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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Luke Henriques-Gomes and Amy Remeikis

Australian Covid-19 deaths rise to 21 as ex-health professionals urged to rejoin workforce – as it happened

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Today's coronavirus developments

We might leave it there for tonight. Thanks for sticking with us throughout the day. Hope you are safe and well.

Before we go, let’s wrap up the day’s main events and developments.

  • The death toll in Australia rose to 21. There have been 4,860 cases, but authorities say the curve is flattening.
  • The deputy chief medical officer appeared to backtrack on a promise to release Australia’s Covid-19 modelling.
  • Queensland announced that from Friday non-residents would be barred from entry unless they met the criteria for an exemption.
  • Victorians were told they could visit a partner who they didn’t live with after earlier advice this was prohibited.
  • Eleven baggage handlers at Adelaide airport have now tested positive to Covid-19, but the airport will remain open.
  • It was confirmed federal parliament will return on Wednesday.

See you tomorrow.

Updated

My colleague Paul Karp reports that Labor has called for parliament to continue to sit and scrutinise government emergency powers to deal with coronavirus.

It was confirmed today that parliament will return next Wednesday to consider the government’s jobkeeper wage subsidy package.

Updated

Oh dear.

We told you earlier that the deputy chief medical officer, Prof Paul Kelly, appeared to be walking back comments that he would be releasing the modelling that health authorities are relying on to make their decisions.

My colleague Daniel Hurst has filed this report on Kelly’s press conference.

Some interesting comments from the Victorian chief health officer, Brett Sutton, on ABC Radio National.

He’s asked whether people are able to just sit in the park without doing exercise.

“I think it’s acceptable,” he said. “We obviously want to reinforce common sense with all this. Other people might come to that shared space, but you need to make sure that you’re away from those individuals and that we’re not transmitting to others.”

Updated

Tasmania has reported two more cases of Covid-19. A man in his 20s and another in his 70s have tested positive after returning from overseas, bringing the state’s tally to 71.

Fair Work Commission proposes two-week unpaid 'pandemic leave'

The Fair Work Commission has proposed giving workers two weeks of unpaid leave without their employer’s permission if they need to self-isolate.

The commission has also provisionally ordered that workers on 103 modern awards - covering such sectors as hospitality, clerical, retail and cleaning - should be given greater flexibility to take accrued annual leave at half pay.

“By addressing the ‘regulatory gap’ the new entitlement to unpaid pandemic leave will enable more people to remain in employment,” the full bench said.

“The proposed entitlement will also support the important public policy objective of encouraging those who should self-isolate to do so and thereby limit the spread of COVID-19 in workplaces, allowing businesses to continue to operate.”

If it’s still a bit unclear to you what is OK and what’s not in these socially distant times, you’re probably not alone.

So my colleague Matilda Boseley has been hard at work figuring how what you can and can’t do in each state.

It looks like the Morrison government has quietly expanded its Covid-19 public health advertising campaign.

When the campaign was announced on 11 March, it was billed as a $30m campaign.
The first two contracts with Mediabrands Australia for the media buy were worth $3.7m, then came a second phase worth $13m.

Yesterday, Austender published a contract between the department of health and Mediabrands worth $32m. So the media buy is already worth more than $48m.

As Guardian Australia revealed earlier in March, the government didn’t sign a contract with Carbon Media to develop the ads until 3 March, more than a month after the first case in Australia.

So looks like after a late start the government is going hard on the public health ads.

Updated

The Greens senator Rachel Siewert has pointed to this new advice from Services Australia warning people against swapping from the disability support pension to the jobseeker payment.

The Guardian has reported that the six-month $550 per fortnight boost to the jobseeker payment means people with disabilities and carers will now receive less in income support than unemployed people.

“We have been very concerned that people on DSP may be tempted to change to the jobseeker payment because of the additional $550 a week granted for six months but this would not be prudent given the difficulty in getting the DSP in the first place,” Siewert said.

“By not raising DSP and carer payments the government is incentivising people to make decisions for a short-term gain.

“However, I do understand that many people on DSP are in desperate situations at the moment.

“It is incredibly difficult to meet the requirements to be eligible for DSP and I would imagine if people wanted to get back on it they would struggle greatly.

“Those on jobseeker have mutual obligations requirements and I don’t want more disabled people being subject to work for the dole, looking for jobs every fortnight or having to volunteer to ensure their payment.”

“The disability support pension and carer payment exist in recognition of the fact that disabled people and carers have higher everyday costs and aren’t in a position to enter the workforce. People’s costs and barriers have increased, not decreased, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Updated

[Continued from previous post]

Tasmania had 69 cases of Covid-19 as of Wednesday afternoon, 11 of whom have recovered.

More than 2,200 tests have been carried out, with about 200 done on Tuesday.

The state government has halted renter evictions for 90 days, after emergency legislation passed though parliament last week.

“This is not a licence not to pay rent. If you can pay your rent, you should. That is the very clear expectation,” Gutwein said, flagging similar safeguards for commercial tenants.

Financial relief on energy bills was also announced on Wednesday

While small business customers and community service organisations will have their next quarterly energy bill waived, all energy consumers will see energy prices capped for a year.

The government also said Aurora Energy will not disconnect any residential or small business customers without their agreement.

Health authorities continue to investigate two virus cases in the Devonport area, in the northwest, where the source of infection is unknown.

School attendances have dropped to below 10 per cent as parents opt to keep children home.

Updated

AAP has filed this update from Tasmania.

A man from northern Tasmania is facing several criminal charges after allegedly falsely telling police officers he had the coronavirus.

The 29-year-old, who was pulled over on Tuesday night in Launceston, is accused of breaching public health directions by being away from his primary residence without a lawful reason.

He was charged with resisting arrest after allegedly telling officers he had the virus.

The man appeared in Launceston magistrates court on Wednesday on charges including breaching a family violence order, evading police and driving unlicensed.

Tasmania is strictly policing orders that prevent people from leaving their home unless for essential tasks, work or school, exercise, medical reasons or when providing compassionate care.

Fines of up to $16,800 or three months’ jail are on the cards for those who don’t comply.

Premier Peter Gutwein has bluntly warned people to not be complacent after the island state went a day without recording a new Covid-19 case.

Two elderly people have died from the virus this week, but no positive cases were confirmed on Tuesday – the first time in about a fortnight.

Gutwein said the number of cruise ship passengers and overseas travellers arriving in the state was easing amid tight border restrictions.

But he said policing of quarantine and social gathering orders would not ease.

“If this was a game of football, we would not even be through the first quarter yet,” Gutwein told reporters.

“This is serious. It is going to need us to play a long game.”

Updated

Parliament to return next week

Queensland police has issued a statement clarifying its position on the enforcement of social distancing laws.

“The community should be aware that chief health officer directions are in effect and that police will take appropriate action to ensure they are complied with,” said state disaster coordinator deputy commissioner Steve Gollschewski.

“Blatant disregard of the directions such as house parties will be enforced.

“Police will use discretion in other instances acting on intelligence or reported complaints.

“Compliance checking of non-essential businesses and people in quarantine will continue as necessary.

“Police will not be going door-to-door to check on random residences for compliance unless an issue has been identified or complaints need follow up action.

“Where police will take action is if there are blatant or wilful breaches happening in the community.”

Fines of up to $13,345 for individuals and $66,672.50 for corporations are in place, along with on-the-spot fines of $1334.50 for individuals and $6,672.50 for corporations that fail to abide by the health directions.

Updated

Victoria’s police minister says the rule that people could not visit their partners if they did not live together was the chief health officer’s idea.

Brett Sutton has said this afternoon that people CAN visit their partners.

SA Health held a press conference earlier this afternoon following news that 11 baggage handlers at Adelaide airport have now tested positive.

The agency said there was not currently a need to shut down Adelaide airport and said that more than 100 people are now in self-quarantine.

“But in terms of the operation of the airport, having made that cleaning and isolated that cluster, we feel confident that the airport is able to continue operation,” an official said. “In terms of baggage handling, I know that Qantas have adopted alternative arrangements to ensure that their customers are able to get their baggage in the airport.”

Ex-health professionals urged to rejoin the workforce

More than 40,000 doctors, nurses, midwives and pharmacists who are no longer practicing or registered will be encouraged to re-enter the workforce to boost Australia’s capacity to treat patients throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency [Ahpra], which regulates the health profession, announced that following urging from the federal government, states and territories, a short-term pandemic response sub-register will be in effect for the next year. This will be a separate and temporary register to the existing register of medical practitioners.

This sub-register will enable health workers to return to practicing if they previously held general or specialist registration and left the register, for example to retire, or moved to non-practising registration, for example to conduct research, in the past three years. Ahpra said only those who are properly qualified and competent would be invited to register, so doctors who lost their registration due to malpractice will not be included. People will have to meet criteria to practice safely and employers will still need to do background checks.

