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The Guardian - AU
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Naaman Zhou (now and earlier) and Melissa Davey (earlier)

Australia records 3,400 cases of Covid-19 with median age of 48 – as it happened

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Summary

With that, we’ll be leaving the blog for tonight. We’ll be back tomorrow to pick it all up again.

Today:

  • Australia’s total cases of Covid-19 have risen to 3,400. The median age is 48, and 67% are linked to travel.
  • A 91-year-old woman from the Dorothy Henderson Lodge in Sydney died overnight, bringing the death toll sadly up to 14.
  • Victoria’s chief medical officer slammed the behaviour of beachgoers, who headed to crowded spots this weekend.
  • An unnamed A-League player has tested positive, only days after the season was suspended.
  • Millions of Queenslanders turned out to vote in local government elections and two byelections, despite experts labelling this a “lethal risk”.
  • NSW, Victoria and SA police confirmed they can hand out on-the-spot fines for people breaking quarantine restrictions.
  • Total job losses across Australia exceeded 75,000 as more retailers announced closures – including clothing store Country Road.
  • Ruby Princess cases nearly hit 300. There are now 171 cases in NSW linked to the ship and 122 interstate.
  • More than 100 Australian doctors and dentists, who were stranded on a cruise ship off the coast of Chile, returned.
  • And from midnight tonight, all travellers arriving in Australia from overseas must be quarantined in hotels for 14 days.

Thanks for reading and stay safe.

Polls close in Queensland

Voting has just closed in Queensland for 77 local councils, and two byelections for state parliament.

But the results may not be known for some time, given over 570,000 people applied for postal votes due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, overall turnout is expected to be very low, which could speed the physical vote counting process.

Victoria’s chief health officer has come out with some pretty strong language after many residents were spotted out at the beach today in close proximity.

“Some of the behaviour today has been really crap,” Brett Sutton said. “We’re headed to 100,000 in 2-3 weeks without change.”

And from earlier, thousands of Australians are stranded in India after wide-randing lockdowns and the cancellation of commercial flights.

Jai Houltham told Guardian Australia that “police roam the streets with lathis [bamboo poles used to enforce crowd control], ensuring everyone stays inside”.

Read the full story here:

If you refresh the blog, you’ll see that the correct data is now in that graphic.

Something you may have missed from earlier, South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria police have all confirmed today that they can issue on-the-spot fines for breaching quarantine orders.

SA police commissioner Grant Stevens said SA police could issue $1,000 fines to people, and $5,000 fines to businesses.

Updated

There’s a slight glitch with our automated data set at the top of the blog, and the Australian death total is showing a number in the 400s.

To all those emailing in, rest assured, as stated in the blog post below, the death toll is at 14. We’re working on fixing that graphic now.

Summary so far

To recap everything that has happened so far today:

  • Australia’s total cases have risen to 3,400. The median age is 48, and 67% are linked to travel.
  • A 91-year-old woman from the Dorothy Henderson Lodge in Sydney died overnight, bringing the death toll sadly up to 14.
  • An A-League player has tested positive, only days after the season was suspended. The unnamed Newcastle Jets player was a member of the squad for last weekend’s matches against Brisbane Roar and Melbourne City
  • Millions of Queenslanders turned out to vote in local government elections and two byelections, despite experts labelling this a “lethal risk”.
  • Total job losses across Australia have exceeded 75,000 as more retailers announced closures.
  • Ruby Princess cases nearly hit 300. There are now 171 cases in NSW linked to the ship and 122 interstate.
  • From midnight tonight, all travellers arriving in Australia from overseas must be quarantined in hotels for 14 days.
  • More than 100 Australian doctors and dentists, who were stranded on a cruise ship off the coast of Chile, have returned.

Updated

And more on store closures, it’s not just Country Road, it’s Mimco, Politix, Trenery and Witchery – who are all owned by South African company Woolworths Holdings.

David Jones, also owned by the same company, will close some smaller stores but leave large ones open, AAP report.

Myer yesterday announced it would shut all shops for four weeks.

The United States has become the first country in the world to exceed 100,000 cases of coronavirus, after an additional 15,000 cases on Friday local time.

