” will have to follow the strict four square metre rule which will be enforced.
  • on schools, Morrison said the clear medical advice is that schools should remain open. He said he does not want children to miss a school year. Victoria and NSW would re-open schools after the imminent school holiday period, he said, so long as the medical advice allowed it. Schools would move toward online learning but remain open for students who needed it, he said.
  • Morrison said this was only stage one of the social distancing measures. If Australians fail to adhere to the rules, more draconian measures will be introduced. Stage two has not yet been defined or discussed.
  • Shopping centres are not being closed, he said, and there is no reason to hoard.
  • Bottle shops are also remaining open. Home deliveries and takeaway food businesses will also continue to operate.

Updated

Brendan Murphy is asked about children’s ability to spread the virus. He says authorities cannot rule it out, but that there is no evidence that major spreading has occurred due to children.

There is no data internationally anywhere in the world that shows that major spreading of this virus has occurred with children. We are not ruling it out. It is possible. But we think the risks and benefits are on the other side. I agree with you and we have been asked again by the national cabinet to consider next week which members of the workforce, both schools, healthcare, aged care, who are vulnerable because of their age and co-morbidities should not be required to go to work. That is a very important issue and we need to protect the workforce in every scenario.

Updated

Morrison confirms hairdressers and beautician businesses will remain open.

The only ones that can’t remain open and provide those services are the ones I’ve listed to you. Only those ones.

That list again is:

  • Registered and licensed clubs
  • Licensed premises in hotels and pubs.
  • Entertainment venues and cinemas, casinos and nightclubs.
  • Restaurants and cafes will be restrict to takeaway only.
  • Indoor sporting venues.
  • Places of worship.
  • Enclosed spaces for funerals and “things of that nature” will have to follow the strict four square metre rule which will be enforced.

Updated

Chief medical officer Brendan Murphy said the unanimous view of all state and territory chief medical officers was that schools should stay open. Murphy says there have been hardly any cases in children.

We reaffirmed our position that the risk to children of coronavirus is extremely low. We’ve had hardly any cases in children in primary school children and the international experience is that it is a very, very low risk of symptomatic infection. We don’t know whether children may be transmitters. There isn’t good evidence and there hasn’t been evidence of published cases where there’s been significant transmission in a school. There are some people who believe that closing schools may contribute to social distancing. Our view, the consensus view of all of the chief health officers we signed up to today was at this time schools should stay open. We are talking about measures for the long term for several months and that’s why we made that decision.

Morrison says Victoria and NSW had committed to reviewing the medical advice at the end of the imminent school holiday period and re-open them, should the health advice allow it.

Morrison says there is no reason for people to hoard. People are not being confined to their homes. Shops will still be open.

We are not putting in place lockdowns that put people and confine them to their home. That is not a measure that has been contemplated at this point. So there is no reason for anyone to do that. There is also no reason for anyone to rush to one of those venues tomorrow before midday.

Shopping centres are not closing, he says.

Shopping centres are not closed. I have not said that tonight. I’ll go through the list again. Closure of pubs, registered and licences clubs, excluding bottle shops to these venues, the off-licence component, hotels in their licensed venues but excluding the accommodation, gyms and indoor sporting venues, cinemas, entertainment venues, casinos, night clubs, restaurant and cafes, which will be restricted to takeaway and/or home delivery as any other venue can. Religious gatherings, churches and places of worship, and for funerals or things of that nature in enclosed spaces it must be within the 4 square metre rule to apply to those venues.

Morrison flags more strident measures if Australians do not follow the guidance on social distancing, including in shopping centres.

As we’ve just made very clear, that when that doesn’t occur, then more dramatic measures have to be introduced. I would simply ask Australians to be calm and exercise some sensible judgement.

Updated

Chief medical officer Brendan Murphy says our lives must change dramatically if Australia is going to get through the pandemic. Every Australian must play their role. Young people must remember that their actions could kill elder, more vulnerable Australians.

If Australia is going to get through the challenge of this pandemic over the coming months, we have to live differently. We’ve been making that point very clear over the last week. But it’s also clear that some people haven’t got it. I’m particularly talking to young people who may think they’re immune to the effects of this virus. It’s true, most young people don’t get significant disease. But as a young person you don’t want to be responsible for the severe and possibly fatal disease of an elder, vulnerable Australian. We have to stop the rapid spread of this virus. There has been very significant increase in cases over the last few days. Still a lot of imported cases, but definitely some community transmission. The PM has said people have not been getting the messages and we have had to take, we’ve recommended unanimously that these fairly dramatic and drastic recommendations be put in place because we have to stop those situations where viruses pass readily.

Updated

Morrison says children should go to school on Monday

Morrison says the medical advice on schools has not changed. He says children should go to school on Monday. He does not want to see children lose a year of their schooling. Arrangements for distance learning are being made, but these will take time, he says. But he says parents will also be allowed to keep their children at home, if they so choose.

What we will be doing though is allowing parents in, to the end of this year’s school term, to be able to keep their children at home where they choose to. But for all of those parents who wish to send their children to school, for an education at the school, those schools will remain open. In addition, schools will seek to provide learning at home in a distance learning framework but you cannot be assured that that will come in place immediately.

Victoria’s school term was due to end soon, anyway, he said, and they’ve simply brought it forward.

The premiers and chief ministers all have the same view that schools should reopen on the other side of the term break, subject to the health advice at that time. Parents who have choose - make the decision for the children to remain at home must take responsibility for those children. Those children are staying at home, it is not an excuse for them to go down to the shopping centre or to go and congregate somewhere else or potentially put themselves in contact with the vulnerable and elderly population. If you choose to keep your child at home, you are responsible for the conduct and behaviour of your children.

Updated

Morrison announces dramatic restrictions on businesses

He announces tough new measures on social distancing, which will see some businesses close from midday tomorrow.

The restrictions are significant. This is only stage one of the social distancing regime, he says. From tomorrow, at midday, the following businesses will be closed or restricted in their trade.

  • Registered and licensed clubs
  • Licensed premesis in hotels and pubs. Entertainment venues and cinemas, casinos and nightclubs.
  • Restaurants and cafes will be restrict to takeaway only. Indoor sporting venues.
  • Places of worship.
  • Enclosed spaces for funerals and things of that nature will have to follow the strict four square metre rule which will be enforced.

Importantly, bottle shops will be exempt. They will not be restricted because they are not a place of gathering.

Home deliveries and takeaway food businesses will continue.

Australians have disregarded social distancing: PM

Scott Morrison is speaking now with the chief medical officer Brendan Murphy. He moves to reassure Australians about the national cabinet process.

He says he will be announcing new measures on social distancing. He also makes a point of saying the advice on schools has not changed, despite plans in NSW, ACT, and Victoria to close schools to students.

On social distancing, he says people have been disregarding the advice. This has warranted new measures.

On the weekend, what we saw was a disregard of those social distancing practices. As people turned up to the beach in large numbers, crammed venues in our major cities. As I flagged this morning, this sent a very clear message to premiers, chief ministers and myself that the social distancing practices are not being observed as well as they should be.

Updated

Social distancing in parliament’s blue room, where the prime minister will speak shortly.

We’ve just got word that the prime minister will hold a press conference at 9pm. Sit tight.

Morrison says Australians appear to have acted more sensibly in terms of hoarding and socialising today, as opposed to yesterday.

I actually think the experience is different today.

Supermarkets were more orderly and the scenes at Bondi were not repeated, he says.

What we saw at Bondi beach was not OK. It was not even remotely OK. That sent a message [to governments]... that not enough Australians are taking this seriously.

On the economy, Morrison says:

The economy is going to be significantly battered by this in a way that I’ve not seen in my lifetime.

On potential death toll and infection numbers, he says nobody knows. He can’t be sure. No one can be.

What I can’t do is forecast an unforecastable situation.

Updated

Scott Morrison has done a series of pre-recorded interviews before heading into national cabinet. He’s also spoken to 60 Minutes.

He says:

We’re dealing with one of the most serious situations this country has seen, certainly since the second world war.

Morrison says it’s up to states to decide what measures to take in their own jurisdictions. He’s asked why NSW and Victoria is taking steps like closing schools and shutdowns, which the federal government has said is unnecessary.

I think we need to understand that this issue is moving extremely fast.

Is there conflicting advice, Morrison is asked?

No I have not seen conflicting advice coming forward to the national cabinet. I have not.

Should the federal government take over sole responsibility for the response?

I have no doubt that on some occasions on some issues, the states will go by themselves.

He goes on:

We need to recognise that states are responsible for what happens in their states.

The federal government has just announced it will suspend the community development programme. That program is a work-for-the-dole scheme in remote areas, which is chiefly designed for Indigenous Australians. The scheme is widely criticised for its unfairness and unworkability.

Ken Wyatt, the Indigenous Australians minister, said the work-for-the-dole activities will be suspended due to health concerns.

ACTU head Michele O’Neill said she would have preferred to see the federal government introduce a flat wage subsidy. That approach was taken in the UK.

O’Neill tells the ABC that the measures announced today overwhelmingly give money to business.

70% of the measures announced today go to business, and there is no guarantee, no absolute guarantee by those businesses that are going to get that money, that they’re going to keep people in jobs. Of course, they’ll get more money for the highest paid. The lowest paid you are, and if you’re in the tax-free threshold, the Government will give nothing to the employer to keep you in a job.

She’s also critical of measures allowing early access to superannuation.

Again, it’s a measure that is designed for the very lowest paid to be able to drain what is going to be their retirement income. And the problem with that, for example, is that if you fall below $10,000 and many, many of the lowest paid workers mainly women and workers in vulnerable positions, if they do that, they then in the middle of a health crisis, are also losing their death and disability insurance, and that is a serious consequence here.

Cassandra Goldie, the head of the Australian Council of Social Service, said it’s a huge relief that the Jobseeker payment has been doubled. But Goldie, speaking to the ABC, warned there were groups who would miss out. She names carers and people with disabilities who are on the higher pension would not benefit. She also said it’s her understanding that international students would be excluded, despite the prime minister saying they would be included if they were on youth allowance.

Goldie:

So there’s a huge relief that we’re seeing this doubling of the payment. And, of course, we’ll continue to urge the Government to make sure that this is a longer term direction that we’re seeing in terms of a substantial increase to Newstart. Look, we’re really worried about... There are some significant groups that are not included in this particular announcement today, particularly flagging for carers and people with disabilities who are on the higher pension. But many are in contact with us saying, “We’re really worried and very vulnerable”. And the point, you asked about students - that’s not our understanding that full time students will be included in this, nor international students. So we’re going to urgently follow up on that. And asylum seekers as well.

Just a quick recap on that interview with prime minister Scott Morrison, who appeared defensive and combative at times.

  • Morrison said it is now “academic’ whether Australia has a recession. He says he’s just trying to save as many lives as possible.
  • He said he was not annoyed by the decision of NSW and Victoria to announce state lockdowns ahead of tonight’s national cabinet.
  • Morrison could not give any real insight into what is meant by “non-essential services”, which will be shutdown under plans in NSW, Victoria, and ACT. He said questions were on that point were ultimately for the state and territory governments.
  • Morrison was pressed on the lack of coordination and cohesiveness in the response of state, federal, and territory governments. He says jurisdictions will respond according to their own situation. National cabinet, he says, was never meant to force total conformity in the responses of jurisdictions.
  • Morrison said the onus is now on all Australians to ensure the health system is not overwhelmed. We’re all fighting a war, he says.

Morrison is asked whether a recession is inevitable.

Those sorts of things are now becoming academic.

He’s asked if that means that “it’s going to happen”.

Well, that will be what it will be. What I’m trying to do is save as many livelihoods and save as many lives as I possibly can. That is my daily mission.

Morrison says the doubling of the Jobseeker payment, for those who lose their job in the current crisis, will begin almost immediately.

There’s the immediate payment that will come for them being on JobSeeker payment. There is the $750 payment which all of those on JobSeeker payment would receive that was from the package we announced a week ago. And then from then, the additional payments of $550 kick in every fortnight. That applies to sole traders whose business is down. They’ll be able to do that while trying to keep their businesses alive. For those who are in casual employment, and their hours reduced, that’s there for them, too. So what we’ve done is we’ve broadened the safety net and we’ve made it stronger, because we know those who are going to be in that situation are in the front-line of the impacts of what is occurring, and it’s already happening now and it is going to happen more in the future. And sorry to labour the point, but the more dramatic the measures we have to take to stop the spread of the virus, the more jobs will be lost.

He says those on the youth allowance (other) payment and those on temporary visas would be able to access the new benefits.

Updated

He says the onus is on all Australians to join the fight against Covid-19. He says whether the health system is overwhelmed “depends on all Australians”.

If Australians chose not to self isolate, if Australians choose to not observe the medical advice of keeping the distance that we’ve recommended, and then, we’d obviously be forced to take very draconian measures in shutting down, then if Australians don’t play their part, they can’t then believe that the system won’t come under greater stress. And this is why we’re trying to be so clear about this. Everybody, every Australian is enlisted against the fight against this virus. And if Australians don’t do the right thing, then they are putting other lives at risk.

Updated

Army may be brought in to secure food supplies

Morrison says the army could be used to help with food deliveries, if necessary.

Absolutely, of course it will. 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 New South Wales, have become overwhelmed. Now, it’s important that we provide that support and we’re there to help, and the Defence Forces are turning up, now, just like they were during the bushfires. But it’s a very different need.