While it will be an opt-out register, no practitioner will be forced to practice and can remove themselves for any reason. Practitioners who are vulnerable, for example if they are over 65 or have underlying illness, could also be utilised in non-frontline roles if they were comfortable with that, such as filling scripts or Telehealth appointments.
Practitioners will start receiving notices about the register from Thursday. Other health practitioners including physiotherapists and radiographers will be added to the sub-register in the near future.

Ahpra CEO Martin Fletcher said those on the register will not need to fill in forms or pay fees, nor meet the usual return to practice requirements.

Updated

Victorians can visit partners they don't live with, chief health officer says

Earlier today, the Victorian premier Daniel Andrews said that people who did not live with their partners could not stay with or visit them.

It followed a tweet from the police minister, Lisa Neville, which you can read below.

However, the chief health officer Brett Sutton has just provided updated advice.

Updated

Qld steps up border rules

Queensland will toughen its border shutdown laws from Friday, barring all non-Queenslanders from entering the state unless they have been granted an exception.

Under the previous rules, people could cross the border provided they self-isolated for 14 days afterwards.

But the police minister, Mark Ryan, said on Wednesday that the rules were set to change further.

“Anyone who is not a Queensland resident or considered exempt from the restrictions will not be able to enter Queensland from 12.01am Friday, April 3, 2020,” Ryan said in a statement reported by the Courier-Mail.

“And it’s important to note that people with an exemption must have a border pass prior to crossing the border.

“If they don’t have a border pass then they will be turned around Freight transport services are exempt and will be allowed through without a border pass permit.”

Updated

Death toll rises to 21

A person has died in NSW after they were diagnosed with Covid-19, a local health authority has confirmed.

Western NSW Local Health District said person died today at Orange Base Hospital. No further details will be provided at the request of the family, the authority said.

The person’s death brings the death toll in Australia to 21.

Updated

Communications minister Paul Fletcher has asked the states and territories to consider an exemption to the emergency restrictions for journalists who may need to travel for work.

Some media companies have been furnishing their staff with letters stating that they are members of the media and need to be outside for reporting purposes or travelling to work. But the letters carry no official status.

While most print and digital journalists are operating from home, many television staff are broadcasting from studios or are out and about getting pictures and gathering news.

“The minister has asked that state and territory governments consider the important role of telecommunications companies, internet service providers and data centres providing commercial services, postal service operators and media organisations, and their respective agents and suppliers, in making decisions about exemptions from emergency restrictions on the movement of people that are introduced or are currently in place under state or territory law,” a spokesman told Guardian Australia.

State and territory police and emergency services ministers are expected to take the request into consideration.

Updated

The heat on super funds over early withdrawals due to the coronavirus crisis is increasing, with regulators today writing to tell trustees maintaining enough cash on hand to meet an expected flood of redemptions must be a “top priority”.

Industry super funds want a taxpayer-backed “liquidity backstop facility”, which would help them pay withdrawals without being forced to sell assets during a market crash.

The Reserve Bank has done some work on the idea, but so far treasurer Josh Frydenberg is understood to be opposed to it, and senior Liberals have been blaming the super sector for any potential problems.

There’s no suggestion any fund would be unable to pay withdrawals under the new rules, which allow fund members to take out $10,000 before 30 June and an additional $10,000 after that.

In a letter to funds sent today, Australian Prudential Regulation Authority member Helen Rowell and Australian Securities and Investments Commission commissioner Danielle Press say that over recent weeks regulators have “been monitoring liquidity to ensure funds retain the means to fulfil their payment obligations, including the early release of superannuation payments recently announced by the government”.

“This must necessarily also be a top priority for trustees, who bear ultimate responsibility for maintaining sufficient levels of liquidity to sustain the operation of their funds,” they said.

They set out a series of things that trustees should be doing including detailed stress testing and working out what effect things like hedging foreign currency and lending out shares to short-sellers have on their cash position.

“Trustees should also ensure that the valuation of unlisted and illiquid assets remains appropriate and consider whether any assets need to be revalued,” they said.

Eleven baggage handlers at Adelaide airport test positive

Sukkar is asked what rights landlords might have during a moratorium on evictions.

He says:

Tasmania’s response, in relation to their moratorium on evictions, they have said damage to the property or illegal conduct [are] exceptions to the moratorium. I’m not going to foreshadow what the national cabinet might ultimately decide but there’s a very delicate balance here between landlords and tenants and we need to make sure we strike that balance and that’s perhaps why the national cabinet has considered this in some detail, issued principles.

Updated

Sukkar says that the national cabinet on Friday is expected to consider a “framework” of minimum standards on rental arrangements throughout the crisis.

Karvelas puts it to him that the government has told tenants and landlords to sit down and talk, but she notes that some tenants have a “lot more bargaining power” than others.

Sukkar says:

Let’s be frank. It’s not in any landlord’s interests to lose a great tenant who is going through a short-term difficulty. I’m sure they recognise that. We are seeing a lot of landlords and tenants working closely together but we need to put in minimum standards and that’s what I’m confident the national cabinet will do. I’m not a member of it but I know that’s what they’ll certainly consider.

Updated

The housing minister and assistant treasurer Michael Sukkar is on the ABC this afternoon with Patricia Karvelas.

Asked if the six-month moratorium on rental evictions means people can stop paying rent, Sukkar says:

Well, the short answer to your question is of course not. There is a moratorium on evictions but not a moratorium on the requirement to pay rents. I think it’s useful to separate commercial and of course the residential piece here but from a commercial perspective I know that our national cabinet will have more to say further to their principles that were outlined last week on how particularly states and territories are going to deal with it.

As the PM has said, we need landlords and tenants to come together and there must be an element of sharing the pain. Not one group or another can share it.

On residential tenancies, Sukkar says that although there was no desire to see people evicted that does “not absolve people of their responsibility to pay their rent”.

Unless you’ve got an arrangement with your landlord that takes into account your financial circumstances, you are required to pay your rent. The moratorium applies to make sure people don’t find themselves without a home.

Importantly, what the Government has done is really strengthened the safety net, whether it’s through the coronavirus supplement or whether through our $750 payments, two of which will be made, or indeed the jobkeeper payment.

Updated

Peter Dutton enacts laws to stop price-gouging and exports of essential goods

The home affairs minister, Peter Dutton, has issued a statement saying that the government has taken action to stop hoarding and profiteering of essential goods.

“The government has implemented amendments to the Customs (Prohibited Exports) Regulations Act 1958 to stop exploitative exports of essential goods (which commenced on 30 March 2020),” Dutton said.

“The Minister for Health has now made a determination under the Biosecurity Act 2015 to enable the Australian Border Force to require that goods already in their custody be surrendered for provision to the National Medical Stockpile, or destruction if the goods are defective.”

Dutton said the health minister had also “determined a requirement that stops price gouging, by preventing people who have purchased essential goods at retail to on-sell them at extortionate prices”, which is set at “120% of the price for which they were purchased”.

People who flout these laws will also be forced to “surrender the essential goods to the Australian Federal Police for provision to the National Medical Stockpile, or destruction if the goods are defective”.

Dutton said: “These measures have become necessary because we have seen a small number of individuals engaging in the bulk purchasing of essential goods from retail outlets in Australia, with the intent of profiteering from exploitative exporting and price gouging. These goods are essential to preventing the spread of Covid-19.

“The government recognises that businesses are generally doing their best to keep prices down and has made exceptions to ensure that these measures do not apply to those doing the right thing.

“These temporary measures will ensure that essential goods are distributed to those with the highest need, such as vulnerable communities, front line health workers and law enforcement, while safeguarding legitimate trade.

Updated

Kelly is asked what the position is of national health authorities about whether people can visit their partners if they do not live under the same roof. The journalist asking the question notes that in NSW this has been deemed OK, but in Victoria it is forbidden.

Kelly essentially says it is up to states to decide.

The AHPPC advice goes to the national cabinet, to the prime minister and through them to the national cabinet. That is discussed there and as has been announced many times now, the individual jurisdictions really have the right and the responsibility to make their own decisions and how they enforce that.

Asked if any of the states have “misinterpreted” the national advice, he essentially repeats that it’s up to the state. “You’ll have to ask the Victorian authorities about that.”

Updated

Kelly is asked about the prospect of a vaccine. He says it’s hard work and that it’s a “difficult thing to predict”. He notes estimates of a timeframe have been between 12 and 18 months.

He added: “I don’t think we can eliminate the virus without a vaccine, no.”

Updated

Further on the modelling, Kelly says:

I think transparency can be a very important thing. Modelling can be misinterpreted and we need to make sure that it’s presented in a way that is useful. The other thing I would say about modelling, and modellers themselves would also say this, modelling is not necessarily the truth. It is a way of seeing the world and potentially pointing out how one can influence certain scenarios. But if we knew the truth and could see exactly what was going to happen in the next few months exactly, then we don’t need to model. We would know the truth.

Updated

Deputy chief medical officer clarifies position on the release of modelling

Paul Kelly is asked about reports that he will release the modelling that authorities are relying on to make its decisions.