Super Netball players have become the latest professional sportspeople to commit to a pay reduction due to the coronavirus pandemic while Netball Australia has stood down half its staff.

The league and the Australian Netball Players’ Association announced on Saturday a reduction to player payments for five weeks, AAP report.

Contracted players are set to take two weeks’ leave from Monday and then remain at home on “active rest” for seven hours per week for the following three weeks at a 70% reduction in pay.

Half of the staff from from Netball Australia and from the Super Netball league have been temporarily stood down, while those remaining are working reduced hours and taking pay cuts – including NA chief executive Marne Fechner and Super Netball boss Chris Symington, who are giving up 50% of their salaries.

These reductions will be in place until 31 May 2020.

Updated

More dispatches from the Queensland elections. Empty in some places, long lines in others.

A reminder that the second edition of Isolaid festival is on tonight.

Some of Australia’s best musicians are streaming sets from their living rooms, for you to also enjoy from your living room.

Today’s lineup has already begun on Instagram live, and it’s on again tomorrow.

A-League player tests positive

An unnamed A-League player has become the first Australian footballer to test positive for Covid-19.

The Newcastle Jets player tested positive on Friday, the club confirmed, only days after the A-League was postponed.

The player was a member of the Jets’ squad for last weekend’s matches against Brisbane Roar and Melbourne City, according to AAP.

Newcastle Jets’ chief executive Lawrie McKinna said the player was asymptomatic and remains in good health.

And more on new NSW cases.

A two-year-old child and a childcare worker at the same Sydney childcare centre have tested positive for Covid-19, as has a three-year old child who was a household contact of someone who contracted the disease overseas.

And another case has been confirmed at the Opal Bankstown residential aged care facility.

As of Friday 8pm, 22 people were in intensive care units and, of those, 11 are on ventilators.

Australian doctors return from Chilean cruise ship

NSW Health have also revealed that more than 100 Australian doctors and dentists, who were stranded on a cruise ship off the coast of Chile, have today returned to Australia.

Last week, we reported the doctors were on board as part of a medical convention when Chile banned cruise vessels from docking.

Today NSW Health confirmed they had returned and none were identified as being “unwell”.

“Two international flights arrived in Sydney overnight and this morning with 245 passengers ... These passengers include numerous doctors and nurses who had been attending a health convention onboard who had not been able to berth off the South American coast,” the department said.

“Airport screening was immediately commenced, including symptom assessment and temperature, and no passengers were identified as being unwell.

“All passengers are subject to the requirement for 14-day isolation under ministerial direction. This includes those who were able to safely return to their place of residence as well as around 150 people who are in quarantine in two Sydney hotels.”

Updated

171 cases in NSW, 122 interstate from Ruby Princess

Earlier, we told you that there are now 1,617 cases of Covid-19 in NSW.

NSW Health has just released some further details of the latest new cases.

171 people who were on board the Ruby Princess cruise ship have now tested positive for Covid-19. And, earlier, we revealed that more than 100 people interstate from the same ship had also contracted the virus.

The ship’s 2,700 passengers had been allowed to disembark at Sydney’s Circular Quay on 19 March without mass testing, even though four people later tested positive for Covid-19 the next day.

On Tuesday, NSW Health was releasing state-by-state breakdowns, but abruptly said on Friday that they would stop – just as the number of interstate cases rose.

There are 53 passengers in SA who have tested positive, 32 in Queensland and 21 in the ACT.

Hi everyone, it’s Naaman Zhou and I’ll be on the blog for the rest of today. Thanks to Melissa Davey for all her work today.

Earlier, we mentioned that private hospitals say they could close within the next week without government intervention. Here’s our full report, by Adam Morton:

Summary

A quick late-afternoon recap.