Updated

Morrison says Australia is putting in place plans to ensure there are no food or medicine shortages. He says Australia “is better prepared on those issues than most countries in the world”.

And as I’ve said, there is no need, as the medical experts have said - there is no need to rush out and do the things that we were seeing some weeks ago. But equally, I need to address this - the suggestion that you can just lock the country down, or a state, for two weeks or four weeks, and the virus passes, is naive, and it’s false. That at the end of that two or four weeks and you ease restrictions, the virus just starts again. If you put arrangements in place that shut down large parts of the country and the economy, then you better be prepared to hold on to those arrangements for at least the next six months.

PM: states wanted collective position on schools

Morrison is asked whether he thinks states and territories are frustrated on the issue of school closures, and announced their own measures prior to national cabinet because they didn’t believe they’d get the outcome they wanted.

It was the states themselves who were the most adamant about a collective and agreed position on schools. They were the ones insisting on that consistent position between them all. Now, if they want to make different decisions, again, they are entitled to do so. But what they are doing is letting the other states know what they are doing - whether it is the decision made by the Premier, which was a sound decision, which dealt with the greater vulnerabilities of a greater population in Tasmania regarding travel. The same, absolutely, with Chief Minister Gunner, who I’ve been working particularly closely with on the dangers for remote communities. Every state has different challenges. Their geography is different, the population is different, the rate of spread of the virus is different. Their exposure to international flights at the outset of the virus - completely different. So to think that there is a cookie cutter one size fits all approach to every single state and territory is naive.

Updated

Morrison is asked about school closures.

Just on the health advice, Dan Andrews in Victoria says his state chief health officer has advised they should shut down schools early from Tuesday. That’s not your advice, is it?

Morrison responds:

The universal positions of all states and territories, including Premier Andrews, as recently as late last week, was that all schools should remain open.

Victoria, of course, today announced it would close its schools. Morrison is asked if he is annoyed that Victoria made that announcement before national cabinet.

No, I’m not. Because it’s not for any leader to be getting annoyed about anything. It’s about leaders being focused on the job they have ahead of them and respecting the job of other leaders. The Premier of Victoria has a responsibility to the people in his state, as does Premier Gladys Berejiklian have responsibility to the people in her state. And they need to make decisions that they believe are in the best interests of their state, and I trust them to do that, and where we can do that on a more consistent basis, then, of course, that is helpful. So at the end of the day, I respect their sovereignty in their own states. They will make their decisions and they will explain their decisions and they will implement them to the best of their ability.

Updated

PM says it's for the states to define 'non-essential services'

Morrison is pressed on what is meant by non-essential services. Does it mean workplaces? How do people know whether they should be showing up to work this week?

Morrison gives some idea of what it means, but says the question is ultimately one for the states and territories.

I understand that workplaces have been defined as essential and non-essential, and the legislation that the Victorian Government put together on essential and non-essential, excluded workplaces. But many workplaces, including public sector workplaces, are engaging to rationing how many people are coming into an enclosed space on each day, and that helps, actually, reduce the pressure on public transport systems, and reduce the proximity on which people are travelling together.

Updated

Scott Morrison is asked about the NSW and Victoria shutdowns of non-essential services. He says the decisions were a matter for the states, and notes the purpose of the national cabinet is not to have all states and territories making exactly the same decisions.

The point of the National Cabinet is not to have the same decision in all the states, but to ensure that as a group, we’re understanding the expert medical advice that’s provided and the states are providing the decisions best suited to their situation.

He’s asked why the states didn’t wait until tonight’s meeting to announce the shutdowns.

Tonight they will get further advice from the expert medical panel and they are taking advice from the medical experts in their own states, and that expert panel was held this afternoon, and I convened the meeting first thing this morning that we should meet tonight to consider their additional advice. But at the end of the day, David, the Premiers and the Chief Ministers will make their own decisions about what happens on those issues in their states. The Prime Minister does not make those decisions, they do. When they do, they will need to set out how that’s going to work.

He said the limits on non-essential travel, which he announced today, had been discussed and agreed to through national cabinet last night.

Updated

We’re about to hear from the prime minister Scott Morrison on ABC. He’s due to speak at 7.40pm, though it’s a pre-recorded interview, so it took place before the national cabinet.

Updated

Reports of some long, long lines at bottle shops prior to the lockdowns in NSW and Victoria.

Our political editor, Katharine Murphy, has described today as “one of the early tipping points in the story of this pandemic”. Sunday will forever be remembered in the history of this pandemic, she writes.

Australia went over a cliff on Sunday. What I mean by this is when we look in the future to write the definitive history of this period, this Sunday will be seen as one of the early tipping points in the story of this pandemic.

The main thing that happened was a significant spike in the number of coronavirus infections. Australia has now sprinted past 1,000 cases, with the number doubling over each of the past three days, and it is likely this acceleration is only the beginning.

The relentless creep of this pandemic is what is driving the rapid fire reactions of all the governments.

You can read the full analysis here.

The ABC has been assured it will not be affected by the non-essential service shutdown.

The prime minister Scott Morrison has just spoken to channel seven. He says the Covid-19 pandemic will be “the toughest economic situation we’ve likely seen since the Great Depression”.

National cabinet will meet tonight and is expected to examine stronger social distancing measures, school closures and non-essential service shutdowns.

NSW Health has issued a statement on the shocking decision to allow cruise ships, including the Ruby Princess, to dock in Sydney. More than 2,700 people were allowed to disembark from the Ruby Princess at Sydney’s Circular Quay, despite more than 150 cases of illness being logged onboard. The Ruby Princess now accounts for 26 confirmed cases of Covid-19.

The statement appears to, at times, shift the blame to the federal government. NSW Health says it was simply following, or exceeding, the requirements of the “national protocol” used to manage cruise ships. Here it is in full:

NSW assessments on cruise ships entering our ports has exceeded Federal Government protocols and was doing so, well in advance of the National Protocol*, that was issued on March 6 2020.

Notwithstanding that, the Federal Government has not increased any protocol procedures relating to cruise ships since March 6.

Today, the NSW Government further enhanced its procedures to minimise the risk of passengers with any respiratory conditions whatsoever from departing cruise ships until COVID-19 tests can be carried out on onshore laboratories.

Since February 14, NSW Health has applied assessment procedures to all 63 ships entering Sydney Harbour. The National Protocol does not direct jurisdictions to do such assessments but instead, leave it to the State’s discretion.

Contrary to some public statements made, every cruise liner that has entered NSW ports has been the subject of an assessment well beyond Federal requirements.

The National Protocol states “provided there are no concerns about the COVID-19 risk profile of a ship or suspected COVID-19 cases reported, the human bio-security officer may advise the bio-security officer that pratique can be granted and the ship may be allowed to continue the voyage while samples are being tested”.

NSW Health undertook a full assessment of the Ruby Princess, notwithstanding under the National Protocol in place, it could have chosen not to do an assessment.

NSW Health again followed the National Protocol that states “the ship may be allowed to continue the voyage while samples are being tested”.

However, as of midnight March 22, NSW Health will go even further beyond the National Protocol and its current own State protocols and will hold all cruise ships in port until any patients highlighted as having respiratory issues are tested for COVID-19.

The increased testing regime follows 26 confirmed cases of COVID-19 from the Ruby Princess, including 17 passengers and 1 crew member diagnosed in NSW, and 8 passengers diagnosed interstate (as of 8 pm yesterday).

Updated

Carlton and United Breweries, the company whose mistreatment of 55 workers prompted national outrage in 2016, says it is concerned about brewery jobs after the Victorian government announced its shutdown of non-essential industries.

ACT says schools will be 'pupil free' from Tuesday

Just back to the ACT momentarily, the government has also announced it will be shifting rapidly to online learning in schools. The government has reported that a student of Lyneham High School is a newly-confirmed Covid-19 case.

Education minister Yvette Berry said all schools in the ACT will now go “pupil free” from Tuesday.

What that means is no student will be coming to school. Schools will still be operational in that teachers and school staff will be at school on Tuesday March 24 until the school holidays begin. What teachers and school staff will be doing is preparing to move to a different kind of learning.

Schools will instead shift to new forms of learning, primarily online. Berry and the ACT Chief Health Officer Dr Kerryn Coleman just held a briefing, with much more detail. You can watch it here:

Updated

FFA plans to continue with A-League for now

The Football Federation Australia (FFA) has just issued a statement on the future of the A-League. It says it will allow the “leagues to continue with additional measures in place”. But it also says it is closely watching tonight’s national cabinet meeting and will make further announcements tomorrow.

FFA CEO James Johnson said:

The health and wellbeing of the players continues to remain our top priority and we will not be afraid to make decisions to ensure this, no matter how hard they might be.

We were very comfortable to take the initial decision to allow the Leagues to continue with additional measures in place and have worked through a number of scenarios to facilitate the completion of the A-League season. However, we remain under no illusions as to how fluid this situation is so we will remain agile and responsive to the challenges this pandemic brings. We are continuously assessing our position based on the latest directives and advice from the Government and Chief Medical Officer, and in consultation with our National COVID-19 Working Committee.

We are taking every precaution in line with Government advice and working closely with the League and clubs which have implemented additional measures to ensure players remain healthy and in good physical and mental condition. Our priority is to ensure that this remains the case to give the clubs and players the best chance of achieving their sporting aspirations.”

This announcement follows the FFA’s decision last week to suspend all grassroots football until 14 April 2020.

The National Farmers Federation is urging state and federal governments to classify the agriculture and the food supply chain as an essential service, thereby keeping it open in broader lockdowns. Fiona Simson, the NFF president, said the farmers federation had been in discussion with government as recently as this afternoon.

The NFF has been assured that agriculture and the food supply chain will not be interrupted, despite the closure of travel between some states.

This is in line with the prime minister’s commitment to prioritising lives and livelihoods. The continued provision of quality fresh produce is paramount to safeguarding the wellbeing and health of the nation.

Updated

Today's global developments on Covid-19

A quick whip around the rest of the world:

  • The Russian military will send medical help to Italy from today, including mobile disinfection vehicles and medical specialists.
  • UK military planners have been drafted in to help feed vulnerable people.
  • China is diverting all Beijing-bound international flights to other airports for checks before allowing them to continue.
  • Singapore has banned the entry and transit of all foreigners, except those with work permits in essential services.
  • Hawaii became the first US state to require 14 days quarantine for all arrivals.
  • India has announced a curfew from 7am to 9pm Delhi time.
  • The Italian PM ordered businesses to close all operations.
  • More than 50,000 people queued to see the Olympic flame in northeast Japan. Meanwhile Olympic officials are reportedly workshopping delaying the games despite the Japanese government’s insistence it go ahead.
  • Thailand has reported 188 new cases on Saturday.
  • Italy has reported 793 new cases
  • South Korea has 98 new cases
  • Mexico has 48 new cases
  • Philippines has 73 new cases
  • Mainland China reported 46 new cases, including the first domestic case in four days
  • Argentina had 67 new cases, with the security minister not ruling out declaring a state of siege.
  • The Caribbean region has surpassed 400 cases.
  • Colombia recorded its first death.
  • Guam reported the first death in the Pacific region.
  • Bolivia has postponed its presidential elections.
  • Former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz died of Covid-19.
  • Palestinian health officials have reported the first two cases in the Gaza Strip.

NRL to continue season

The NRL’s approach is seemingly unchanged by the AFL’s announcement today. The NRL has just tweeted it will push on with games until told otherwise.

NRL.com has just reported that:

The NRL has reaffirmed its commitment on Sunday to continue playing the Telstra Premiership season for the time being.

ARL chairman Peter V’landys said it was the Commission’s intention to proceed with the competition until there is advice from government to shut down matches.

Here’s the full statement from ACT chief minister Andrew Barr on the shutdown of non-essential services. The territory is still working to define what is essential, and what is non-essential. It will have an answer within 48 hours.

But the ACT will model its approach on NSW’s, so we’re likely to see the shutdown of cafes, restaurants, and bars, among other things.

Following similar announcements from the Premier of Victoria and the Premier of New South Wales, I will also be informing National Cabinet that the ACT will proceed to a more comprehensive shutdown of non-essential services over the next 48 hours. I expect all states and territories will do the same.

I believe this decision is in the best interest of Canberrans, and will help slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community. Despite measures in place to discourage social interaction, there are still too many instances where people are exposing themselves to contracting the virus which is leading to an unsustainable increase in confirmed cases across the country.

We must also face the reality that, as a Territory within NSW, it would be impossible for the ACT to have different arrangements than those in our surrounding region.

We will ensure that Canberrans continue to have access to the services they need – supermarkets, petrol stations, banks, pharmacies, post offices and convenience stores. Freight and logistics will also be considered as an essential service. Over the next 48 hours, we will define these essential services and work closely with retailers on their requirements.

As the ACT has maintained, we will be following the recommendations from National Cabinet on the operation of schools. We will be transitioning to an alternate distance education program for most students on Tuesday as well as continuing to provide a face to face education program for those students who need it.

I will be updating the community following National Cabinet this evening on next steps for the ACT.

Updated

Barr says the lockdown is needed to slow the spread of Covid-19.

This is an unprecedented situation; we must all act together now to ensure we stop and slow the spread of this virus.

We cannot stress the seriousness of this situation enough for our city, for our country.

The ACT had 19 confirmed cases at midday. Barr says the shutdown will be discussed at national cabinet this evening. He says he expects all states and territories to take a similar stance.

Updated

ACT announces shutdown of non-essential services

The ACT has become the latest jurisdiction to shut down non-essential services. The shutdown will take place within 48 hours.