His response is definitely worth reading. It seems to suggest the modelling itself might not be released.

I have been quoted as saying I would release the modelling. I would like to clarify that we will discuss the modelling and look to make that transparent in coming days. Modelling, I really want to stress, is something that is used by many and some countries have released their modelling in recent days ... but we really have our local epidemiology which is very much open and we report on it every day at these briefings, it is on the website and so forth. That is really what is guiding most of our decision making at the moment.

Updated

Kelly reiterates the position that only people who have symptoms should wear face masks and these people should only leave the house for reasons like seeking medical care.

He says that face masks should be prioritised for health care workers. (In some other countries, governments are starting to mandate all people wear face masks outside.)

Asked if he is worried about pressure on ICU beds at the end of April, Kelly says:

So, we have very few cases in ICU at the moment and throughout the whole epidemic so far in Australia since January we’ve certainly seen less than 100 cases that have ended up in intensive care. So we have thousands of intensive care beds. One thing I would say is that many of the restrictions that we’ve had in recent times in our society, difficult as they are, are, indeed, leading to a decrease in some of the other things that often end up in our intensive care units.

Kelly says the majority of cases are still linked to international travel and that instances of local transmission are from clusters that have already been identified.

He notes the introduction of the flu vaccination launched today.

So as of now there are millions of vaccines out there ready either delivered already through to the State and Territories as part of the national immunisation program and I would really encourage and really stress the importance, this year in particular, for people to get their flu vaccine as soon as they can in the normal way through their normal general practice, through their pharmacist or various workplace-related vaccine providers. This is particularly important for those in our community who are most vulnerable for the Covid-19 problem as well as flu. So unfortunately this is a double burden for our elderly members of our community.

Updated

Deputy chief medical officer Paul Kelly has started speaking. Kelly says there are now 4,860 cases and have been 20 deaths.

Importantly, he says there is some indication that “the curve is, in fact, flattening”. “We haven’t had a large increase in the last 24 hours although the numbers continue to increase.”

The Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo will be closing its 22 Australian stores until further notice.

“In response to the latest developments surrounding the coronavirus, we have made the decision to temporarily close all 22 of our retail stores in Australia starting Thursday, 2 April 2020, until further notice,” it said in an email to subscribers.

Thanks to Amy for her all efforts again today. I’ll be with you into the night.

As Amy said, we should be getting an update from the deputy chief medical officer shortly. Stay tuned.

We are waiting on an update from the deputy chief medical officer, professor Paul Kelly, which should be coming up very soon.

Luke Henriques-Gomes will be with you for the afternoon. I’ll be back early tomorrow morning. Take care of you.

Meanwhile, charities say they need help:

Six of Australia’s leading international aid agencies are urging the federal government to include in their Covid-19 economic support package specific measures to help charities continue their life-saving work in the most vulnerable communities worldwide.

The organisations - CARE Australia, ChildFund Australia, Oxfam Australia, Plan International Australia, Save the Children Australia and World Vision Australia – said the not-for-profit sector was facing a perfect storm of falling revenue and unprecedented demand for their services fuelled by the pandemic.

The call comes at a time when international aid programs are even more vital, as developing countries face the risk of health systems being overwhelmed by the crisis.

We echo calls by the recently formed Charities Crisis Cabinet for greater support and flexible arrangements for the sector reliant on donations and grants, including:

• increasing the tax deduction for donations to registered charities to 150%, reviewable after the end of the Covid-19 pandemic

• establishing a $750m Australian Charities Stabilisation Fund for charities registered with the ACNC to help to stabilise and manage cash flow as a result of Covid-19

• low- or no-interest loans over an initial 12-month period to help with liquidity, as most charities do not have the capacity to take on debt under loans

• lifting the cap for Fringe Benefit Tax exemptions/salary packaging for charities

Updated

Roger Cook says the procurement of the medical equipment, to ensure a secure supply, is “a game changer”:

This will be a shot in the arm for all the healthcare workers in Western Australia. Knowing that we now have a secure supply of PPE and other vital medical equipment so we can keep them safe in the workplace, and they can provide the best possible care for Western Australian patients.

This is a collaboration, a collaboration between the WA government, the federal government and my colleague, the honourable Greg Hunt, the federal Minister for Health, who also has been working closely with the Minderoo Foundation, and of course the Minderoo Foundation.

As I’ve said on a number of occasions, we’re all in this together and together we’ll get through it Minderoo Foundation is part of our team.

Updated

Twiggy's Minderoo Foundation donates $160m to sourcing medical PPE equipment

Andrew Forrest’s Minderoo Foundation has put $160m into sourcing and delivering PPE equipment for health workers.

From its release:

The first plane of critical medical supplies from the world’s largest producer, China, is to depart from Shanghai today (Australian Western Standard Time). Minderoo Foundation has arranged the charter of the Airbus A330, operated by China Eastern, that will touch down in Perth after a 10-hour flight.

Aiming to resolve Australia’s extreme shortage of PPE (personal protective equipment), two more flights are due to arrive on Friday and Saturday this week, together bringing more than 600 cubic meters weighing over 90 tonnes of medical supplies. This will include over 1m N95 equivalent face masks, 400,000 surgical masks, 2.3m medical-grade gloves, 100,000 nasal swabs, 200,000 medical coveralls, 10,000 medical goggles, 5,000 touch-less thermometers and over 33 ICU grade ventilators.

Minderoo Foundation Chairman Dr Andrew Forrest AO said FMG’s deep and enduring relationships with China are unparalleled in Australia. This allowed Minderoo Foundation to supercharge procurement efforts, on behalf of and in collaboration with the Western Australian and federal governments.

“Unprecedented times cannot be met with a precedented response,” Forrest said. “The trusted relationships, procurement expertise and logistics knowledge of the FMG and Minderoo Foundation teams, have been fundamental in rapidly securing this vital equipment.

“Our nation is facing a threat not seen in our lifetimes.

“China’s Ambassador to Australia, His Excellency Ambassador Cheng, and the Chinese people have been great mates to Australia. They are now doing all they can to help us in our hour of need. I thank the People’s Republic of China for protecting our critical medical orders in the face of intense pressure from other nations. Without this, there would be no plane loads of equipment that we celebrate today for our first responders and suffering Australians.”

Updated

Labor pushes for parliament to sit as normal

Mark Dreyfus is calling for parliament to remain convened. It is in emergency mode at the moment, which means it is recalled only when there is legislation to pass, but the shadow attorney-general thinks it should be sitting as scheduled:

Updated

Roger Cook says WA is expanding its testing criteria, from tomorrow:

All members of the community who have a fever of 38 degrees or above, and an acute respiratory illness, will now be eligible for testing.

For peopling in high-risk settings, including frontline stuff like healthcare workers and police officers, they can now be tested if they have a fever of 38 degrees or above, or a respiratory illness, a slight difference there.

In terms of our high-risk settings, those arrangements will remain in place.

Testing will take place within these settings that are experiencing either a fever or an acute respiratory infection.

And just to remind you of these high-risk settings, they include aged care and residential care, rural and remote Aboriginal communities, detention centres, boarding schools, military barracks or the equivalent, geographically localised areas with increased risk of community transmission, all returning international and domestic travellers, and hospitalised patients.

And there will be new “heat maps” released:

We also are releasing today new heat maps which will provide you at a glance the state’s Covid-19 hot spots following the launch of these maps.

The heat map is a geographical representation of Covid-19 case data to give Western Australians a quick impression of the location of cases in our state.

The map, which has been developed by the Department of Health, will highlight confirmed cases of Covid-19 across the state. The map will display both regional and metropolitan activity by local government area.

Importantly, only Western Australian cases will be displayed, including numbers from cruise ships – excluding numbers from cruise ships and other non-WA cases. The map will not reveal the exact location of individual cases, ensuring patient confidentiality. That’s obviously an important feature that, I’m sure, you’ll all appreciate. The map will be updated daily and will soon be on the Department of Health website.

Updated

The WA health minister, Roger Cook, says there have been another 28 people diagnosed in Western Australia since yesterday. The state has 392 confirmed cases.

Those impacted are aged between 4 and 69.

Michael Gunner on the impact to the economy so far and why it is so difficult to judge future impact:

We can’t say what is going to happen in the territory in a month’s time or in two months’ time.

It is extremely difficult to do modelling around that. But what we do know is that the territory economy and the Australian economy is going to take a very big hit. I’ll give you an example of how modelling doesn’t work.

You go back – I’m going to say four weeks but I’ve lost all sense of time over March. March went for a year.

We had a bias that we would lose 10% of our tourism market. I think we’ve lost 100% of our tourism market. That’s just in a matter of weeks. So it is extremely difficult to model this. What we do know is that thing that will help business survive, that will help them keep workers on the job, we’re doing those things.