  • 3,400 cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Australia, including 14 deaths. The latest death is a 91-year-old woman from the Dorothy Henderson Lodge in NSW.
  • New measures will take effect from midnight which will mean all travellers arriving in Australia from overseas will be taken to hotels and monitored by authorities for 14 days.
  • The deputy chief medical officer, Prof Paul Kelly, said Australia’s hospitals, including intensive care departments, are ready and prepared. He rejected claims that Australia is expecting a peak on 10 April.
  • Queenslanders have gone to the polls to vote in local government elections and two byelections. Extra precautions have been put in place as voters were told to bring their own pens, keep a 1.5-metre distance and handing out how-to-vote material was banned.
  • More clothing retailers have announced they will close Australia-wide including Country Road and Cotton On.
  • The deputy prime minister, Michael McCormack, said $198m was being provided to support regional airlines struggling through the crisis, and an additional $100m will also be available to smaller regional airlines should they need it.

On that note I’m handing the blog over to reporter Naaman Zhou who will keep you updated through the evening. Thanks to Naaman and my colleagues Scott Heinrich, Bridie Jabour, Judy Prisk, Nick Evershed and Gabriel Wilder for their help throughout the day.

Stay safe and look after each other – my thoughts are with all of those with loved ones far away, who are ill, and who are facing financial hardship. It’s been a tough couple of months.

Updated

Just a quick look overseas. Reporter Peter Beaumont writes that Italy has recorded its single biggest leap in coronavirus deaths, with 969 people dying from Covid-19 in the past 24 hours. Beaumont writes;

Seemingly dashing hopes that the rate of infection might be flattening there, Italy also became the second country to overtake China in terms of the number of infections, reaching 86,498 cases. That included 66,414 current infections, up 4,401 from Thursday.

On Thursday the US became the country with the largest infection caseload, with 93,000 reported.

An extension of Italy’s coronavirus containment measures is inevitable, the country’s supreme health council said.

Read the full story here.

Australia's healthcare system is ready, deputy chief medical officer says

The deputy chief medical officer is speaking about how well Australia’s hospital system is prepared. There have been reports a peak is expected in hospitals on 10 April, but these reports were not true, Paul Kelly says:

I want to also address the issue of intensive care beds and hospital beds. And this question that keeps coming to us from various places: is Australia ready? Is the healthcare system ready?

Well, I can really assure people that the healthcare system in Australia is very adaptable. And it is absolutely ready for this matter. In terms of intensive care, we have doubled the capacity ... and there are beds available right now with the ventilators right now to deal with people if they require it. [Intensive care] is a very small component of those now 3,400 cases in Australia, as I mentioned. Only 30 in total. And less than that currently.

We will not be seeing a peak on the 10 April, as has been reported in some places. That is not the case. The other matter I would refer to, just in terms of cruise ships, there is an emerging issue off the coast of Western Australia at the moment in relation to several cruise ships, two in particular.

One is a local ship, the Vasco Da Gama. The other is the Artania, which mainly has people from Germany. There are people with Covid-19 on that ship and we are working as a federal government with the WA government very closely, as well as with the German government, to repatriate anyone who is fit to fly back to Germany and other places in Europe tomorrow. So these matters are very much in hand and will be developing through the day.

Updated

The deputy medical chief medical officer, Prof Paul Kelly, said isolation of returned travellers combined with physical distancing, and tracing contacts of known Covid-19 cases, are the key measures being focused on.

We really need to get on top of the people who have returned from overseas ... from countries that had a much wider and worse epidemic of Covid-19 than we currently do here in Australia. So of that group that have come from overseas, 496 of those have come from cruise ships.

We now have almost 200 from the Ruby Princess and others from other cruise ships, including ... the Diamond Princess. So 200 from the Ruby Princess. Of the locally acquired cases ... most of those have a very clear contact with a known case of Covid-19. This demonstrates that we are finding the cases we need to find, tracing their contacts, and dealing with those issues so that they are isolated from the community and to decrease the transmission from person to person of this very infectious disease.

Updated

3,400 cases of Covid-19 reported in Australia

Deputy medical officer Prof Paul Kelly is up. Apologies. Earlier I said the chief medical officer, Prof Brendan Murphy, would be giving the address.

Kelly says:

We have had 3,400 cases of Covid-19 reported in Australia and the median age ... is 48 years. But we have had a very wide range.