Andrew Barr, the chief minister, says the current measures to limit social contact have not prevented all Canberrans from “exposing themselves to contracting the virus”.

“We must also face the reality that, as a Territory within NSW, it would be impossible for the ACT to have different arrangements than those in our surrounding region,” Barr said.

Barr says that supermarkets, petrol stations, banks, pharmacies, post offices, and convenience stores will stay open. Freight and logistics are also considered an essential service.

“Over the next 48 hours, we will define these essential services and work closely with retailers on their requirements.”

Updated

The social distancing messaging really does not seem to be getting through to people. This vision shows a closed Sydney beach. It’s still crowded.

In saying that, here’s what Bondi looked like today, following its closure. A far better picture than yesterday, when it was packed.

The shadow treasurer, Jim Chalmers, has just issued a statement about the federal government’s second stimulus package, announced this morning.

Chalmers says the opposition is supportive of the stimulus, but has a range of concerns. He warns “this is no time for half measures or delay”.

While there are some welcome measures in this package, Labor is concerned this response lacks urgency, leaves gaps in support and does not go far enough to protect jobs.

No measure announced today guarantees that support will be used to keep workers on, and many struggling households could miss out on support.

Every Australian needs the government to get this right, which means getting the original stimulus and today’s additional measures out the door as soon as possible, and urgently closing the gaps identified by Labor and others.

Labor is concerned that there is no guarantee that businesses who get money will use it to keep workers on. They fear the new coronavirus supplement will not be available to many families, “particularly given there has been no change to the income test”.

Labor fears that payments to households, including pensioners, is coming too late and that cash flow assistance to businesses will not help otherwise viable businesses that are at risk of collapse.

Chalmers says there is a lack of substantial support for sole traders and the self-employed to help them stay in business and raises concern about the early release of superannuation, which he says should only be done as a last resort.

Updated

There are some groups that have missed out on the big boost to fortnightly income support payments announced by the Morrison government today. That includes age pensioners, disability support pensioners, and students receiving Youth Allowance, Austudy and Abstudy.

The payment rates for students recipients varies significantly and are based on age, and other circumstances, but most people get about $452.50 per fortnight.

The National Union of Students says these recipients should also get the $550 coronavirus supplement in a statement:

Thousands of young people who are studying generally receive Youth Allowance (student/apprentice or Other), Newstart or Austudy/Abstudy to supplement their income, and for some, survive while studying.

What this exemption means is that students now have an incentive to drop to part time study to receive the higher JobSeeker payment, jeopardising both their education and defunding higher education. By not extending this package to the payments we rely on, full time students who have lost their jobs and are now eligible for income support will be punished for being studying full time. This needs to be addressed immediately.

The focus will now turn to other sports, chiefly the NRL and A-League. Danny Weidler, a reporter with channel nine, reports that the NRL still wants to play next week.

We’ve still heard little from the A-League.

AFL season suspended

Let’s recap on what we just heard from Gillon McLachlan, the AFL’s chief executive.

  • A sombre McLachlan announced the 2020 season had been suspended. No games will be played until at least May 31.
  • The AFL will consider medical advice at May 31, and make a decision on whether it can resume matches.
  • McLachlan said the AFL still wants to complete all matches at some point. But the organisation is still working out how that can work.
  • McLachlan described the decision as unprecedented and unimaginable and said it represents the most serious threat to the game in its history.
  • The AFL and clubs are now facing serious financial difficulties. McLachlan says there is work to be done to ensure clubs have liquidity and that the organisation is seeking credit to meet the shortfall it now faces.
  • AFLW’s season will be cancelled. No premiership will be awarded.

McLachlan says the situation has changed dramatically in the past week.

Clubs are shocked. It’s become very real in the last couple of hours and it’s going to be a very real couple of days as we have honest conversations with staff.

He says the organisation is working collectively to “secure liquidity” . He says it was too difficult to name a premier in the AFLW competition, because the conference structure made it too complex.

He says:

We’ll do what we need to do to survive as an industry.

Updated

McLachlan is clearly shocked. He looks gutted and describes the situation as unimaginable and unprecedented.

We hoped this day would be a little further down the track, but as soon as the measures hardened it’s time for our game to suspend for 60 days.

He says he’s working with clubs to develop medical protocols and secure credit to help cover the shortfalls the sport will face.

McLachlan says the AFL still plans to play its remaining games, somehow.

Everyone involved in our game will be impacted by the decision and many people will suffer significant hardship. But we all have a responsibility to the community and each other.

We’ve been given advice by the government and the CMO that we could start the season but that the season would be paused at some stage. It was right to start the season and now it’s right to stop.

The plan is to play the remaining games this year.

AFL facing 'most serious threat' in its history

McLachlan is not mincing his words. He says the threat to the sport is grave.

“Our key focus, like every organisation in the country, is to do everything to slow the spread of the virus.

“To say this is the most serious threat to our sport in its history is an understatement.”

Updated

McLachlan is speaking now. He says:

“Games will be suspended until May 31. The situation will be reviewed at the end of April.”

He confirms there will be no premiership awarded in AFLW.

“No premiership will be awarded in the AFLW, as per the recommendation by the executive.”

Training is also to be stopped, and McLachlan says the May 31 date could be pushed back, depending on medical advice.

“All training will be suspended.”

McLachlan says the situation is unprecedented.

“The AFL industry is facing its biggest financial crisis in its history.”

Still waiting for Gillon McLachlan to speak to the press but the AFL website is carrying the statement that season 2020 is postponed and the AFLW season cancelled at the preliminary final stage. There has been no confirmation from either the NRL or A-League about their plans with both competitions currently progressing behind closed doors.

Just back on sports, for a moment. Jonathan Howcroft, our reporter, tells me that both the A-League and NRL are still considering their options for the season. We also know that Super Rugby, which had already suspended its season, is attempting to restart it through a domestic competition that would stop any international travel.

The AFL reportedly had a phone hook-up with club officials today, in which they were told that no games would be played before June. That timeframe could be “significantly pushed back”, according to AFL.com.au.

“There remains, though, a commitment to somehow play the remaining 144 matches of the 2020 season, which was last week reduced to a 17-game-per-team fixture.”

Updated

Chris Bowen also warns that the lack of coordination and mixed messaging between states and the federal government is creating confusion. That comes after NSW and Victoria announced their own tough shutdown measures today.

While we understand states have made different approaches, we call on as much of a coordinated approach as is humanly possible, obviously led by this building, to ensure the rules are consistent. We’re seeing confusion out there and people not understanding how the social distancing rules should work and whether they can go to the beach or not. With things moving so fast we do understand there will be some confusion. The more consistent the message, the more consistent the rules and approach, the more success we’ll have. We cannot continue to see this virus double every three days or we will see more and more pressure on the health system. We just have to be honest about that.

Updated

Labor warns measures to tackle Covid-19 crisis 'not working'

Anthony Albanese, the opposition leader, and Chris Bowen, shadow health minister, are speaking in Canberra. Labor has met with the prime minister today. Albanese says Labor will take a constructive approach to the government’s stimulus. Labor will make constructive suggestions, but will not “stand in the way of economic stimulus”. Albanese:

It may well be that we have a range of amendments and improvements, some of which we raised in the room, to suggest to the government of improvements in the way that the economic stimulus that was announced today and the one announced two weeks ago can operate. But we will be constructive and at the end of the day, if our suggestions aren’t taken up by the parliament, we will not stand in the way of economic stimulus because this is an absolutely critical time for the nation.

But Albanese has also warned that Australia is not doing enough, is changing its messaging too often, and is lacking a coordinated response.

Our first priority is the health of Australians and making sure that we limit the health impact of the coronavirus. Hence we are concerned and raised our concern and will continue to do so of the fact that we’ve seen a doubling in the rate of infections, reported every three days. That is not a path that we should be on. That is of real concern. And it shows that some of the measures simply aren’t working.

Updated

A bit more detail from our reporter Jonathan Howcroft, who tells me that the 2020 NAB AFL Women’s season has been cancelled, with no premiership to be awarded.

The AFL’s website reports that clubs were told on Sunday afternoon of the postponement. The scheduled Hawthorn-Brisbane and West Coast-Melbourne games will be completed. That will finish round one.

Updated

AFL 2020 season postponed

And just on that AFL announcement: we’ve just heard that the 2020 season has been postponed. Clubs have just received the news from AFL.

The suspension is expected to last until at least 31 May. It includes AFLW.

We’ll have more details as they come to hand, but here’s our initial news report:

Updated

Hi everyone.

It’s Christopher Knaus here taking over our live coverage of the Covid-19 crisis into the evening. We’re expecting a series of major developments. Most imminent is an announcement from the AFL, which is scheduled for 4.30pm. Stay tuned.

Here’s a handy visualisation of social distancing, if you’re trying to explain the concept to friends.

With that I’ll hand over to my colleague, Christopher Knaus.

To summarise what we just heard then from WA:

  • The WA border will close at 1.30pm Tuesday. NT and SA are also closing their borders from Tuesday. Anyone entering after that point will need to self-isolate for 14 days, and the police commissioner Chis Dawson indicated that self-isolation would occur at the point of arrival.
  • So, if you attempt drive from Melbourne to Perth after Tuesday, you will have one 14-day period of self-isolation in Bordertown, SA, and another 14-day period of self-isolation at Eucla, WA.
  • Exemptions will be made for freight, essential services, and 2,500 “critical” staff in the mining and oil and gas industries, who are based interstate but will be allowed to fly in.
  • The WA government is looking to acquire hotels in order to house people who have nowhere appropriate to undergo self-isolation, or who don’t want to self-isolate.
  • Rottnest Island, a former prison turned into a tourist destination, could be appropriated for this purpose.
  • WA recorded 30 new cases, including a doctor from the Royal Perth hospital, bringing its total to 120 cases.
  • Seven people diagnosed with Covid-19 in WA are in hospital, two in a critical condition.

Updated

WA police commissioner Chris Dawson said the Aboriginal affairs minister, Ben Wyatt, had met with Aboriginal people in the Kimberley to ensure the border closure between WA and the NT was understood, and to ensure that people do not enter remote communities unnecessarily.

Dawson:

The Aboriginal communities of course want to be protected, and we have place engagement with them, and certainly if you do not have an entitlement to go into Aboriginal communities you will be denied access. But we want to do this in a culturally appropriate way to make sure we protect the most vulnerable.

Premier Mark McGowan would not comment on whether he would close WA schools this week, saying it would be discussed at the national cabinet tonight.

He also said he thinks that Western Australia is managing the arrival of cruise ships better than New South Wales.

We have managed the cruise ships very, very well yesterday so quite different to what happened in NSW. Look, these are matters we will discuss later on this evening and these are extreme, extreme, extreme measures so we will discuss those this afternoon. They are extreme measures we are talking about but we want to do our best to protect all Western Australians so we will listen to the medical advice this evening. Any decisions we make are based on medical advice.

Updated

The WA police commissioner, Chris Dawson, had a bit more info on those self-isolation rules.

The requirement to self-isolate will not come into place until 1.30pm Tuesday. That’s different to South Australia, which is requiring self-isolation of all new arrivals immediately, but not actually policing the border until 4pm Tuesday.

Dawson said they were giving Western Australians 48 hours to return home.

If you’re travelling by road, you will need to be arriving over our border by 1:30pm on Tuesday, if you are not able to make it before then, and we want people to travel safely and calmly, then you either do not leave and stay where you are or if you are intending to come over, we will be putting in measures which may require you to stay for 14 days at that location.

They will be only exceptions for essential travel

Dawson said that cargo and essential services would be exempt from the quarantine requirement. Some travel associated with the mining sector will also be allowed, but that exemption only applies to critical staff on mine sites and oil and gas sites. That’s about 2,500 people from interstate flying in to work on mine sites.

Apart from those exceptions, people who arrive after 1.30pm on Tuesday will have to quarantine in place, Dawson said.

If you cannot make it... you will have to make arrangements to stay there or when you do arrive, you may be required to stay at Kununurra or Euclid.

(Those are the towns on the northern and southern roads into WA.)

Updated

WA government looking at using Rottnest Island as a quarantine centre:

WA premier Mark McGowan said the WA government was also looking at acquiring some hotels for self-isolation purposes, “so that we can have places to quarantine people who have difficulty self isolating or who will not self isolate”.

He continued:

In addition to that, we are now actively investigating using Rottnest for this purpose, taking Rottnest Island and turning it into a quarantine [location] for WA. The minister responsible for Rottnest is currently working on plans to ensure that we can put in place this measure as soon as we needed. These are extreme steps but these are extreme days and we need to all step up and play our part in one of the greatest crisis facing our state in its history.

Updated

Western Australia closes its state borders from Tuesday

Western Australia is closing its borders to all travellers from 1.30pm on Tuesday.

Anyone arriving after that date will have to self-isolate for 14 days — and it appears, from the way they are describing it, that the quarantine may occur at the point of entry.

This brings the number of states and territories with domestic border controls to four.

Premier Mark McGowan:

Can I urge all people from around Australia who want to come to WA on holidays, please, cancel your holidays. Please, cancel your holidays, otherwise you’re going to be required to self isolate in WA and there will be specific rules put in place for these people that the [police] commissioner will shortly outline. This is all about reducing the spread of coronavirus.

Updated

Western Australia records 30 new cases, bringing the total to 120 cases

WA premier Mark McGowan is speaking now, in Perth. He said that WA “is now in a war”.