Right now, we’re trying to help those businesses get through these times, those workers get through these times, and come out the other side

Updated

The NT’s stimulus plan gets underway now. Michael Gunner:

I can confirm today that the Small Business Survival Fund will start delivering its first payments to local businesses by the end of this week.We’ve already had more than 260 applications for this fund.

The jobkeeper payment from the federal government is a game-changer for the territory.

It’s exactly what we needed. It’s what I asked of the prime minister, and he has listened and delivered.

We’re expecting nearly 7,000 local businesses to benefit, supporting the jobs and wages of 45,000 territory workers. It means fewer people at Centrelink. It means more people on the job. Local businesses are now hiring back the workers they had to let go.

Just one business, the Trader Bar has now called up three former employees and got them back at work. Working together, our governments will deliver a $1bn boost to save territory jobs over the next six months.

A billion-dollar boost to keep our economy ticking to get us through the hard times and to get us ready for the good times.

A lot of money but it is something needs to be done. I will throw the kitchen sink at this, and when I’m done throwing the kitchen sink, I will find something else.

There is hope.

Every day I’m hearing stories about how territory businesses are surviving, and sometimes even thriving. The coffee shop in Alice that delivered services to our teachers.

The locals who serve a coffee cart at RDH to make sure our doctors and nurses stay caffeinated. I’m very proud of the Territorians out now who in the toughest times are thinking bigger, tougher and working together.

We’ll keep backing you in these tough times. You didn’t ask for it. This is a massive event that has sent a shock through your life. I’ll do everything I can to keep you here as your chief minister and to see you on the other side.

Updated

NT chief minister, Michael Gunner speaks for all of us, when he gets timing confused:

I’m going to say four weeks but I’ve lost all sense of time over March.

March went for a year.”

Christian Porter said Australia has a humanitarian responsibility for the crew and passengers on board the ship, the boat people, if you were, and can’t just deny them mainland medical care.

(No, the irony of this is not lost on me, given what we saw during the medevac debate and eventual repeal.)

Now we’ve got a responsibility to those passengers to ensure that the West Australian health system gives them the available attention to ensure that they don’t, if I can put this bluntly, die on the voyage home because they’ve not received proper attention before that voyage commences.

And that is just a humanitarian responsibility that I think that we have. And if you have a look at the way in which our passengers on vessels in places like Japan were treated, we wouldn’t want to treat people any less well than that.

We have a humanitarian obligation, so yes, it has to leave, we also have an obligation to make sure it leaves with people in decent enough condition that they survive the journey back.

And so that’s a balancing exercise. And I think it’s one that’s been worked on cooperatively between customs and our government and WA Health and the WA government.

Yes, of course, they’ve got to leave, but they’ve got to leave in a way that is safe and fair and as humane as all of us circumstances can accommodate.

Updated

Christian Porter was asked about the Artania while speaking to Perth radio 6PR this morning. He said it was a challenging situation:

Let’s look at what’s been achieved so far. So commonwealth government’s facilitated the repatriation of approximately 850 passengers on charter flights back to Germany, from the Artania.

Now just keep in mind that two or three days ago there were a lot of voices in the sort of publicly, public commentary sphere who said that that wasn’t possible – and that was too risky and people should be moved to islands and all this sort of stuff. So let’s just keep in mind that in a calm, responsible, humanitarian and safe flight, we’ve moved 850 passengers off the vessel, bussed them out, chartered them off; low risk; the right thing to do. Now the vessel is the subject of an order to leave. And they don’t have to do that tonight. But they are subject to an order to leave.

My information is that there are still 12 passengers on board some of whom are very unwell. And their level of either illness or frailty is such that they cannot get in a plane.

Updated

To Western Australians who may still be out of state, Mark McGowan has one message – come home now, because it is about to get a lot more difficult.

It may be that Western Australians coming home would obviously have to self-isolate for 14 days, and may need a very good reason. I’d say to those Western Australians interstate at the moment who are procrastinating, I’d say to them, ‘Come home now because at some point in time over the weekend it may become more difficult.’

What does that mean exactly?

Well, there may be rules around it. I’m just – I’ve got to follow the legal advice here but I’m trying to protect our state.

Honestly, if you – you’d have to have been living in a cave in the Himalayas not to have known what’s going on over the course of the last three or four weeks.

And if you decided not to come home, if you decided to go overseas, if you decided to do any of those things, well, I think there’s limited sympathy.

Updated

'Cruise ship frustration one of the great frustrations of my life,' says WA premier

The German cruise ship the Artania is still in WA’s waters. It has refused to leave Fremantle.

Mark McGowan wants it gone from WA “as soon as possible” and is “very disappointed” it is still there. He wants the commonwealth to intervene.

I’d urge the Australian Border Force to get the ship on its way. It has to get back to Germany. I suspect most of the crew want to go back to Germany. I think the federal government needs to step up here. If the ship needs to be cleaned, well, clean it and then get it on its way.

Should the federal authorities take charge of the ship?

That’s an option. That is an option. The only problem with that is the ship may well turnaround and come back in. It is a difficult situation. I understand it is very difficult for the commonwealth government. But I just urge them to, if what’s required is to clean the ship as a condition of getting it under way, well then, do that. If they need some protective equipment, give them that. But get the ship away as soon as possible.

Why does McGowan want it gone so badly?

What I don’t want to see is the Artania sit there and potentially attract ships from somewhere else on the basis you can stay in Fremantle. I say to the federal government, please, work with the ship to get it away and clean it as soon as possible and get it away from.

A dozen passengers remain on board the ship.

McGowan only found about them yesterday:

They have various reasons for wanting to stay onboard. If they stay onboard and sail with the ship, then I’m fine with that. If they come ashore under quarantine and fly home, well, then that could be another solution. I urge the federal government to resolve the situation as soon as possible.

But the WA premier is pretty stressed about the cruise ship situation. He just wants the ship gone, and he wants the federal government to do whatever it has to, to make that happen.

The cruise ship frustration has been one of the great frustrations of my life and the last two weeks dealing with this has been incredibly difficult but it has been incredibly difficult for everyone. I’m not trying to make this political. I just want urgency at a commonwealth matter to deal with it and get it away.

Updated

Mark McGowan also spoke on the upcoming legislation his government is trying to pass through the parliament, as part of its Covid-19 response:

We have a range of legislation going through the Parliament to assist us in dealing with Covid-19.

As you know, some of it is very much directed at law and order initiatives to protect our police officers, to give us the capacity to put in fines, to put in place electronic monitoring.

Some of it is business-related to support small business, to put in place payroll tax cuts. Some of it is medical-related to ensure that we can provide support to doctors and, indeed, patients to get them the appropriate treatment under the law.

So there’s a lot of important legislation, some of it drafted in the course of the last couple of weeks – a massive drafting effort again gone in to ensure we have the right legislation in the Parliament.

As you know, it is a unique circumstance because it is a state of emergency. That is all now in the parliament.

We want to see it get through over the course of this week. Can I just make one point, there’s some Liberal and National MPs in the upper house that are trying to delay this.

I just urge the Liberal and National leadership at a state level to help us achieve this legislation. Help us here. This is not a time to be political. It’s a time to show community spirit and do the right thing. So I just urge members of the upper house who want to delay and draw out this legislation not to, and I’d urge the leadership of the Liberals and Nationals to help the state government and to help the community deal with what’s going on.

Updated

WA premier Mark McGowan is giving his update.

He has said the nine intrastate checkpoints are now in place, which splits the state up into nine different regions. The defence force is helping police enforce the new boundaries – you can’t travel between them without a valid reason.

He is also asking local governments to stop standing down staff.

Updated

There is still a lot of talk about this.

And there are some, who shall remain nameless but really love having newspaper columns to sprout feelpinions that are the exact opposite of all the health advice, who think that early signs of success is enough to call the whole thing off.

What is the curve doing?

You can find out here - but also see why there can’t be anything approaching celebrations just yet

The ACCC is also watching price gouging in Australian supermarkets. So far, it has found that while prices may have increased, it can be put down to additional costs in the supply chains. But they are keeping an eye on it.

Australia is not alone in this though. A despatch from New Zealand:

Victoria police are sending out the updates on who they are fining, under the physical distance and gathering restriction regulations.

  • In the past 24 hours, Victoria Police conducted 2,198 spot checks at homes, businesses and non-essential services across the state as part of Operation Sentinel
  • Nine fines have been issued in the past 24 hours – total number of fines is now 10
  • Since 21 March, police have conducted a total of 9,208 spot checks

One fine of note as per below:

Victoria Police has fined a business $9,913 and two individuals $1,652 each for failing to adhere to directives designed to slow the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus).

Yesterday afternoon (31 March), Sex Industry Coordination Unit members visited a massage premises in Frankston and observed non-essential services being undertaken.

This is a breach of the directive about non-essential business.

A fine was issued to the business owner, with individual fines also issued to a female employee and a male customer.

The fine was issued as part of Operation Sentinel, which involves 500 police conducting around the clock spot checks on people who have returned from overseas or tested positive to Covid-19 and should be in self-isolation.

Operation Sentinel is also enforcing bans on indoor and outdoor gatherings at non-essential venues and businesses to ensure coronavirus containment measures are being followed.

Another six individual penalty notices were issued to individuals by officers from South Melbourne (3), Melton (2) and Footscray (1) in the past 24 hours for breaching the directive to stay at home without a valid reason.

Updated

NSW Health has put out its official release on the state’s Covid-19 numbers.

As at 8pm, Tuesday, 31 March 2020, an additional 150 cases of Covid-19 have been diagnosed, since 8pm 30 March, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in NSW to 2,182.

There are 218 Covid-19 cases being treated by NSW Health, including 42 cases in our Intensive Care Units and, of those, 22 require ventilators at this stage.

More than 50% of the remainder of cases being treated by NSW Health are through Hospital in the Home services.

Sadly, a female patient in her 90s from the Dorothy Henderson Lodge died
yesterday on-site at the residential care facility.

NSW Health passes on our condolences to the family of this patient. Nine people have now died in NSW having tested positive to Covid-19.

The 14-day isolation period for passengers from most cruise ships that came into Sydney, including Ovation of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas, Celebrity Solstice and Ruby Princess, is close to completion.

NSW Health is undertaking a thorough review of confirmed COVID-19 case numbers within the system to most accurately finalise the total NSW number of passengers from cruise ships.

A Bondi Pop-Up Clinic started operation from today in Bondi in the Waverley LGA, which has the highest number of confirmed cases and the highest number of those with an unknown source of infection.

Finding those cases early and identifying appropriate isolation and quarantining are important factors in preventing onward transmission in the community. The pop-up clinic is at the Bondi pavilion seven days a week.

An 18-year-old male student who attended Kincumber High School has been diagnosed with Covid-19. Risk assessment and investigations are underway and the school is non-operational today.

Updated

For those asking, the Bondi Covid-19 pop-up test clinic is up and running.

The tests are finite. You need a reason to be tested.

Updated

The largest gathering at Brisbane’s South Bank parklands on Wednesday was four police officers talking among themselves about (what else?) the virus.

The riverfront in South Brisbane is one of the city’s most popular social hubs; on this sort of calm, warm morning its artificial beach and nearby eateries would normally be teeming with tourists and locals.

Another of the city’s loved communal spaces, New Farm Park, has rarely been so sparsely inhabited. The park is usually full of picnicking families and there’s a spot by the river constantly used for groups doing tai chi or running boot camps.

Just before lunchtime, a few people sat by themselves, or in pairs, but no one appeared to be flouting regulations about public gathering. Social distancing doesn’t seem particularly social.

“I live nearby and I usually go elsewhere if I do go out, because this part of the park is packed,” said a woman strolling by herself in the park rose garden.

Queensland police at an unusually quiet South Bank Parklands.
Queensland police at an unusually quiet South Bank Parklands. Photograph: Ben Smee/The Guardian

“It’s quite pleasant really, a lovely opportunity to enjoy this space. There’s a lot of flats and townhouses near here and people can’t stay cooped up, so it will be interesting to see if it stays this quiet or people become stir crazy.”

Queensland police appeared to have a permanent presence at South Bank. Guardian Australia observed occasional patrols at CT White Park at Kangaroo Point and New Farm Park.

While those prominent destinations are particularly quiet, some of Brisbane’s suburban parks have become busier than usual in the morning and evening, as people staying home attempt to get their allowed exercise.

Locals say pathways and parkways along Kedron Brook, Breakfast Creek and Enoggera Creek have been the busiest they have seen during peak times.

Updated

Cases like this are increasing

The ACT government has also upped its enforcement of the restrictions and social distancing rules.

There is now a $8,000 fine for disobeying

Updated

Larry David has had to get involved

ACT Health has provided an update on the number of cases in the territory – including a revision of cases, after further testing showed someone who was confirmed to have Covid-19 was tested further and found to be negative:

There have been five (5) new confirmed ACT cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours bringing the ACT’s total to 84*.

The new cases consist of three (3) males and two (2) females, aged between 27 and 79. Four (4) of the new cases are linked to overseas travel, including on cruise ships, and one (1) is a close contact of a previous confirmed case.

One (1) case is still under investigation by ACT Health.

There remains no evidence of community transmission in the ACT.

There are currently nine (9) Covid-19 patients in Canberra hospitals.

A total of eight (8) cases have recovered from COVID-19 and have been released from self-isolation. The rest are isolating at home with ACT Health support.

There have been 4774 negative Covid-19 tests in the ACT to date.

The ACT has recorded one death.

ACT Health is continuing to take appropriate public health action in line with national guidelines.

*Reduction in total confirmed cases

After further testing another of the ACT’s previously confirmed cases has been determined to not have Covid-19 and has been removed from the ACT’s total. As a result, the total for the ACT has only increased by four (4) today despite recording five (5) new confirmed cases.

Updated

A police helicopter has been noisily surveilling Bondi Beach and surrounds, keeping people from the water and watching that the new two-person rule for being outside – and with a “reasonable excuse” – is being observed.

Around the eastern suburbs, beaches are bare, and while their foreshores aren’t empty, they are far quieter than usual.

Underemployed lifeguards at Tamarama have been productive in getting the message out, with “Stay home” written in large letters in the sand.

Elsewhere, people are out but sticking to the two-person limit, or are in family groups. Centennial Park is populated by joggers and cyclists but the message of the two-person maximum appears to, largely, be getting through.

At Coogee, cafes are doing takeaways only, and advertising “quarantine specials” to passing foot traffic.

The curve is bending, people, keep pulling it down.

Updated

Very small lull today, so if you still have some questions, let me know, and I will do my best to answer them. You can ask me, here.

Updated

Just in case it needs to be said, no one is saying the flu vaccine can protect you from coronavirus.

Health workers, and the government, want you to have one to a) try to minimise those getting the same symptoms as Covid-19, if possible and b) minimise the yearly impact on the health and hospital system from the flu, as coronavirus continues its way through the population.

Updated

Dolly Parton will start reading one bedtime story a week, livestreamed on YouTube, to help distract kids (and me) from the coronacrisis.

Updated

Steven Marshall, the SA premier, says he has authorised repurposing public servants to help with the state’s contact tracing efforts.

Updated

Dr Anne Tonkin, the chair of the Medical Board of Australia, has written to doctors outlining decisions to boost the medical workforce and ease administrative demands on health services. In short, the board will:

  • Waive the usual rotation requirements for interns in 2020. The requirement for the usual rotations of medicine, surgery and emergency medical care are waived.
  • Enable international medical graduates within hospitals with limited and provisional registration to be redeployed more easily without a formal application to the board.
  • Examine alternatives for demonstrating English-language proficiency because of the disruptions to language testing.
  • Streamline the return-to-work process for practitioners who have been off the register or who have held non-practising registration for less than three years. Health departments will focus on practitioners who are part of the so-called “surge workforce” responding directly to the immediate demands of the pandemic. More information on this will be released on Wednesday afternoon.

Tonkin said:

We are facing the biggest public health challenge of our lives. It is already testing our communities and will test us as individual doctors. Many of us will care for sick and frightened patients. Some will face our own illness and need to care for our families and loved ones. It will stretch us all.

There are likely to be new situations and demands that existing regulatory standards have not anticipated. We may be called on to practise outside our usual scope, to meet unprecedented requirements. Redeployment may become common, to make use of expertise and experience where these are needed most.

The board understands this. A national emergency requires doctors to meet extreme challenges, which Australia’s regulatory approach must accommodate. If there is a complaint about you during this time, the Medical Board of Australia will take into account the extraordinary circumstances in which you are working and the heavy demands being made of you.

Updated

Victoria has recorded 51 new cases of Covid-19, bringing the state’s total to 968. It’s the lowest one-day rise in 10 days.

Fifty-four per cent are men, 46% are women, and 79% of all cases were in the Melbourne region.

The number of cases attributed to untraced community transmission has risen to 39 – three more than yesterday.

Thirty-two people with Covid-19 are in hospital in Victoria, six of whom are in intensive care. To date, four people in the state have died. Some 343 people – 35% of total cases – have recovered. More than 47,000 tests have been performed.

The state’s chief health officer, Brett Sutton, reiterated that under rules now in force in Victoria, which you can read here, police can issue on-the-spot fines of up to $1,652 for individuals for leaving their home for reasons other than obtaining food and supplies, medical care or care-giving, exercise, or work or education.

If the matter is taken to court, the fine could be as high as $20,000.

Sutton said:

Social distancing will save lives. Everyone needs to comply with restrictions in place to keep yourself, your loved ones and the whole community safe. Our message is clear: if you can stay home, you must stay home.

Earlier, Victoria’s premier, Daniel Andrews, dismissed suggestions from reporters that there was some confusion around the stage 3 social distancing rules, saying he would not tell police how the rules ought to be enforced and people should use their “common sense”.