McGowan said WA has recorded 30 new cases overnight, bringing the total number of cases to 120.

He said almost 9,500 tests have been undertaken so far.

Seventeen of the new cases are related to overseas travel.

Seven people confirmed to have Covid-19 are in hospital, and two are in a critical condition.

One of the new cases is a doctor from Royal Perth hospital, who is directly linked to the previously confirmed case of a Royal Perth hospital clinician.

Updated

The Australian Council of Social Service says a larger federal rescue package is needed.

Acoss says that extending the small business cashflow support to community services and charities was welcomed, but that the sector needed more support.

Acoss CEO Cassandra Goldie says:

Cashflow payments will make a real difference to the capacity of the charities and not for profit sector to continue to support people at most risk in our community during this health crisis and economic downturn.

We look forward to continuing to work with the federal government to ensure that a range of other measures are introduced as soon as possible to ensure that charities and not for profits can meet the inevitable increase to demand that will occur as a result of this economic downturn.

It has recommended, among other things: extending all business related stimulus measures to the community sector and not-for-profit organisations; creating a fund to enable community services to guarantee continuity of service; provide program level funding to community services that rely on individual level funding; provide additional funding for the housing and homelessness sector; and guarantee access to personal protected equipment.

Updated

Hospo Voice, the hospitality arm of the United Workers Union, has been tracking shifts lost in hospitality jobs due to the coronavirus.

Since launching the tracking website yesterday, 1,200 workers have reported that they have lost shifts or lost their jobs. So far 900 jobs, and 4,800 shifts, have been lost, which is almost $1m in weekly wages.

These shifts were lost before New South Wales and Victoria announced on Sunday that they would move to lockdown non-essential services. Cafés, restaurants, and bars are were not listed by either government in their indicative lists of “essential services,” which did include supermarkets, petrol stations, pharmacies and freight services.

The union is calling on the federal government to introduce a specific support package for hospitality workers.

Here’s national secretary Tim Kennedy:

We are hearing horror stories daily from our members across all industries of the impacts of losing work. We know hospitality is already one of the most insecure industries, with wage theft and exploitation of workers widespread,” Mr Kennedy said.

Hospitality workers need urgent action now or we will find they are not able to pay their bills, put food on their tables or keep a roof over their heads.

That is why we are calling on the Federal Government to step in immediately and make available a $2500 emergency payment plus a basic income payment while they are out of work of $740 per week (federal minimum wage) for at least the rest of 2020.

In addition, we need ongoing support for struggling hospitality businesses that do the right thing, we need to address exploitation in the sector and we need a real plan to make the industry sustainable into the future. Importantly, any measures should also extend to migrant workers.

The federal government stimulus package announced today includes an effective doubling of the jobseeker allowance for the next six months, and announced it would also waive the asset test and waiting periods to access the payment. So people left unemployed by this crisis will get about $1,115 per fortnight.

Updated

A quick summary of what has happened in the past few hours

Well. What a busy few hours. Just to recap:

Updated

Victoria announces shutdown of non-essential activity, starts school holidays on Tuesday

Victorian premier Daniel Andrews just released this statement, echoing an earlier statement from the NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian.

It goes further in announcing a school shutdown from Tuesday. Term one School holidays are due to start in Victoria on Friday, Andrews said he does not know at this stage whether they will re-open after school holidays on 13 April.

Here’s the statement in full:

I will inform National Cabinet tonight that Victoria will proceed over the next 48 hours to implement a shutdown of all non-essential activity across our state to combat the spread of Coronavirus.

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.

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, logisitics and home delivery are also considered essential and will remain open.

I will also inform National Cabinet that school holidays will be brought forward in Victoria, starting on Tuesday 24 March.

All measures to be implemented by Victoria are consistent with the health advice provided by the Victorian Chief Health Officer.

The decision whether to re-open schools after the Term 1 holidays will likewise be determined following advice from the Chief Health Officer.

I will have more to say on these measures tomorrow morning.

Updated

18 new cases linked to Ruby Princess cruise ship

Let’s go back to the latest data on Covid-19 cases in New South Wales, which reported 97 new cases overnight and a new total of 533.

Two particular groups are linked to clumps of new confirmed cases: backpackers in the Bondi area, and passengers on cruise ships.

First to Bondi. NSW Health said that “several” new cases were linked to backpackers in the Bondi area, and the risk has been traced to two parties:

  • Boogie Wonderland party at the Bucket List on Queen Elizabeth Drive, Bondi Beach, on Sunday 15 March between 4pm-11pm
  • Party at Club 77 (77 William St, Darlinghurst) from Midnight Sunday 15 March to 4am Monday 16 March.

Anyone who was at either of those parties has been asked to monitor their health closely and isolate themselves immediately should any symptoms consistent with Covid-19 develop.

The number of cases among passengers of the Ruby Princess cruise ship has risen to 18. That ship docked in Sydney on 19 March.

In all, there are five cruise voyages in Sydney linked to 25 cases.

The Voyager of the Seas, which docked on 7 March, and returned on 18 March, is linked to one confirmed case on each visit.

The Ovation of the Seas, which docked on 18 March, had two confirmed cases.

The Celebrity Solstice, which docked on 19 March, has reported one case diagnosed in New Zealand.

All passengers and crew have been notified and advised to self-isolate for 14 days and monitor symptoms. Investigations are continuing.

Two more cases have also been linked to a service of the Sydney Church of Christ on 8 March at the Ryde Civic Centre. More than 300 people attended that service, and nine have so far tested positive.

An additional two new cases with exposure identified as a Sydney Church of Christ service on March 8 at Ryde Civic Centre attended by more than 300 people, taking the total to nine.

Updated

More detail on the South Australia border closure:

While we have a moment, let’s go back to the announcement that South Australia is closing its borders.

Premier Steven Marshall announced this a short while ago. The SA police commissioner will also declare a major emergency in that state — that replaces the public health emergency that was previously declared, and means that emergency provisions are authorised under the Emergency Management Act and not the Public Health Act.

Police are responsible for enforcing that act, so the emergency management response will now be coordinated by the police commissioner. This is similar to what Tasmania announced on Thursday.

Marshall said the measure was announced after a number of cases in SA in recent days were of people who had contracted the virus after returning from interstate, or contracted it from people visiting from interstate.

This has forced our decision to close our borders in South Australia. We make this decision in the interest of public health in South Australia. People that are coming into South Australia, whether they are visitors or whether they are South Australians returning, will be required to undertake 14 days of self isolation. This is no longer something which is optional. It is mandatory. It is the social responsibility of every single person in this state to make sure that they are abiding by these rules.

The laws will come into force on 4pm on Tuesday. Border control stations will be set up at the airport, at train stations, and on roads entering SA — repurposing heavy vehicle inspections stations and biosecurity stations that already exist on the border.

Marshall said:

When people come into South Australia, from four o’clock onTuesday afternoon, they will be required to understand precisely the orders that will be in place. They will be asked to sign a declaration that they will self isolate and they will be required to provide SA Police with information on where they will be undertaking their self isolation. There will be tests on this important declaration and this commitment individuals regarding this very, very important Public safety initiative.

There will be some arrangements put in place along borders because we know that in country South Australia, sometimes two towns on either side of the border have a high level of interaction ... People that do live in those communities will be allowed to move between those communities once they have been identified as somebody in on of those communities but, I stress, if there is any reason to believe that there is an outbreak on the immediate other side of the border, then that’ll have to also be curtailed.

Marshall said there would be some “logical exceptions” to the quarantine requirements, particularly around freight.

Updated

NSW premier says she will introduce a 'more comprehensive' lockdown of non-essential services

Here is the full statement from the NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, on a “more comprehensive lockdown of non-essential services” in NSW.

The statement reads:

Tonight I will be informing the National Cabinet that NSW will proceed to a more comprehensive shutdown of non-essential services. This will take place over the next 48 hours.

Supermarkets, petrol stations, pharmacies, convenience stores, freight and logistics, and home delivery will be among the many services that will remain open.

Schools will be open tomorrow, though I will have more to say on this issue in the morning.

I will update NSW tomorrow morning about the impacts and our plans following the National Cabinet.

NSW to move to extensive shutdown of non-essential services

ACT education minister Yvette Berry said public schools in Canberra were prepared and preparing to transition to online learning, should a decision be made to close schools.

We are well placed for that shift and we have invested significantly in devices across our ACT school systems to ensure that we have the digital capability. Schools are being provided with both the time and support programs to make sure that we can do this transition as smoothly as possible when we need to make that decision.

Berry said that school principals would have a teleconference on Monday morning to ensure all were across the situation. Victoria is expected to push the issue of school closures at the national cabinet meeting in Canberra tonight.

Andrew Barr said the ACT government would undertake an immediate review of all locations across the territory where people may be continuing to gather together in significant numbers.

If they are on public land, we will be closing these facilities, [closing] all these areas down. If they are on commonwealth land, we will be asking the commonwealth to do the same.

He urged everyone to follow the advice on social distancing, and comply with self-isolation rules and travel restrictions.

We cannot stress the seriousness of the situation for our country, for our city ... Every decision that has been made at all levels of government in Australia is painful and we know that it impacts on our local economies and the way of life that we have come to expect. But we’re doing this try and save lives, but it will only be effective if Canberrans make the necessary changes to help slow the spread of the virus. So we need your support now than ever.

We need you to take action, we need you to take the physical distancing measures seriously. You should not be within 1.5m of another person unnecessarily. No handshakes. No hugging. We need you to avoid all non-essential travel. We need you to wash your hands regularly and often. Otherwise, the consequences will be dire. This is an unprecedented situation. We must now act together to ensure that we stop and slow the spread of this virus.

Updated

ACT chief minister Andrew Barr says that the territory could not close its borders, as Tasmania, the NT, and SA have done, but that the ACT had advised that non-essential travel by ACT residents should be suspended.

Barr:

The only travel outside of the Canberra region should be for work, for compassionate reasons, and to ensure the essential supplies and services that our region needs. If you travel to the ACT for work or for your essential services, you are considered to be part of the Canberra region. We are urging Canberrans to take a common sense approach to this instruction. And carefully consider whether you need to travel outside of our region for any of these reasons.

This means no holidays on the south coast. This means no weekends in Sydney or Melbourne. Visiting family and friends outside of the Canberra region has to be carefully considered and if it is not essential, do not do it.

These measures have been put in place nationally to slow the spread of the virus across regions. If someone is carrying the virus and they travel to multiple regions, while they are symptomatic, they are potentially spreading the virus. If you do not have the virus, but you travel to a region that does, you are increasing the likelihood of bringing the virus back to your hometown, to your place of work, or to your family

... The ACT cannot close its border but our region can be protected. And we will be working closely with New South Wales and surrounding local government areas to ensure that these measures work effectively.

Updated

ACT records 10 new cases, almost doubling total to 19

The ACT has reported 10 new cases of Covid-19, bringing the total as of midday to 19.

The new cases include 7 males and 3 females, aged between 21 and 67 years.

Eight of the cases are linked to overseas travel, one is a known close contact of a previously confirmed case, and one follows interstate travel from Queensland.

There have been 2,395 negative Covid-19 tests in the ACT so far.

Two patients are being cared for in Canberra hospitals, the rest are isolating at home.

I’ll bring you some comments from chief minister Andrew Barr shortly.

Victoria reports 67 new cases of Covid-19, bringing total to 296

Victoria’s chief health officer, Professor Brett Sutton, said 67 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed yesterday, bringing the total number of cases to 296.

The number of cases of confirmed community transmission in Victoria has risen to three.

Six people are in hospital, and 70 people have recovered.

More than 22,900 people have been tested so far. All but those confirmed positive, or awaiting results, were negative.

Only 25 of the positive tests were of people who live in regional Victoria. Cases have been recorded in the Geelong region, Ballarat, the surf coast, Warrnambool, the Macedon Ranges, Latrobe, Yarriambiack, Gannawarra, Hepburn, Moorabool, Mitchell, Mildura and Greater Shepparton. Most of those locations have only recorded one case.

Sutton said:

While most Victorians are voluntarily complying with requests to isolate, Police have strong powers to enforce the direction if it’s required. Under the State of Emergency people who don’t comply with a directive could receive a fine of up to $20,000. Companies face fines of up to $100,000.

For the virus to spread, extended close personal contact is most likely required. Close personal contact is at least 15 minutes face-to-face or more than two hours in the same room.

Extensive testing has shown that people who have passed through places where there was a confirmed case, known as casual contacts, have an extremely low risk of transmission and are not currently recommended for testing. This will help to ensure our hospitals, assessment centres and general practitioners can prioritise testing for those most at risk.

Finally, Paul Kelly was asked whether Australia had enough ventilators. Ventilator capacity has been a key limiting factor in the ability of countries overseas to treat all the severe cases they have seen in their health systems.

Kelly said Australia does have “quite a lot of spare capacity” in parts of the health system other than intensive care, and that will be used to support ICU. He also said Australia had domestic ventilator capacity — he didn’t quantify that.

Kelly:

I am confident we can actually ramp up ICU substantially and just to say this, intensive care is not he only thing that people need. We need hospital beds and we need to consider hospital in the home and we need to consider a range of options and model of care which may look quite different to what we are used to in relation to people that are ill. And we’re doing that work right now.

We have another infectious disease consultant who has joined us this week, Dr Nick Coatsworth. He is working with the society for respiratory physicians as well as the infectious diseases society and intensive care to do exactly that work with a view to having that all locked down and very ready to go this week.

‘We’re pretty much where I thought we would be’

Deputy chief medical officer Paul Kelly was asked if he was concerned at apparent exponential increases in the number of positive cases in Australia, despite the raft of measures implemented by the Australian government in the past week.

This is on the back of NSW reporting another 97 positive cases overnight.

Kelly said this is not an unexpected growth rate, and that it will take a bit of time for the social distancing measures, mass gathering bans, and requirements for travellers to self-isolate to have an effect.

Kelly said:

So we’re pretty much where I thought we would be so I’m not surprised we have got to 1,000 at this point. The issue is that some of these things firstly are not being fully implemented and they need to be.

We need to ramp up the communication to people about that, we need to make sure that people are listening, need to also start to consider enforcing some of these things, particularly in larger venues that are clearly not taking any notice of it. So these are things that we can do and must do over coming days.

Most of these extra issues, including the border restrictions for all travellers last weekend, it is only one week old so it will take one week or two for those things to start to bite. And at the moment most of our cases we are seeing in Australia are related to travel. So now that so little travel is happening, that will start to decrease over time and just to reinforce that, anyone who has coming to Australia since last weekend must stay at home. And self-isolate. This is not a please do. This is a must. And that will be really ramped up over the coming days in terms of reminders and so forth to people that they must stay at home and they must self isolate for the protection of the community.

Updated

States and territories may go it alone on school closures, says deputy chief medical officer

On the issue of school closures, deputy chief medical officer Paul Kelly said that he was aware of increasing rates of absenteeism from schools, as parents pull their children out, but he said the official advice, at this stage, was unchanged.

The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee, the national committee of chief medical and health officers, will discuss this when it meets at 4pm today.

Kelly said that schools could reduce the potential spread of the virus by enforcing messages about hand washing, cough etiquette, staying home when sick, and adequate school cleaning.

I recognise these are very difficult, particularly in the younger years of school, but reassuringly they have been very few cases of Covid-19 in children in Australia, similar to where we have seen the rest of the world, and of those cases, almost all of them have been extremely mild.

Asked about the suggestion Victoria could close schools early, and would push for school closures at the national cabinet meeting tonight, Kelly said:

In terms of what different states and territories might do, they will have to talk for themselves in relation to that. I know the prime minister is very keen on keeping a federal national approach but each of the states and territories have their own particular issues they need to deal with.

In Victoria the Easter holidays are starting on Friday anyway so closing on Tuesday would not be a huge change to that. But they may need to take their own individual situations into account.

Updated

Kelly said Australia had moved “very rapidly” to expand testing in the last month, and was continuing to expand testing. He said we would move to new rapid testing as those tests became available.

Kelly said that scenes like those at Bondi beach yesterday showed that the messaging on social distancing could be improved. He said that messaging could always be improved.

He also directly addressed younger people, saying “you are not immune”.

While the majority of people who have experienced a severe infection worldwide have been older, young people have got a severe infection and some young people have died. All young people can transmit the virus to more vulnerable people.

Australia has a ‘very low positivity rate’ in Covid-19 tests

Professor Paul Kelly said that of the more than 1,000 cases recorded in Australia so far, there were “very few people with severe illness”.

Only a few people requiring intensive care. And only seven deaths. That is very unfortunate for those seven people but seven out of a thousand is very different to where we have seen other countries to when they got to that milestone of cases.

He said that Australia had a high rate of testing and a low rate of positive tests.

This is because we are testing a lot. Over 120,000 tests have been done in Australia. This is one of the highest rates per head of population in the world. We have very low positivity rate, less than 1%, which is again very different to the US, UK, Italy and other places which have reached this [1000 cases] milestone.

We are testing, we are testing a lot and we are picking up cases early, getting them to isolate, finding their contacts and getting them to isolate and this is the way we can get on top of this epidemic.

Updated

We will go back to the South Australian news shortly but first the deputy chief medical officer, Professor Paul Kelly, is talking now about social distancing measures.

The most important thing is to make sure that we are indeed enforcing the measures that were introduced over the past week. We have seen many changes and this is continuing to impact on the lives of Australians and that is an unfortunate component of this but it is a really important one.

Everyone needs to take this virus seriously, and if we do want to take it seriously, we need to act now to decrease the rise in cases. This is very important ... I want to reassure Australians that government is taking the best medical advice and we are giving that on a daily basis, if not more frequently.

Kelly says that the social distancing rules are that everyone keep 1.5m apart, a ban on outdoor mass gatherings of more than 500 people, a ban on indoor mass gatherings of more than 100 people, and ensuring that indoor gatherings have space for at least four square metres per person.

He also says the hygiene messages — particularly around washing your hands for 20 seconds very regularly — sound simple but are “very important”.

If you have symptoms of a cough, fever, shortness of breath, the symptoms of Covid-19, you should stay home. That would be the best for your health and also to decrease the transmission of this virus into the community.

Updated

South Australia closes borders to domestic travel

South Australia has followed Tasmania and the Northern Territory in requiring all new arrivals and people returning to its state, including South Australian residents and domestic travellers, to undertake a mandatory 14-day self-isolation upon return.

You can watch the announcement from premier Steven Marshall here.

NSW records 97 additional cases overnight, bringing total to 533

As at 8pm, Saturday, 21 March, 2020, an additional 97 cases of Covid-19 have been diagnosed in New South Wales, NSW Health has said.

That brings the total number of confirmed cases in NSW to 533.

The source of infections to date:

  • Overseas travel: 251
  • Locally acquired from contact with a confirmed case: 131
  • Untraced community transmission: 46
  • Under investigation: 105

The number of negative tests, to date, is 52,130

Updated

Quiet, with some defiance, as Bondi Beach succumbs to coronavirus closure

Never have the perennially crowded waters on Bondi Beach looked so inviting.

But on a glorious bright March day, a late-season spark of brilliance against the encroaching autumn, the golden sand and blue-green waters were, if not deserted, uncannily quiet.

Rangers carrying loud hailers marched up and down the beach in socks and shoes telling people the beach was closed and that swimmers, surfers and sun bakers must leave immediately. Entries to the beach were taped shut with red-and-white tape. Signs insisted “area closed until further notice”.

Most people were adherent. (Despite Australians’ cherished self-image as a band of rugged nonconformists, this is a country that, in fact, embraces obedience.)

But there were defiant cases, official entreaties politely ignored. Surfers slipped under barriers or jumped into the water from the rocks at the north or south end of the beach.

Bondi Beach, a pictorial shorthand for Australia, has become emblematic of the nation’s struggle to respond properly to the outbreak. The trajectory of Australia’s coronavirus curve mirrors Italy more than it does Singapore. More than 1,000 cases have been reported, and while the death toll remains low, at seven, there are fears this could escalate if the health system becomes strained.

“Social distancing” is a lexical addition to every conversation, but its practice is haphazard. Cafes and restaurants are still full. People still seek out the beach on a sunny day.

Too, there is an abiding resentment at the imposition on civil liberties that social distancing is, when such egregious official mistakes are made.

On the same day that Bondi Beach was ordered closed, the NSW government allowed 2,700 people to walk off a cruise ship in Sydney’s CBD which had reported more than 150 illnesses. At least five people from the Ruby Princess have since tested positive to Covid-19, some of whom boarded domestic flights home.

And walking south from Bondi reveals the practical difficulties of enforcing a lockout rule along a rocky, meandering coastline, beyond the philosophical challenge of keeping Australians from the beaches they regard as their inviolable birthright.

Updated

The physical distance rules are being strictly adhered to in the press gallery as well.

Guardian Australia political editor Katharine Murphy watches the Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the Treasurer Josh Frydenberg at a press conference in the PM’s courtyard of Parliament House Canberra this morning.
Guardian Australia political editor Katharine Murphy watches the Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the Treasurer Josh Frydenberg at a press conference in the PM’s courtyard of Parliament House Canberra this morning. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

Police have also been authorised under the public health emergency to enforce the physical distance rules in Queensland

Queensland’s health officer has authorised liquor licencing officers to enforce the physical distance laws in social situations.

Queensland has also announced $17m investment to help fasttrack research at the University of Queensland for a vaccine for Covid-19.

There are now 259 confirmed cases in Queensland, with most cases in the south-east, and the majority having picked up the virus overseas. Another 38 people were diagnosed in the last 24 hours.

Updated

On the issue of closing beaches, Annastacia Palaszczuk says she is looking at it. She says she knows people live in those areas, which complicates things, but it is on the table.

“There are people still out there who think this won’t happen to us. Wake up,” she says.

Updated

On what Murph just reported about NSW and Victoria, Annastacia Palaszczuk says she expects tougher measures will be the outcome of the next national cabinet meeting.

But the Queensland local elections are still, at this stage, on.

The election is meant to be held this weekend.

Updated

The Queensland premier says there will be “tougher measures” coming.

“I 100% back in what the prime minister said about social distancing and all non-essential travel must be cancelled.”

NSW and Victoria to push for further bans, including schools

Things are moving very quickly today. National cabinet is meeting tonight instead of Tuesday.

I’ve confirmed that New South Wales and Victoria will seek a ban at today’s meeting on all non-essential activities (that means pubs, clubs and restaurants – not supermarkets).

The hope is to preserve a consensus rather than having states doing different things.

Victoria also wants to shut the schools from Tuesday this coming week.

Again the hope is to emerge with a consensus, but I gather Victoria is prepared to go it alone on schools in the event a consensus does not emerge.

Annastacia Palaszczuk is holding a press conference – she is calling for people to “stay in your neighbourhood as much as possible, unless you are working”.

“Coronavirus is on the Gold Coast ... I need everyone on the Gold Coast to listen very clearly to the messages I am giving.

... As mush as possible over the coming weeks and months, I need you to stay in your village.”

Updated

Mike Bowers was at that press conference the prime minister and treasurer just held.

Here is some of what he saw:

The Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the Treasurer Josh Frydenberg standing apart
The Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the Treasurer Josh Frydenberg standing apart Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
Scott Morrison listens
Scott Morrison listens Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian
Josh Frydenberg listens
Josh Frydenberg listens Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

With Victoria and NSW pushing for stronger lockdowns – including, in Victoria’s case, schools – the pressure is on Queensland, which is seeing a potential community transmission outbreak on areas like the Gold Coast, to not only follow suit, but cancel the local government elections which had been scheduled for next Saturday.

The government announcements can be found, in their entirety, here.

Updated

The Paul Ramsay Foundation has announced $9m in grants to support coronavirus-related scientific support, including $3.5m to the University of Queensland to accelerate the development of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Excitingly, the release from the foundation suggests the vaccine could be available worldwide in as little as six months, using the university’s rapid response technology. That’s 12 months quicker than the 18-month timeline most commonly referenced. The grants also include $2m to the Peter Doherty Institute, for the development of a “passive immunisation treatment”. In a statement, the foundation said:

“If successful, the treatment would involve production and injection of antibodies to provide immediate protection against infection, but which must be renewed every two months.

“The foundation is advised that this passive immunisation approach is promising because it may provide an interim treatment should the vaccine require more time to develop. It would enable medical and nursing staff to continue to work amid exposure to Covid-19, meaning health systems could sustain service through even the worst-case outbreak.”

Additional grants are $2m to help high risk communities, particularly Indigenous communities, and $1.5m to support other researchers.

Updated

This is also a live issue

The retail industry is about to issue a multi-billion rescue package for the industry

Latest announcements

OK, there was, once again, a lot to take in there.

The biggest takeaways:

The JobSeeker payment will be essentially doubled, with those eligible able to also receive a $550/fortnight coronavirus payment

People who see a 20% reduction in pay will also be able to access $10,000 from their superannuation. Another $10,000 will be made eligible in the next financial year.

Those eligible for the $750 stimulus payment at the end of the month will receive a second one in July.

Further “draconian” measures will be applied in areas which see an outbreak of community transmissions of Covid-19.

All non-essential domestic travel should be suspended.

More stimulus measures will be made.

The national cabinet is bringing its meeting forward to tonight, to discuss further lockdowns, including the closure of social businesses such as pubs and bars.

Updated

Scott Morrison ends the press conference as he began it – with a message about strength:

So look, while Australians may be self-isolating in many cases and keeping their distance from each other, I want to assure all Australians of this. That together we will get through this. We will not want to see anyone go through this alone, at the end of the day, through the support that we are providing. We need to support each other. We need to care for each other. And together, Australia, we will get through this, and we will emerge stronger.

Updated

Can some of Australia’s biggest businesses expect a line of credit from the government? That’s a question on things like airlines, which are about to lose whatever customers they had left.

Josh Frydenberg:

As you know, one of the major pillars in our economic response, in addition to our two stimulus packages, has been the move by the Australian Office of Financial Management, as well as the RBA, to inject $105 billion of liquidity into the system.

This will help the banks meet some of the demands from their existing customers. Let me emphasise, whether you are a big or small business, there is an alignment of your interest with the bank’s interest.

The banks want their customers to get to the other side. In fact, the banks know there is the other side to the coronavirus. I have been in daily discussions with the banks, and there is a real willingness to work with their customers to help them through this very difficult period.

Updated

At this stage, AFL and NRL players can continue to travel for games.

At this stage.

Welfare changes: what do they mean?

Let’s take a look at what the government is doing for people accessing Centrelink payments.

The main takeaway is that JobSeeker Payment (previously called Newstart) will be almost doubled for six months. The rate for a single person with no children will now be $1,115.70 a fortnight.

That will be accomplished with a massive $550 per fortnight top-up payment to everyone on JobSeeker Payment. It will apply to existing and new recipients.