Updated

One of the big gambling agencies is so desperate for a punt it has opened up betting on the ASX.

Updated

The Hotels with Hearts initiative is under way in WA. Homeless people are being housed in empty hotel rooms in Perth as part of a trial to keep some of the most vulnerable residents safe during the coronacrisis.

  • About 20 people experiencing homelessness are being moved in to Perth’s Pan Pacific hotel in response to Covid-19
  • Rough sleepers are unable to self-isolate and many have chronic health issues
  • The “Hotels with Heart” pilot aims to keep homeless people safe and out of hospital
  • The new service model could be scaled up to support vulnerable people if the pilot is successful

Calla Wahlquist has just pointed me in the direction of this update:

Updated

Frontline health workers have written to Guardian Australia to say it was galling to see politicians receiving their flu shots when doctors and nurses are yet to receive theirs despite working with Covid-19 patients or preparing for Covid-19 admissions.

The flu shot is recommended especially for vulnerable and high-risk groups such as health workers and those over 65 because the combination of being infected with the flu and Covid-19 would be devastating.

While the vaccine is not usually recommended until mid-May, at-risk groups are being targeted early. From 1 May, all visitors to an aged care facility will be required to receive it.

Victoria’s attorney general, Jill Hennessy, and health minister, Jenny Mikakos, are among those posting photos of themselves being given the shot on Twitter.

But as one doctor told Guardian Australia, frontline health staff have been advised they won’t get the jab until mid-April at the earliest.

“Surely vaccination of frontline staff should be a higher priority than politicians – especially given the challenge of a pandemic,” said the doctor, who works across three major Victorian hospitals.

Updated

Labor has asked the government to step in and help children with no internet access at home to receive the connections they need to keep up their schooling.

Most schoolwork next term is being transferred to online learning. Labor says that puts some of the most vulnerable Australian children at a massive disadvantage.

According to the final Australian Bureau of Statistics household internet survey, 3 per cent of Australian households with children under the age of 15 did not have internet at home.

This suggests children in up to 55,600 family households are potentially missing out on the benefits of connectivity.

Recent developments with COVID19 are no doubt placing these children, their parents and their teachers under pressure.

Labor is calling for a targeted initiative to support these families with free NBN broadband access for a period of at least 12 months.

The small proportion of eligible households means incentives can be delivered in a targeted, responsible and compassionate manner to achieve a social and economic good.

At a time when broadband has become a critical link between students, parents and their teachers, action is needed to ensure no child is left behind.

This will build on good work being done by some state governments to provide laptops and other devices to support distance learning.

Updated

If you want to register to help as part of Queensland’s “care army” or if you need help, you can call 1800 173 349.

Updated

Queensland reports that 40 more people have been diagnosed with Covid-19 since yesterday.

That brings the state’s total confirmed cases to 781.

Updated

Supporting the vulnerable includes, Kate Jones says, making changes in your own families if necessary:

We’re also calling on families to really think about how you can support your own seniors in your own family. For example, my mother normally, who is in her 60s, who normally looks after her children, is also the primary carer for my 91-year-old nana.

We as a family had to make a decision that my mother can no longer see my children while she’s the primary carer of a 91-year-old.

That’s a family decision. We’re calling on other families across Queensland to sit down, call each other, and really think about what is the best way that you can support the most vulnerable in your own family, to ensure they are getting the support services that they need.

A free hotline will be established for those who don’t have family or friends close by to match you with someone who can help.

About a million Queenslanders fit into the “vulnerable” stay-at-home category.

Updated

The Queensland minister Kate Jones has a little more detail on the “care army” initiative:

Last time we had a crisis, we asked Queenslanders to put on their gumboots.

Today, we’re asking Queenslanders to make a call.

As the premier said, we know the most vulnerable people in our community, that are most vulnerable to coronavirus, are actually our seniors.

Queenslanders over the age of 65, with a chronic condition and, indeed, all Queenslanders over the age of 70. So today the premier is calling on all Queenslanders to mobilise our care army.

What we’re saying very clearly is, our seniors are in the main doing the right thing.

They’re listening to the advice and they’re staying home. What we need to ensure is that we are supporting seniors to stay in their own homes and to stay safe.

So, we’re calling on all Queenslanders to think about the, in your own life, who are those people that are over 65, or over 70, that you know, that you can help them with key basics such as groceries, medicine and also companionship.

One of the things we’re aware of, there’s many active people that are over 65, that might have a chronic illness, however, they’re still living very active lives. So to be told they have to stay home is a big change for them. We need to make sure we’re reaching out to them, giving them care, and showing we are with them during this tough time.

Updated

Queensland launches 'care army' to support vulnerable neighbours

It is Annastacia Palaszczuk’s turn for a morning update.

The Queensland premier is calling for a “care army”.

I want Queenslanders to join our care army and support a senior in your suburb. We can all do this.

Support a senior in your superb. What does it mean? It means basic things, there may be someone living next door, or down the road, it’s about checking in, getting their contact number, leaving something in their letterbox, or contacting a number we are going to give to you shortly, and hopping on the phone and saying, how are you?

Do you want to have a chat about things? It’s also about doing some grocery shopping for them, and leaving it at their front door. And perhaps they may leave a script in their letterbox and you can go and get the script.

Updated

The number of businesses registering their interest in wage subsidies for their workers is continuing to grow quickly.

As of this morning, 370,000 businesses have registered their interest for the payment, which amounts to $1,500 a fortnight for each employee.

The Australian Taxation Office has given us a bit more detail about the extraordinary surge in demand for information on the day the $130bn jobkeeper payment package was announced.

A spokesperson told us the ATO website had registered about 1.1m visits on Monday – double the traffic experienced on the previous Monday.

It’s nearly four times the number of visits to the ATO website at a similar time last year.

The ATO confirmed that it had “reviewed and implemented increased system capacity” because it had anticipated large volumes of traffic associated with the announcement.

The spokesperson said the ATO also fielded 50,000 phone calls on Monday, about 50% more than the same time last year, which were “well managed by the mobilisation of staff from across the ATO who assisted in talking the additional calls”.

Readers will recall that the MyGov website was absolutely smashed last week after national cabinet announced forced shutdowns of a range of retail of entertainment, retail and hospitality businesses, as many people tried to register their intent to claim the jobseeker payment formerly known as Newstart.

At the time, Stuart Robert, the minister for government services, said “my bad” for not boosting the MyGov website’s capability by enough to cope with the huge increased demand.

Updated

News Corp has suspended printing of 60 community titles.

It says advertising revenue has dropped to unsustainable levels and it has no choice.

Updated

BaptistCare, which runs the Dorothy Henderson Lodge aged care home where a fifth resident has died after contracting Covid-19, has released this statement:

We are saddened to report the passing of a 95 year old female resident from Dorothy Henderson Lodge after testing positive to COVID-19.

The total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 at Dorothy Henderson Lodge is twenty one, with sixteen residents and five employees.

“It is heartbreaking to learn of another resident passing away,” said BaptistCare CEO, Ross Low.

“To be faced with this loss is incredibly difficult, especially knowing just how hard everyone is working to care for our residents and staff.”

“I have spoken with the family to share my condolences with them during this devastating time. Their words of support to me and the staff at Dorothy Henderson Lodge were incredibly uplifting.”

BaptistCare continues to work closely with NSW Health.

Updated

But Dan Andrews did back up his police minister, Lisa Neville, who said visiting partners was not allowable, under these new rules:

What I’m saying to you ... is – that’s not work, that’s not care giving, that’s not medical care, that’s not shopping for the things that you need when you need them. And you know, it does not comply with the rules. So people should not do that.

NSW, the other jurisdiction which is going full crackdown, is not as strong on this point, yet, with the police commissioner, Mick Fuller, this morning saying:

Absolutely. That’s under care.

Mental health is under care. Absolutely, under care. I think we have to look after each other, but don’t take the whole family with you. Don’t take your grandparents.

In the other jurisdictions, the rule is try to keep it quiet.

Updated

A lot of the premier’s press conferences are turning into a question-and-answer sessions about specific situations.

That is because “just use common sense” is a complicated directive when there are police enforcements in place – including fines of up to $11,000 and six months jail in some jurisdictions.

The issue of visiting partners is a very, very big issue. Particularly if you are looking at these measures being in place for six months or more.

Dan Andrews was asked about that again and, in a sign of frustration, he also mentioned his personal struggles:

There’s lots of different issues in different relationships and households.

If you for instance were visiting somebody and they’ve got older parents, if the person you’re visiting lives at home with the older parents, then no, you probably shouldn’t do that.

Again, I know I’m asking a lot of Victorians. I’m deeply grateful for those doing the right thing. Ultimately, visiting friends or doing the things that you might like to do – is that worth a life?

Almost certainly the answer to that is no.