(For a sense of scale, social service groups calling for a permanent boost to Newstart wanted a $95 a week increase.)

Crucially, the $550 top-up will not be affected by earnings. What this means is, while your dole payments will be tapered according to your earnings, as long as don’t earn $1,100 in a fortnight (which means you lose your payments all together), you will still get the full $550 supplement.

This will be crucial for casual workers and sole-traders, the government says.

The government is also waiving the liquid assets waiting test, meaning people will not have to whittle down their savings before accessing Jobseeker Payment.

People on Youth Allowance JobSeeker, Parenting Payment, Farm Household Allowance and Special Benefit will also get this $550 fortnightly top-up payment.

Notably, disability support pensioners (who currently receive a maximum rate of $944 a fortnight) do not appear to be eligible for the extra payment, according to the press release.

On top of the temporary boost to income support payments, there is also an extra $750 stimulus payment from 13 July 2020 to around 5 million welfare recipients, veterans and eligible concession card holders. The government says around half of those who will benefit from that will be pensioners.

Updated

Josh Frydenberg says the super changes need a law change, but that the industry itself should be fine:

It is a legislative change, and I just want to point out that the superannuation funds last year had about $300 billion in cash.

So the superannuation funds have the ability to provide what Treasury estimate to be about a $27 billion injection into the economy.

What we are talking about is less than 1 per cent of the funds that are currently under management in superannuation.

This is the people’s money, and this is the time they need it most. In respect to your second question, both the prime minister and I, as well as the finance minister, have said this is not our priority right now.

That is not our focus right now. When it comes to some of the bigger companies, you would have seen in a sector like aviation, that was hit, we made a number of announcements that are providing some relief there.

We continue to do some work around other measures that the government could take.

But as we have both made very clear, the prime minister and I today, this is not about set and forget.

This is the second package. The first package was a stimulus package. This second package is a safety net package.

We will continue to do what is necessary to support the Australian economy, to support Australian jobs and support Australian businesses.

Updated

And again on the issue of school closures – schools are to remain open for the time being:

That is the position of the advice and that is the decision that national cabinet has taken.

If there was any change to that, that would be based on any change to advice we have received from the medical experts, and any decision that has been made by the national cabinet.

The issues that we have been presenting on, importantly, on the medical advice that we have had, remain the same challenges.

It is still the case, and the evidence is, that the incidence of the coronavirus amongst younger people is far lower than it is for the rest of the population, and so the health risk to children is less, is our advice, than to other parts of the population.

It is also still the fact that, if there were widespread school closures across the country, that would seriously impact and disrupt the health workforce that is needed to save lives. And so that is a paramount consideration also of the national cabinet.

But we will continue to consider all of these issues based on the expert advice.

We will do that in a calm and reasoned manner according to the disciplined process we have set for ourselves, which means we are all working together and being nationally coordinated in our responses.

Updated

He then goes a little further on that same issue:

In relation to the last question, I can assure everybody that I have been following the same health advice on attendance to school that I have offered to all Australians. I want to be very clear about that.

But I would also ask, and this goes for all members of parliament and all public figures, I would ask you to be respectful about the privacy of our families and of our children.

I am aware of circumstances where the children of members of parliament and the schools they are attending were the subject of some attention.

I don’t think that is fair to our kids, I really don’t.

At this stage, Scott Morrison says schools are remaining open. On the issue of whether some states are pushing for the closures, the prime minister says:

My reaction to that is the medical expert panel, the AHPCC, is meeting this afternoon.

That includes the health officers of all the states and territories. They will form a view on all the range of issues I have asked them to form a view on.

That will be presented to all of the ministers this afternoon and we will meet as a national cabinet tonight to consider our response, and that is where I intend to provide any response to those recommendations.

That is the orderly and calm way to deal with these things and to make decisions in the responsive matter.

He also addresses the social media stories about his children being kept home from school (they were ill for a few days).

I don’t go into the health status of my children, thank you.

Updated

On the issue of supermarkets not being able to meet delivery demand, Scott Morrison says Home Affairs is now involved:

This is something the minister for home affairs has been working on in the national coordinating mechanism.

There are a number of issues that need to be addressed in terms of better warehousing and distribution when it comes to home supply.

Also you would have seen this week the Victorian government, I know that other state governments are doing it and we have done it also, to increase the resources going into things like Meals on Wheels and things of that nature to support things like home care packages, and we are very dependent on the services.

So it is important that we provide that resource support. What I am impressed by is that these private companies, whether it is Coles, Woolies or others, working very closely with us to ensure that we can resolve some of those logistical challenges that have been presented, and the minister for home affairs, Peter Dutton, has been together with his department working closely with them to resolve some of those problems.

Updated

If Australians don't stop gathering, they are inviting lockdowns, the PM says

If Australians don’t stop flouting the social distance rules, and ignoring the bans on gatherings, including in bars and pubs, Scott Morrison says governments will have no choice but to step in:

As you say, if there have been pubs and clubs that are heaving with people on the weekend, that is simply an invitation for the states and territories to shut them down.

And if they are unable to get a handle on that, then they are bringing on what would be their worst outcome, and there is a responsibility, both on those who run those venues and the patrons, I underscore, and those who are going to these venues.

I mean, coronavirus is not a secret. Everybody knows. It is wall-to-wall on every coverage, and every conversation happening around this country today.

And so there is no excuse to say you don’t know. It is one to 1.5m, it is a four square metre rule.

You have to keep a healthy distance between each other. If Australians can’t do that on a broad scale, then they are denying the governments and the authorities the most important weapon we have to save lives and to save livelihoods, and states and territories will have to take more severe responses to deal with that.

So we are simply appealing to people to show common sense, to respect each other, and do the right thing when it comes to following these very simple rules.

But inevitably, and I suspect soon, there will be need for in particular locations more extreme measures to be taken.

Updated

But the prime minister is staying out of the bun fight over who is to blame for allowing the Ruby Princess passengers, who had been exposed to Covid-19, to disperse in Sydney:

With the issues on the weekend, we will have lots of challenges and all of those who are working on those issues, whether those providing health clearances for those who leave the ships, which are down to the state level, or Border Force which is part of the process, they have to work together carefully. So I will not get into any issue or commentary on that event but what I will commit, as the premier and I discussed yesterday, is to double down on our commitment to working together as closely as we can.

On every occasion things will not go exactly as we might like it. People are working under extreme stress, often with limited information and we are going to support those people to make the best decisions they can. And the states and territories standing shoulder to shoulder with each other, and the commonwealth and other states, could face the same situation and you always learn from these situations and I thank all of those, whether it is the NSW government or commonwealth government, and I’m confident those issues will be addressed in the future.

Updated

On those stuck overseas, or on cruise ships, Scott Morrison says Dfat is working on it:

Those Australians who find themselves overseas on a cruise ship or isolated, like several hundred that we know to be in Peru.

In terms of both groups, that is the priority of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and they are working on a range of measures how to best support and to return and enable people to return to Australia.

It is not a straightforward issue but it is something that Dfat are working through to a range of options, well advanced from when that mission was first put to me.

Same type of arrangements for Australians on cruise ships. If you have families or relatives stranded in any of those places or on cruise ships, it is very high on the list of Dfat to find a way to safely ensure that those Australians can return home, and even more importantly they can get access to medical treatment.

Updated

And on who can access the new coronavirus payment:

Sole traders can access their savings to get them through from superannuation but also the ability to keep working and keep earning income without income tax and ensure they can access the JobSeeker payment, and that JobSeeker payment, even if it would be at a low level because of the taper, they would still get the full $550 supplement.

That goes to everybody who is on the JobSeeker payment and I know that, in addition to that, it also would enable them to access the energy supplement rate ... the pharmaceutical allowance. $185 for families with three or more children. Family tax benefit A and B which include supplements which could see hundreds of extra dollars per week for those families.

Carers allowances, mobility allowances, education supplement, a range of other payments and supplements that are triggered by getting access to the JobSeeker payment and so this will go to people who stood down, not technically unemployed but stood down, and this is about keeping them connected to the business, keeping income flowing.

I agree in a modest way and not what they would usually be getting but what we’re trying to do with this package is to ensure it is targeted to those who would feel the blow first and most and give as much income support to them, with further income support to broader groups, well, that is something we can always look.

Updated

On the $750 payments, those eligible will receive one at the end of this month, and another in July.

Scott Morrison explains how that works:

The nature of these payments and the purpose of these payments are changing. What next payment is to indicate is that this will go for six months.

One payment for April, another for July for the next quarter. This is clearly saying that we expect this to go on for some time and we know that those vulnerable groups may need additional income support during those periods.

Yes, it will provide some sort of support for the economy but it will also provide some very real financial support for the most vulnerable in our community. It has that broader purpose stop if we have to revisit these things, then of course we will.

Updated

Parliament to move into 'emergency mode'

The May budget has already been cancelled (it will now, at this stage, be handed down in October). Parliament was also scheduled for May. Scott Morrison just said those sittings may not go ahead – in fact, the whole parliament sitting calendar looks like it is being thrown out, with the parliament to be called together when it needs to be – to pass emergency bills – but not just for general sittings.

Morrison:

We will be working through a range of issues of going through the operation of parliament in the months ahead and we have some specific proposals, which I do not propose to go through here because we have had discussion with the opposition this week, and I thank the leader of the opposition for facilitating the process and looking forward to meeting with him this afternoon here in the cabinet rooms. And we will also at that time be talking through the measures the treasurer has been announcing today and legislation around that, the supply arrangement we would need to put in place.

We have to be conscious of the fact that because of the spread of the virus, it may not be physically possible to convene the parliament over the next six months and we have to prepare for those contingencies.

The plan is to move to a much more emergency mode operation for parliament to ensure the primacy of the parliament is respected in ensuring any of the measures taken to support Australians are done so in consistency without parliament.

Updated

Scott Morrison:

It is regrettable and I know the impact it will have on many people in those communities where those holidays were going to take place.

These decisions are not taken lightly and for those who are arguing for extreme measures all over the country, we would only take further measures based on medical advice because, at the same time that we are trying to protect lives, we are also trying to protect the livelihoods of Australians and that means acting on medical advice and ensuring that we remain totally in lockstep on the incremental changes where, regrettably, it is the case that that travel needs to be reduced to stop the spread of the virus across the country.

Other states will be making other decisions about this issue and they will make further announcements today and I will leave them to make them.

Whether it is Tasmania, NT or elsewhere, they are making this decision and in consultation with other premiers and chief medical officers.

Updated

The prime minister then gets stronger. And details just how much life is about to change:

What we are saying is non-essential travel should be avoided and particularly when we’re talking about interstate travel and longer distances, the sort of travel that would not be normally part of your normal life.

Going to the shops is something you have to do, get into work, other important tasks you have on a daily basis you have to do but I think Australians can exercise their common sense about things they know are not essential, and this is again the point I am making to people.

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.

This is incredibly important. It is not just about each of us individually but the person standing next to us, the person who lives across the road, the elderly resident in the same apartment building as you or whatever you might be.

We have to think about making sensible decisions for ourselves and our families and also decisions we are taking and its impact on other Australians. So it does mean that those holidays that you may have been planning to take interstate over the school holidays are cancelled.

That is what it means.

Updated

Scott Morrison continues:

Where possible it will be restricted but in some cases a suspect states and territories will take a broader application but this is what we are now facing, this is the next stage and this is what was anticipated some weeks ago, almost a month ago when we said we are now moving to prepare for pandemic like situations. And so that is why there has been enormous amounts of information flow between the states and commonwealth, everything from hospital arrangements to medical supplies and a lot of other measures so the national cabinet continues to work.

Updated

On those more severe measures, that will include lockdowns.

Scott Morrison:

What we have done as a national cabinet is establish a baseline for healthy distances between people and a common set of rules that work across the country.

You have really seen in Tasmania, in the NT, further measures taken because, in those cases especially, they have more vulnerable populations, so you have already seen a more tailored response in specific locations based on the risk presented.

What I am saying is you will see more of this.

You will see more regional focus to this, more targeted responses from states and territories, and that will be done at the instigation, based on their health advice and they will seek to do it as consistently as possible as states face with similar outbreaks in similar situations.

Updated

More 'severe measures' are coming

Scott Morrison says it would be a mistake to compare Australia’s data to others, when it comes to triggering a lockdown, but warns more severe measures will be on the way:

I would be careful comparing Australia’s data to other jurisdictions.

We have one of the lowest, if not the lowest test positivity in the world at [present], .7% compared to USA at 13%, UK at 5% and Korea at 3%, and we are seeing a less severe impact of the virus on those who have contracted it in Australia than we have seen by the more general levels overseas, so I would caution people to be very careful about the international comparisons because the data is not necessarily directly comparable. But the point is the same and that is, as things escalate, more severe measures have to be taken and what I am telling you, they are coming.

They will be coming and they will be applied by states and territories in more specific ways and they will be done in as consistent away as possible is considered by states and territories and will be considering some of those further this evening.

Updated

Scott Morrison also gets stronger on the social distancing message:

It is a challenge for Australians. It is very important, it is very serious, it is deadly serious and that is why I would appeal to them that they all have a role to play.

People cannot be cavalier about these things and must take them extremely seriously because lives and livelihoods are at stake.

What we saw on the weekend at Bondi Beach would have been done innocently but negligently done and it is important that serves as a wake-up call for the entire country to ensure they take these social distancing policies very seriously, and the states are moving quickly to mandate and enforce them and they will be taking even stronger measures in particular areas and potentially more widespread.