I’ll give you a personal example. Last couple of hours of light on a Sunday afternoon, Sunday evening, I would normally go and play nine holes of golf. I’m not doing that. Would I like to do that? Yes. I probably don’t have the time at the moment! And the golf courses are shut. But even if they weren’t, I would not be doing that because I don’t need to do that. I might like to do it, I might choose to do it, but I wouldn’t be doing that because it’s simply not necessary. All that it would be doing is potentially spreading the virus.

Updated

On the partner issue, NSW has not included it in the reasonable excuses list.

Mick Fuller, the NSW police commissioner says it could count as “care” and could be allowable.

I get why people are confused – but Fuller says police are using their discretion.

In Victoria, the police minister has said no.

Updated

Peak bodies representing retailers and shopping centre landlords have hammered out a common position on commercial rents.

In a joint statement, the Australian Retailers Association, the National Retail Association, the Pharmacy Guild and the Shopping Centre Council of Australia have largely welcomed principles set out by Scott Morrison on Sunday.

But they reject the prime minister’s idea that tenants should be able to simply terminate leases unilaterally if they’re in trouble due to the coronavirus crisis.

They’ve also called for reductions in land tax and council rates, which they say should be passed on to tenants.

The agreed principles say that landlords and commercial tenants should negotiate rent reductions on a case-by-case basis.

As part of this, tenants should open their books to landlords so that landlords can understand the financial position of tenants – which, based on the fact that people have been largely ordered to stay home, will in many cases be extremely dire.

Updated

Also not unexpected:

Kincumber high school, in the Central Coast region of NSW, is closing after a student was confirmed to have contracted coronavirus.

The school has about 1,030 students.

Updated

Victoria announces $1.3bn ICU boost

The $1.3bn announcement Dan Andrews just mentioned there is for an expansion of the state’s intensive care units.

Victoria’s health minister, Jenny Mikakos, says it is “worse-case scenario planning” and she hopes the state never needs to use the capacity it is setting up.

So this package will pay for the biggest expansion of Victoria’s intensive care capacity in Victoria’s history.

We currently have about 450, about 500 intensive care beds in Victoria.

And now, we’re going to fund another 4,000 intensive care beds, taking us to a total of 4,500.

So essentially, what the package will pay for is firstly some capital funding there to create new spaces for intensive care beds at the Alfred, Monash and at the Austin hospitals, so that will create another 300 new spaces, on top of the 269 beds that we announced recently.

And in addition to that, the vast bulk of this funding is actually for the consumables and the equipment and the personal protective equipment that will be needed as we go forward.

Updated

Victoria police have issued eight coronavirus fines (Victoria has a $1,300 fine for those who break the social distancing rules, which in Victoria includes seeing your partner, if they live in another household).

Dan Andrews:

If you don’t have to go out, don’t go out. That’s the key message. It couldn’t be simpler. And I know that there’s a lot of debate and discussion about what’s in the rules and what isn’t.

Use your common sense. If you don’t need to do it – don’t do it.

If you can stay at home, you must stay at home. These are actually really simple messages. They’re small things in the scheme of everything. But they make a massive difference in terms of our capacity and our health system, and the number of people who will die because of this virus.

Updated

Daniel Andrews is holding his daily update.

As is becoming his hallmark, he is using a lot of real talk.

If people do the wrong thing, then we will see this virus spread more rapidly. We will see the health system overrun, and we will, sadly, see many, many people die.

If this gets away from us, the $1.3bn I’m announcing today, the $500m we announced last week, that will be nowhere near enough.

There will be nowhere near enough intensive care beds if this gets away from us. No country in the world can have enough intensive care beds if this virus really takes hold and people have not done the right thing.

He says there are early signs of success but it is too early to even approach celebrating.

I’m pleased to report that the social distancing measures, the different rules that we’ve put in place, stages 1, 2 and 3, really are changing the way the city and state works. You can see it. In terms of public spaces, you can see it.

On public transport, the road network, it is having a difference. It is helping us to suppress the total number of cases, to flatten the curve, as we sometimes say, to protect our health system and to save lives. So yes, it’s a lot, but it means a lot as well, and it is achieving what we want to see happen. And that is to say – whilst there are still more cases each day, we’re not seeing the scenes and the kind of growth in cases that so many other parts of the world are experiencing right now.

Updated

The government has also created a $170m support package for freight exporters.

With so many commercial flights grounded, moving some exports (like seafood, for example) has become impossible.

Under the deal the government will fly the freight out and fly medical equipment back in.

Updated

The future of Virgin Australia is still under a cloud.

It wants the government to step in with a $1.4bn bailout, to get it through the coming months (Qantas also wants a $4bn loan). One of the problems is, if Virgin goes under, who fills the gap?

There is no certain answer. But Australia could end up with some sort of conglomerate airline, with some sort of government equity stake, where some of the struggling airlines join together.

Updated

The G20 finance leaders met (virtually) overnight. Josh Frydenberg attended, and called for the world’s economy to be put into a “controlled” hibernation.

AAP has more:

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg met with G20 finance ministers overnight, asking them to act urgently and commit to a fiscal support target to help the recovery once the coronavirus crisis is over.

He wants the grouping of the world’s largest economies to send a signal to their citizens they are doing whatever it takes.

“First, our priority should be putting the global economy into controlled hibernation while quarantine measures are in place,” he told AAP ahead of the meeting.

“Quick, strong and coordinated action now will minimise the permanent human and economic damage.”

The Treasurer also wants a G20 commitment to lead the global recovery once the health crisis recedes, including coordination over the easing of travel, transport and production restrictions, and developing a robust long-term recovery plan.

Updated

Donald Trump’s latest press conference is being factchecked by our international Guardian colleagues as it happens. Trump has warned America to brace for a “very difficult” two weeks (which is absolutely true). On current predictions, if the social distancing measures work, the US is bracing for between 100,000 and 240,000 deaths.

Updated

Peter Gutwein, Tasmania’s premier, is giving his morning update.

He says an order will be issued very soon to prevent any evictions of residential tenants during this crisis (outside of criminal actions and damage) for 90 days, which can be extended if needed.

But I also want to say that if you are in a residential tenancy, and you can pay your rent, then you should. This is not a licence not to pay rent.

If you can pay your rent, you should. That is the very clear expectation. This bill will not provide you with support if you are in a position where financial hardship is not being felt. But if it is, but if you are in a difficult situation, then this bill will provide the protections that are necessary.

Tasmania is going to allow for council meetings to be held virtually.

Updated

We were told this was on the cards last week, and here it is.

It is NOT anything close to a military-enforced lockdown. I have seen those rumours on social media and this isn’t that. Every single rumour claims it is going to happen in “48 hours” and it doesn’t seem to matter that the deadline passes without martial law, it persists. The ADF have been called in to help law enforcement, much like what happened during the bushfires (which were only a couple of months ago) – not to put tanks on the streets. Don’t spread unnecessary fear and angst.

Updated

Bob Katter is sending a plane over Brisbane today, with the advertising banner “Isolate north Queensland now” being towed behind it.

The states have the power to lock down particular areas (and have).

Katter is calling for the lockdown because of coronavirus – but he has wanted to annexe north Queensland from the rest of the state since Joh was in power.

Updated

The US is the new global hotspot for coronavirus.

The predictions of a “successful” social isolation policy are absolutely terrifying.

Updated

Dan Tehan has promised an update on the childcare issue in the coming days, but in the meantime, the sector says it is under extreme stress, as scores of parents pull their children out of centres, which are being made to stay open.

Labor’s Amanda Rishworth says urgent help is needed:

As you’ve pointed out what you’ve got is families that are finding financial stress and if they stay enrolled they have to pay a gap fee.

If they un-enrol they don’t pay a gap fee, but of course what the centres then miss out on as well is the Government subsidy, and this is what’s causing pain for so many centres. On average a child care centre relies for about 62 per cent on Government subsidy, so that’s the money that gets paid by the Government in addition to the gap fee parents pay.

A simple solution could well be if parents want to take their children out at this current time when they feel they can care for them at home, to not have to charge parents the gap fee and actually for the Government to keep paying the subsidy the centre would otherwise get. That could potentially keep staff on board, keep them operating for essential service workers, because I think a lot of early educators understand they are caring for the children of essential workers and that is a really important role they are undertaking. So that could be a simple solution, a lot of centres have begged for that, families have begged for that as well, so that centres still get some income but parents don’t have to pay gap fees and they don’t have to un-enrol them, but can withdraw them at the moment until this crisis is over.

A “special working group” has been set up between NBN providers to keep the network working as everyone self-isolates.

The ACCC has granted interim authorisation allowing NBN Co and five retail service providers (RSPs) to work together to take measures necessary to keep Australia’s telecommunications networks operating effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as support consumers and small businesses adversely impacted by the pandemic.

At the request of the Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, NBN Co and Australia’s five biggest retail service providers have formed a special working group, which includes Telstra, Optus, Vodafone Hutchison, TPG and Vocus.

The group will share information, coordinate strategies to manage congestion and take other steps to address significant demand changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the large numbers of people now at home during the day.