They will upgrade as necessary but the more social distancing we do, the less severe the economic impacts have to be. And so that is why I appeal to Australians that you are enlisted in our fight against the virus.

You have a role to play.

Updated

Scott Morrison also talks about what the non-essential travel advisory means – and asks people to be understanding as they cancel their plans on what is happening for the person on the other end of the phone:

There will be challenges there but I am confident by the business to business, government to business engagement taking place as people just solve practical problems, unforeseen problems and what I would say, particularly in terms of the last measures Josh was going through, if you have booked a wedding or if you have booked a trip, understand the person you have booked it with a going through a hard time as well and what we need to do is give each other a break at the moment and sit down and just work through these issues tactically as Australians.

Understanding that, if you force your issue, you make someone else’s issue harder which at the end of the day will make your issue harder so it is very important that Australians work together

And a smaller part of the package – but one which will become increasingly important as this crisis rolls on - what happens to businesses which trade while insolvent?

Josh Frydenberg:

The third part of our package will provide regulatory shield for what are otherwise profitable and viable businesses that find themselves under severe financial pressure as a result of the coronavirus.

Now is the time for more flexibility in insolvency and bankruptcy laws to keep these businesses alive and to trade through this period.

The government is proposing to increase the threshold at which a creditor can take action to initiate insolvency or bankruptcy from as low as $2,000 today to $20,000 and giving companies and individuals six months instead of 21 days to respond.

We will also provide relief from direct ... for directors for personal liability when the company is trading while insolvent.

This relief will be provided over the next six months and will be vital to help companies get through this period.

Updated

Josh Frdyenberg:

Over the course of the last week, $105 billion is being injected into the financial system by the government and the Reserve Bank of Australia.

The purpose of which was to lower the cost and increase the availability of credit, particularly to small and medium-sized businesses.

Today the government is going one step further and is guaranteeing in a 50-50 partnership with the banks and other lenders, more lending to Australia’s small and medium-sized businesses.

This $40 billion scheme which will start in early April will provide loans of up to $250,000 for up to three years for a business with a turnover of less than $50 million.

No repayments will be required for the first six months. These will be unsecured loans and they will help build a bridge for small and medium-sized businesses to the other side of the coronavirus and I urge small businesses to go and talk to their bank about these new opportunities that are available.

Businesses again, are the biggest beneficiaries of the government package. Josh Frydenberg explains:

We are increasing cash payment to SMEs to boost their cash flows and to keep their workers employed.

All employing businesses will receive at least $20,000, all employing small businesses will receive at least $20,000 and some of the larger SMEs will receive up to $100,000 and we are extending this measure to around 30,000 not-for-profit organisations which have an annual turnover of less than $50 million.

This will be a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of employers, like the local hairdresser, the local coffee shop, the local mechanic whose income has been significantly reduced over this difficult period.

This is the single largest measure in the second package and, together with the first initiative in the first package for small businesses, is worth $31.9 billion in total.

This payment will be automatically paid through the tax system, largely over the next six months with the first payment after 28th April so no new forms will be required from Australian small and medium-sized businesses.

The prime minister’s call for an end to non-essential travel shatters what is left of the businesses of Qantas, Virgin Australia and regional airline Rex.

Qantas has shut international flights but still has 40% of its normal domestic flights in the air. Virgin, which didn’t have a big international business in the first place, has half its domestic flights still on foot.

Rex is entirely domestic and has already been screaming that it needs help.

It is now very hard to see how nationalisation of the sector can be avoided.

On the superannuation point, Josh Frydenberg, says it is open to anyone who sees their income fall by 20%:

From April, those affected will gain access to that superannuation, capped at $10,000 this financial year and a further $10,000 next financial year.

These withdrawals will be tax-free. I repeat, these withdrawals will be tax-free and available to those who are eligible for the coronavirus supplement as well as sole traders who have seen that hours work, or income fall, 20% or more as a result of the coronavirus.

So if you are a sole trader or a casual and you have seen your income or your hours work followed by 20% or more as a result of the coronavirus, you will be able to get early access to your superannuation.

Applications will be made online. Through a simple declaration to the tax office.

Josh Frydenberg:

The government will waive the asset test and waiting period for the JobSeeker allowance allowing more Australians more quickly access to support they need.

The supplement will provide an additional $550 a fortnight on top of the existing JobSeeker or Newstart payment and will be available to sole traders, casual workers who meet the income test. This means, anyone eligible for the maximum JobSeeker payment will now receive more than $1,100 a fortnight, effectively doubling the JobSeeker allowance.

Updated

Scott Morrison:

The normal rules will not apply here. We want to make sure people are they on the other side.

We have to change the rule for this period to make sure more and more Australians get through this to the other side so they can bounce back strongly when it is over.

This will not be the Treasurer and my last visit to these podiums to make announcements on these measures. This is focusing on those who are going to feel the first blows.

They will be more packages and more support. There will be more issues that even now have not presented themselves or could not even be conceived at this point with what we may face over the next six months and we will be working night and day to ensure we bring forward the measures Australia needs to get them on this bridge to the recovery on the other side.

The more we work together, the more we share the load. The more we share the sacrifice, the more we do the right thing together as Australians, the more lives we will save, the more livelihoods we will be able to preserve and the stronger we will all be on the other side.

Those are the new measures, which come on top of the business measures we have already heard about:

• Boosting Cash Flow for Employers

The government is providing up to $100,000 to eligible small and medium sized businesses, and not‑for-profits (including charities) that employ people, with a minimum payment of $20,000. These payments will help businesses’ and not-for-profits’ cash flow so they can keep operating, pay their rent, electricity and other bills and retain staff.

Under the enhanced scheme from the first package, employers will receive a payment equal to 100 per cent of their salary and wages withheld (up from 50 per cent), with the maximum payment being increased from $25,000 to $50,000. In addition, the minimum payment is being increased from $2,000 to $10,000. The payment will be available from 28 April 2020.

By linking the payments to business to staff wage tax withholdings, businesses will be incentivised to hold on to more of their workers.

The payments are tax free, there will be no new forms and payments will flow automatically through the ATO.

This measure will benefit around 690,000 businesses employing around 7.8 million people, and around 30,000 NFPs (including charities).

Updated

Reducing social security deeming rates

On top of the deeming rate changes made at the time of the first package, the government is reducing the deeming rates by a further 0.25 percentage points to reflect the latest rate reductions by the RBA.

As of 1 May 2020, the lower deeming rate will be 0.25 per cent and the upper deeming rate will be 2.25 per cent.

The change will benefit around 900,000 income support recipients, including Age Pensioners.

This measure is estimated to cost $876 million over the forward estimates period.

Updated

Temporarily reduce superannuation minimum drawdown rates

The government is temporarily reducing superannuation minimum drawdown requirements for account based pensions and similar products by 50 per cent for 2019-20 and 2020-21. This measure will benefit retirees by providing them with more flexibility as to how they manage their superannuation assets.

Updated

Early release of superannuation

The government will allow individuals in financial stress as a result of the coronavirus to access up to $10,000 of their superannuation in 2019-20 and a further $10,000 in 2020-21.

Eligible individuals will be able to apply online through myGov for access of up to $10,000 of their superannuation before 1 July 2020. They will also be able to access up to a further $10,000 from 1 July 2020 for another three months. They will not need to pay tax on amounts released and the money they withdraw will not affect Centrelink or Veterans’ Affairs payments.

This measure is estimated to cost $1.2 billion over the forward estimates period.

Updated

$750 payment for those on social security and veteran income support

Payments for households:

In addition to the $750 stimulus payment announced on 12 March 2020, the government will provide a further $750 payment to social security and veteran income support recipients and eligible concession card holders, except for those who are receiving an income support payment that is eligible to receive the coronavirus supplement.

This second payment will be made automatically from 13 July 2020 to around 5 million social security, veteran and other income support recipients and eligible concession card holders. Around half of those that benefit are pensioners.

The first payment will be made from 31 March 2020 to people who will have been on one of the eligible payments any time between 12 March 2020 and 13 April 2020.

This measure is estimated to cost $4 billion over the forward estimates period.

Updated

Stimulus package: JobSeeker payment to be doubled

We will give you a summary of this announcement, but as it comes, the social safety net has just been revved up, with Centrelink payments, in many cases, to be doubled.

Support for workers and households

Coronavirus supplement:

The government is temporarily expanding eligibility to income support payments and establishing a new, time-limited coronavirus supplement to be paid at a rate of $550 per fortnight. This will be paid to both existing and new recipients of the JobSeeker Payment, Youth Allowance jobseeker, Parenting Payment, Farm Household Allowance and Special Benefit.

The coronavirus supplement will be paid for the next 6 months. Eligible income support recipients will receive the full amount of the $550 coronavirus supplement on top of their payment each fortnight.

This measure is estimated to cost $14.1 billion over the forward estimates period.

An increase of up to 5,000 staff for Services Australia will assist to support delivery of new government measures.

Updated

'There is no quick solution'

Scott Morrison again reiterates that Australia will not be coming out of this anytime soon.

There is no 2-week quick fix, for we shut down and it all goes away and we get on with our business. I have seen those suggestions. The medical advice is very clear, there is no quick solution.

We have to steel ourselves for at least the next six months and the measures were put in place we need to be prepared to carry on for at least the next six months. They need to be sustainable and scalable.

What does a localised lockdown mean?

What that means is, what may be necessary in a part of Sydney may not be necessary at all in rural NSW or in Perth or other parts of the country but please be assured that what we are working on is to ensure there is a consistent, as far as possible, set of measures and tools that state premiers and chief ministers can use to apply in each of the cases so if you see it happening in one part of the country, that does not necessarily mean it has to apply in your part of the country.

There are parts of the country, particularly in Sydney, where these outbreaks have been more severe and I know the Premier of NSW has been focusing on these very, very keenly, particularly over the course of recent days as we have seen the increase of the number of cases in NSW.

Localised lockdowns are coming

Scott Morrison says what happened on Bondi Beach on Friday – where thousands of people gathered – “should not have happened”.

He says the country needs Australians to start being more responsible.

And then he moves on to the issue of localised lockdowns.

Morrison:

What happened at Bondi Beach yesterday was not OK.

And served as a message to federal and state leaders that too many Australians are not taking these issues seriously enough.

So the measures that we will be considering tonight means that state premiers and chief ministers may have to take far more Draconian measures to enforce social distancing particularly in areas of outbreaks than might otherwise be the case.

The more Australians themselves assist us in this fight against the virus to protect lives and livelihoods, the more and better able we are to ensure that Australia comes out stronger on the other side.

It is a simple plea, we need you. 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 but more stronger measures will be coming and they will be coming in more localised areas to deal with outbreaks.

Those decisions will be made by state premiers and chief ministers as they apply to their individual jurisdictions. We will also be working hard to ensure that the scaling of those measures and the identification of areas of outbreaks that require those measures will be as far as possible consistent between state and territory jurisdictions

Updated

All non-essential travel should be cancelled

The prime minister says he has brought forward the national cabinet meeting (the one with the premiers) to tonight.

Suburban lockdowns will be discussed – that was flagged on Friday, where the government says it will move to lock down areas which show community transmissions.

And all non-essential travel “should be cancelled”. That was also flagged on Friday, in terms of school holidays. Essentially, if you don’t have to fly – and that includes for school holidays – you should not.

We are referring to work-related and compassionate grounds … those types of arrangement is essential, but also essential supplies and other important arrangements needed to keep Australia running.

Updated

Scott Morrison:

But we must remember first and foremost that this is a health crisis.

The health battle is the main battle that we face. The health battle is a battle that all Australians are enlisted in as we fight this virus stop is a national cabinet, they have already taken significant action but we know more will need to be done.

Our capacity in hospital and aged care facilities and workforce challenges are all matters that the national cabinet is addressing as indeed individual cabinets at federal and state. Securing essential medical supplies has been a daily task that the health minister has been leading, together with industry Minister and other ministers across the cabinet.

And enforcing the social distancing, keeping a healthy physical distancing from one another. This is one of our most if not our most important weapon against the spread of the coronavirus, which means we can save lives and we can save livelihoods.

Updated

Scott Morrison:

We cannot prevent all the many hardships, many sacrifices that we will face in the months ahead.

And while these hardships and sacrifices may break our hearts on occasion, we must not let them break our spirit and we must not let them break our resolves as Australians.

Today, we are making important announcements to support those Australians that would be in the front line of the blows that we will experience as a result of the global health crisis which is the coronavirus and its severe economic impacts. To cushion the blow as much as we can, to build a bridge to the recovery to the other side.

Prime minister's press conference begins

Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg have both stepped into the prime minister’s courtyard.

We are a strong people. In the months ahead, we will find out just how strong we are,” the prime minister says.

The Business Events Council of Australia has reported $2.5bn per month is being lost, as gatherings are (understandably) banned.

We don’t have all the details from the new $66bn stimulus, other than the business and not-for-profit measures, with eligible businesses able to access up to $100,000 to help keep employees employed.

There are also unsecured loan guarantees for up to $250,000 with loan repayments deferred for six months.

The superannuation measure is a live issue, and one which could have future ramifications for when the next generation wants to retire.

As our business reporter Ben Butler points out, superannuation investments have been absolutely smashed by the Covid-19 crisis. So individual accounts are already at lower levels. Topping those back up, is not going to be easy, and will have impacts for decades to come.

That’s why Labor is cautious – and should also give you an indication of just how long we are going to be impacted by this.

Australia can not avoid a recession. It’s about how it gets out of the coming recession now.

One of the expectations for the coming stimulus announcement is that superannuation may be used as one of the income support measures.

When asked about this on Friday by Katharine Murphy, Scott Morrison made it a point not to rule it out.

Here is what Jim Chalmers, who, along with Anthony Albanese, has previously expressed concern about using superannuation as a stop gap, had to say about it this morning on Insiders:

There are obviously already hardship provisions in superannuation.

It’s not clear to us yet whether the government intends to change that in a major way or not.

And whether they’ll need legislation to do that, or whether they’ll just do that by regulation. If it was left up to us, solely, we wouldn’t go down that path.

We think that there are other ways to support people who are doing it tough. We think that early access to superannuation should be a last resort – not a first port of call.

And we also think that there are real issues with encouraging people to divest from super when the market is in the condition that it is now.

It’s not good for them, it’s not good for the system more broadly, and we don’t want to create problems for people’s retirement down the track.

So we wouldn’t go down that path, but let’s see what they propose later on and we’ll make our views known then.

Updated

Victoria announces another 50 cases

Victorian health authorities have announced another 50 people have been diagnosed with Covid-19.

That brings the state’s total to 279.

Good morning – you have Amy Remeikis for the next little bit, as the prime minister announces the next step in the stimulus package.

The press conference, which had been scheduled for 11am, has been put back 15 minutes, to 11.15am

I am going to hand over to my colleague Amy Remeikis to walk you though the Australian government’s new $66bn stimulus package.

In the mean time, please enjoy Steve Martin playing the banjo. One of the better videos of celebrities entertaining themselves in lockdown.

James Packer’s Crown Resorts has finally responded to the end of its exemption to social distancing measures at its Melbourne casino, announced by Victorian premier Daniel Andrews on Saturday morning following fury from public health experts.

It’s been widely reported that the main gaming floor, which contains thousands of poker machines, has been closed, but Guardian Australia has not visited the casino to check and Crown’s new statement does not make the position clear.

A spokeswoman said Crown was complying with the Victorian chief health officer’s orders and also put “additional social distancing measures in place aimed at reducing the spread of Covid-19”.

She said:

These measures include limiting the number of people at any gathering at each undivided indoor space to 100 people or less depending on the size of the room, limits on density and further social distancing measures.

It has been suggested that Crown might be able to instal dividers to keep some additional areas on the main floor operating. The company has been approached for clarification of the status of the main gaming floor and its high roller rooms.

One of the main issues with shutting the casino down in the first place was that it is an extremely important employer in Melbourne – it’s often described as the city’s single biggest. The spokeswoman said:

We recognise that this is a challenging time for all of our employees, and we remain focussed on keeping the 12,500 people who work at Crown Melbourne in a job and maintaining our supply chain, which supports over 4,000 businesses in Victoria.

Meanwhile, Crown’s Perth casino and the Sydney pokie pit operated by rival Star seem to be continuing to operate, but with half the machines turned off.

Updated

Victoria to provide two-weeks worth of supplies to vulnerable people in self-isolation

The Victorian government will provide emergency relief packages with two weeks of essential supplies to eligible people who are under mandatory self-isolation.

Premier Daniel Andrews promised these packs earlier this week, but the detail was only released on Sunday.

The program is intended to support people in mandatory self-isolation who have “little or no food, and no network of family and friends to support them”, a government statement said. “Each eligible household will receive a two-week supply of essential goods.”

It will be coordinated by the Red Cross in partnership with Foodbank Victoria and the Victorian state relief coordinator, and will start from Monday.

Food packages will include goods like long-life milk, pasta, cereal, canned vegetables and sugar.

Personal care packages will include soap, toothpaste and deodorant. Specialist items, like nappies and baby formula, will be provided based on the needs of the households.

The packages will be delivered door to door. People who are not eligible for the government care packages are “encouraged to be self-reliant and call on the help of family and friends wherever possible during the current pandemic”.

Minister for disability, ageing and carers Luke Donnellan said:

We need to look out for each other over the next few months – but for people who have no one nearby to support them, we’ll make sure they get what they need.

There is plenty of food for all Victorians so please don’t take more than you need. But if you do find yourself isolated, and can’t access the basics, we have emergency relief packages for you.

The program can be accessed by calling Victoria’s dedicated coronavirus hotline on 1800 675 398.

Updated

An update on the Ruby Princess, the cruise ship in Sydney that has been linked to a cluster of new Covid-19 cases.

Four Tasmanians who were aboard the Ruby Princess are among the latest confirmed cases of Covid-19. Health authorities in Tasmania have contacted and are monitoring 54 other Tasmanian residents who were on the cruise and have returned home.

The NSW government has identified another four cruise ships affected by Covid-19 in addition to the Ruby Princess, AAP reported, and is now scrambling to contact thousands of people who were on board ships that visited Sydney in March.

Australia 'won't hesitate' to lock down localised areas to stop virus spread

Meanwhile, on Sky News, finance minister Mathias Cormann said the government “won’t hesitate” to lock down areas of the country to curb the spread of coronavirus, if that is what the medical experts recommend.

You’ll recall that Tasmania and the Northern Territory have already put state-based border controls in place on top of the national quarantine requirements. Anyone entering either Tasmania or the NT, even if it’s from another Australian state, will have to self-isolate for 14 days.

Cormann told Sky:

We don’t believe we can stop the virus from spreading but we certainly can continue to try and slow it down ... to save lives.

He said that decision would only be taken in response to medial advice

If that is the advice that comes through we won’t hesitate.

Jim Chalmers was also asked about the issue of closing schools, which has been one of the most contentious issues in managing Australia’s response to the outbreak.

The argument against closing the schools, as articulated by prime minister Scott Morrison, is that any measure undertaken today would have to be continued for at least six months and, at this stage, the advice of the national health advisors is it is not necessary.

At this stage no state has declared it would close public schools, but in Victoria public schools have been told to “consolidate their preparations” for a total shutdown.

Six months is optimistic – a market-ready vaccine is at least 18 months away, and it’s possible any measures to suppress the virus spread would need to be in place until there was widespread inoculation.

Chalmers said the issue was front of mind for him, but he did not give a view on whether schools should close. He said that, like many families, he and his wife relied on grandparents to help with childcare.

We did a bit of a trial of what that looks like without my mum last week for a few days, and it was mayhem, like it would be in a lot of households as we try to make it work.

We’re going to separate my kids from their nan for a while, which is very hard on the kids, and very hard on nan as well, but like a lot of families, we’re just trying to do what we can here to do the right thing by each other and by the community more broadly, and everybody is making those sorts of decisions right now.

Updated

Let’s take a look at what we are expecting to see from the second stimulus package, to be announced by Scott Morrison today.

On the ABC’s Insiders program, David Speers and Guardian Australia’s Katharine Murphy said they anticipated the package would include a provision for workers to access their superannuation.

Full details on the support for workers have not been released, but it’s not likely to match the United Kingdom’s promise to pay up to 80% of the salary of workers who are stood down due to the coronavirus.

Shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers was interviewed by Speers. He repeated the call for opposition leader Anthony Albanese to be included in the national cabinet with the state and territory leaders, but indicated Labor would not get in the way of the stimulus package.

Chalmers said that the Australian government had “lost the capacity to go early” with its economic response to the coronavirus.

... So what we need to see is – we need them to go big, go fast on jobs and incomes. And if we see that today, and we hope to, then we will play the constructive and responsible [role] in expediting that through the parliament.

He said the opposition would ask the government to clarify whether there will be a link between assistance for small to medium businesses, and a guarantee by those businesses that they will keep people on.

He said the cash guarantee, which pays the equivalent of withheld tax, is a “backward-looking measure” and not a positive guarantee that businesses will keep staff on the books.

He also said the government was not acting with sufficient urgency.

Some of the assistance won’t flow until the middle of next month. Some of the payments for individuals, for pensioners, won’t flow for another week or so. So I think that there is a lack of urgency here, and one of the constructive roles that we do want to play in the opposition is to inject a sense of urgency where it’s lacking or absent ... we can’t afford there to be more dithering and delay.

Chalmers said there were “real advantages” to the UK model, because it maintains the link between employee and employer – a requirement of the payment is that businesses keep people on their books, even if they are stood down.

And he said Labor had concerns about moves to encourage people to divest from super, which he said would cause issues for people’s future retirement, as well as issues to the superannuation system now.

So we wouldn’t go down that path, but let’s see what they propose later on and we’ll make our views known then.

Updated

About 450 people showed up to Bondi despite beach closure, says NSW minister

Some people are yet to grasp the message on social distancing. Remember those photos of crowds at Bondi beach yesterday?

Well, about 450 people showed up up at Bondi this morning, despite it being temporarily closed.

Guardian photographer Jessica Hromas watched rangers turning people away.

Bondi Beach on Sunday 22 March 2020 a day after it was closed due to coronavirus fears.
Bondi Beach on Sunday morning, the day after it was closed due to coronavirus fears. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian
A lifeguard on Bondi Beach on Sunday 22 March 2020 a day after it was closed due to coronavirus fears.
A lifeguard on Bondi Beach turns people away. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian

This report from AAP:

Hundreds of people have ignored authorities and flocked to a famous Sydney beach despite it being closed to slow the spread of the coronavirus outbreak.

NSW police minister David Elliott says about 450 people who showed up at Bondi Beach on Sunday morning will be told to leave.

“We are not doing this because we are the fun police. We don’t close these public spaces because we want to punish people,” he told Channel 7.

“Some people are just stupid and want to take the risk. Some people think they are above the law.”

Councils in Sydney have closed all the beaches in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, including Bondi, Tamarama, Maroubra and Coogee.

This is in line with national rules banning outdoor mass gatherings of more than 500 people.

Elliot said that beaches which potentially breached the public gathering regulations would be closed, and beachgoers who did not comply would be removed by police.

Updated

On a similar note, Guardian Australia editor Lenore Taylor has written about her, and by extension our, approach to reporting the coronavirus and some of the issues we are grappling with.

She writes that above all else, “we must provide reliable, factual, trustworthy information that holds firm against the conspiracy theories and misinformation swirling through social media”.

But we have to consider the implications of those questions at a time when faith in public institutions is already shaky. A deeply polarised country needs to trust and stick with a plan. Yes, politicians may have done much to breed that lack of trust, but there are consequences for everyone if contempt for government undermines the need for a unified and urgent response to public health measures. When does legitimate scrutiny cross the line to become counterproductive? These difficult judgments must be made on a daily basis.

It follows the Guardian’s global editor-in-chief Katharine Viner’s promise to readers.

You can read Lenore’s full piece here.

Updated

Meanwhile, Guardian Australia’s political editor Katharine Murphy is on the virtual Insiders couch this morning, and just made this very good point about the way the media ought to cover the coronavirus crisis.

At all times, and particularly now, we need to get our facts right. We need to get the information correct. We also need to counter, wherever we can, misinformation, which is ubiquitous in relation to this issue.

There are rumours pounding through social media: there are outright deceptions. Fraudulent information is circulating. Whenever and wherever possible, the mainstream media needs to try to counter that misinformation and disinformation.

The other thing we really need to do is to continue to ask questions, which is our job. Now, we can’t be stunned into some sort of silence or timidity because the times are very serious... But what we need to very much desist from, in my view, is gratuitous reporting, grandstanding, and also seeking contention for its own sake.

There’s a lot of the 24-7 media cycle now where contention is baked into the business. Contention is basically the drum beat of modern news coverage. Now, we need to ask question, but we don’t need to contention shop, for want of a better word.

According to a survey of 1,723 people by the Australia Institute, 82.5% of respondents believe the government should guarantee two weeks of paid leave for all workers who are forced to self-isolate due to coronavirus.

The paid leave proposal was put forward by the Australian Council of Trade Unions.

The Australia Institute survey, conducted on Friday night, found that only 12.1% of respondents opposed or strongly opposed the proposal. Majority support for the proposal was seen across voters for all political parties.

Ben Oquist, the executive director of the Australia Institute, said:

It is in the community’s best interest that no person should feel desperate enough to work while they have been ordered to self-isolate. A government guarantee of two weeks’ paid leave to all workers in this situation will go a long way to ensuring self-isolation happens.

Updated

Second Australian stimulus package to be announced today

Prime minister Scott Morrison is expected to announce a $66.4bn dollar stimulus package today to support businesses and help those made unemployed keep afloat.

It includes a $23.2bn measure to give 720,000 small enterprises – both small businesses and not-for-profits – cash payments equivalent to the tax withhold from their employees salaries.

It also includes a new loan guarantee for small and medium enterprises, and additional income support measures.

More details from political editor Katharine Murphy here.

It is the second stimulus package announced by the Australian government and takes the total value of the economic stimulus to $189bn, which is equivalent to more than 9% of GDP

Meanwhile the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Australia has reached at least 1,071.

From Tuesday, people entering the Northern Territory will be subject to a mandatory 14 days quarantine — similar to measures put in place in Hobart last week.

In New South Wales, authorities are considering imposing tighter measures on cruise ships after the Ruby Princess cruise ship, which docked in Sydney, had four passengers who tested positive and recorded 158 instances of illness onboard — not confirmed to be coronavirus — before passengers were allowed to depart last week.

And Timor-Leste is the latest country in south-east Asia to confirm its first case of Covid-19.

You can send your feedback and tips to me at calla.wahlquist@theguardian.com, or on twitter @callapilla.

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