The ACCC will be an observer on the special working group.

Updated

Morrison government 'absolutely' stands by future tax cut plans

Australia is headed to a generation of debt – which is not a criticism but a statement of fact, given the economic impacts of the pandemic, and the necessary response to keep people afloat as the economy goes into shock.

But there have been questions about what happens in the future. Things like franking credits and negative gearing are once again under a microscope.

As are the Morrison government’s planned tax cuts.

Simon Birmingham was asked about this on ABC Breakfast this morning:

What we have done as a government is put in place, yes, indeed, hundreds of billions of dollars of support for the Australian economy at the present, but it is temporary.

Not only is it targeted and proportional to the problems we face, but it is also temporary.

That’s a key part because what we want when this crisis is over is to bring back spending to normal levels quickly and not have baked-in higher spending that we saw in some of the problems of the GFC measures put in place.

We want to make these measures temporary to get spending under control and continue with our plans to lower taxes in the future, because lower tax [will] also be a crucial part of the economic recovery for Australians and Australian businesses.

We absolutely stand by the tax cuts we legislated for the future.

They will be a key part of our recovery. The spending in the system at present is temporary spending. We will take that spending off as we recover and those tax cut also be delivered into the future.

Updated

There are still hundreds of Australians who are stranded overseas, including Peru, with the flight groundings and border closures making it almost impossible to people to work out routes. Lockdowns have also hampered the support Australia’s diplomatic staff can provide.

Marise Payne was asked about that on ABC radio this morning and said the government was working on flights to help the Australians in Peru:

We are continuing to work with Qantas on further flights to assist Australians who are still there, and also for trying to facilitate internal travel for Australians who are in more remote and isolated parts of Peru to to the city centres, to come to Lima so that they are able to access those flights. I expect to have more information from my department, from Qantas on those in the coming days.

Updated

The NSW police commissioner, Mick Fuller, also asked for people to stop criticising his officers, after NSW signed new enforcements into power, which include fines of up to $11,000 and six months in jail if people are deemed to be breaking the social distancing rules.

Fuller says no infringements have been issued since the new enforcement was handed down. It has only been two days, but he says his officers will be deploying “discretion”.

Police have been enforcing these laws and I have been out enforcing these laws and I know there has been criticism of police, which I don’t accept.

I accept the criticism of my leadership.

But we continue to enforce almost daily in terms of powers and policy.

We haven’t issued one infringement of the new powers at this stage.

I’ve asked police to show a high level of discretion.

I mentioned this today and the day before. Our power of discretion is one of the most powerful powers and we will continue to use that.

I’m not suggesting we don’t issue a ticket to someone or business owner. Self-isolation is important. We issued a ticket to someone yesterday.

But again I ask that the community continues to work with us. We understand these changes can be difficult, particularly with our culture to readily get and we will continue to work and give you our best advice and guidance.

I know there will always be what-ifs that will be challenging, but the message is simply around.

Small numbers are safe. Stay home when you can.

If you need to go to work, please continue to work, it is so important for our economy long-term. If you need medical assistance, pharmacies, doctors, hospital – you can leave. If you need food, you can leave.

If you are driving home and you need a takeaway coffee, nothing wrong with jumping out the car and [getting] a coffee, just don’t sit down and have it there.

I’m not sure most people aren’t doing this in a malicious way. It is just our lifestyle. But we need to continue to be reminded what is safe. Safe is being home at the moment unless you have to work.

Updated

Australia records its 20th death

A 95-year-old woman who was a resident at the Dorothy Henderson lodge died overnight. She had contracted Covid-19, bringing Australia’s total death toll to 20.

The woman is the fifth person to die from coronavirus in that aged care home.

NSW has recorded 150 new cases since yesterday, bringing the state’s total to 2,182. Nine people have died from Covid-19 in NSW.

Updated

The NSW police commissioner, Mick Fuller, wants people criticising those travellers who are being quarantined in hotels to calm their farms.

The group – about 3,000 in NSW now – can’t leave their rooms or open a window. They are being fed slapdash meals. No one can come in. And not all are in “five-star” rooms – and even those that are, it doesn’t necessarily mean luxury. (I used to work in hotels, and you could get a star for providing a travel hairdryer.)

Fuller says people may need to start showing some compassion:

I spent most of yesterday reviewing our processes around health, welfare and security, and over the next 24 hours, we will certainly improve those.

I know there are people who are posting on social media their dissatisfaction. Look, some complaints are reasonable and we will deal with those, and there are lots of other people behaving well, and they are just glad to be home in Sydney.

We shouldn’t frame everyone in these hotels as people who are ungrateful because that’s certainly not the case. Every day we get through, they are a day closer in terms of going home, which I think is a wonderful outcome for everyone.

Updated

NSW calls for businesses to 'retool'

Gladys Berejiklian says the supply chain interruptions means NSW needs help and is calling for businesses to “retool” to help supply equipment it needs to get through the crisis:

New South Wales relied on many different sources of equipment, including many sources overseas with no longer exist, or have been massively disrupted.

So today I’m calling on the great people of our state, those great business people, those manufacturers who are able to retool, to consider retooling, to help supply the additional things we need in coming months, whether it’s sanitisers, medical equipment and a whole host of other things which our hospitals rely on, in the coming months.

We say this because we have confidence in the people of this state. We know already that many companies have started retooling, many companies that used to construct other things are now building bottles or converting their product to sanitisers, so we know that is willer occurring, but today we formally start the process.

This morning businesses can log on, or any individual who needs support in retooling or would like to explain what they are doing in retooling can simply go on to nsw.gov.au, and those who want to see the types of jobs to be created in New South Wales and how we can support them in that.

Again, go to the website, if you are a business person, or manufacturer or someone who has intelligence on what we might be able to do in New South Wales, can you do it through that portal.

Updated

Gladys Berejiklian is giving her morning update.

She says NSW has performed more than 103,000 tests.

South Australian authorities are keeping a very, very close eye on a potential outbreak after six Qantas baggage handlers tested positive for Covid-19 while working at Adelaide airport.

A further 100 baggage handlers are being investigated for possible infection, given the tight space they all worked in. It’s expected the bulk of those people will be made to self-isolate.

There are no concerns for other areas in the airpot, although if you travelled through Adelaide airport recently it is recommended you give your bags a good clean.

Updated

The Greens’ Richard Di Natale called for the flu vaccine program to be rolled out to all Australians yesterday, as the coronacrisis rolls on.

The health minister, Greg Hunt, hasn’t agreed to that, but he is reminding people that the flu vaccine is “more important than ever this year”.

From 1 May 2020 all aged care workers and visitors must have been vaccinated against seasonal influenza to enter an aged care facility.

Not everyone can get it for free but there is a program which provides free immunisation for vulnerable people, including:

  • pregnant women at any stage of pregnancy;
  • all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged six months and older;
  • people aged 65 years and older;
  • people aged six months and older with certain medical risk factors; and
  • for the first time, all children aged between six months and five years.

In total more than 13.5m doses of seasonal influenza vaccines have been secured for the national immunisation program and the private market in 2020.

Updated

Good morning

The Morrison government will allocate $110m in an effort to restart Australia’s stalled seafood export trade, creating a new freight assistance mechanism to try to recommence local shipments to China, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.

The government will appoint Michael Byrne, a former managing director of the logistics companies Toll Holdings and Linfox, as coordinator general of international freight. Byrne will work with Austrade, the industry and freight forwarders to work out how freight flights can operate in the current restricted environment, where countries have closed their borders to overseas visitors.

Meanwhile, more than 285,000 businesses have registered their interest in claiming a wage subsidy for their workers.

The $1,500 fortnightly payment per worker will flow to businesses from May, with the government estimating it will keep 6 million workers in jobs at a cost of $130bn over the next six months.

The massive expenditure brings the government’s total support measures up to about $320bn, with all talk of a budget surplus long gone.

The Parliamentary Budget Office is now examining the implications of the coronavirus and its economic hit to the budget over the next decade.

And in case you missed it:

  • Australia now has 4,557 confirmed cases and 19 people have died.
  • Concerns have been raised about a positive Covid-19 cluster around Bondi in Sydney.
  • Tasmania had its second confirmed death from coronavirus.
  • Multiple states have imposed restrictions on firearm sales.
  • The Guardian revealed that 10% of all Covid-19 cases in Australia are Ruby Princess passengers.
  • Two Australian Border Force staff have tested positive.
  • Six Qantas baggage handlers also tested positive.

Updated

The famous Bondi Pavilion will be transformed into a pop-up Covid-19 test clinic as NSW health authorities try to get on top of a cluster which has been identified in the area.

The NSW chief health officer, Dr Kerry Chant, said yesterday the tourist zone’s backpacker population had led to the localised outbreak, with people mixing before they knew they were symptomatic before the lockdowns were imposed.

The area has now been locked down. From today, authorities will be testing those who meet the criteria.

Updated

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