The oldest person is 98 and we have had a couple of small babies who have also developed this disease. 67% of the confirmed cases, so two-thirds of the cases remain travel related, so these are people who have returned from overseas. And that is the main concern.

Updated

Clothing retailers close their doors

More clothing retailers have announced they will close. Country Road said on Facebook the closure will be temporary. heir statement says:

As a heritage Australian brand, we recognise that we have an important role to play in slowing the spread of Covid-19.

Therefore we have made the decision to temporarily close our Australian retail stores from end of day Saturday 28 March until further notice. This is a decision that has not been made lightly, and one we feel is necessary to protect the health and wellbeing of our team, customers and wider community. For those who wish to continue shopping with us, our online store remains open.

Meanwhile Witchery will temporarily close stores as of Sunday 29 March until further notice. The online store will remain open for now. Cotton On will also still be available online, but announced on Saturday from 5pm Sunday 29 March that all Australian stores would temporarily close.

Updated

Prof Brendan Murphy, the chief medical officer, is expected to give an update shortly. We’ll bring you that as it happens. The national death toll is now 14.

*Note we put deaths at 15 earlier due to counting one death twice. Apologies.

Updated

Catholic Health Australia, the Australian Private Hospitals Association and Day Hospitals Australia have issued a joint statement warning crucial clinical staff will be stood down and private and non-profit hospitals closed in a matter of days after all category 2 and 3 non-elective surgeries were suspended. The statement says:

The hospitals are now faced with the very difficult decision to stand down staff and furlough services as a direct result, just when the entire health system is bracing itself for the surge in Covid-19 patients.

Catholic Hospitals Association’s chief executive, Pat Garcia, said:

“What should be happening at this time, in this breathing space we have before the full coronavirus onslaught, is all hospitals turn their attention to training up their existing clinical staff, and hiring additional staff – both clinical and non-clinical – to treat patients.

We also acknowledge that winter, which is just around the corner, tests the hospital system at the best of times let alone when there is global pandemic. Hospitals cannot simply close down entire wards and ICUs, then turn them back on at the flick of a switch. If we need to close down wards and hospitals, they may not be available when we need them.

Updated

Many thanks to Naaman Zhou for taking on the liveblog for a bit. Melissa Davey back with you now to take you through to about 4pm.

Just a bit more on our post from earlier about community groups calling on the federal government to provide energy relief. The government has said it is working with state and territory governments, industry and stakeholders to ensure supply is maintained.

The Australian Energy Regulator has set reasonable expectations of energy companies to protect householders and small business customers during the Covid-19 pandemic. Its statement of expectations sets out a range measures, including:

  • waiving any disconnection, reconnection and/or contract break fees for small businesses which have gone into hibernation, along with daily supply charges to retailers, during any period of disconnection until at least 31 July;
  • offering all households and small businesses who indicate they may be in financial stress a payment plan or hardship arrangement;
  • not disconnecting customers who may be in financial stress, without their agreement before 31 July and potentially beyond.

If you’re worried about paying your bill, you can find more information here.

Updated

All quiet on the Queensland council and byelections front

Some images from Queensland’s council elections and state byelections.

Updated

And here’s that full story on Perth Glory standing down its players and staff:

A coalition of community groups is calling on the government and energy retailers to provide energy bill relief to those vulnerable during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Australian Council of Social Service, the Ethnic Communities Council, the Uniting Communities, St Vincent de Paul Society and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre have all joined to ask for funding for bill relief and energy efficiency programs.

The group is also calling on energy retailers to employ Australians in call centres as they close overseas offices.

Updated

ACT now has 71 cases of Covid-19

The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the ACT has risen to 71, up by nine from yesterday.

Of the new cases, six are men and three are women, all aged between 48 and 73, the ACT health department says.

Seven of the new cases are “linked to overseas travel, including cruise ships”, one is a close contact of a confirmed case, and one is still under investigation.

“There remains no evidence of local transmission in the ACT,” the department says.

Updated

Also in sport, the football players’ union has said it is ready to take legal action against A-League club Perth Glory and its owner Tony Sage after he stood down the club’s players and staff.

From AAP:

Less than a week after the FFA suspended the 2019-20 A-League season until at least 22 April due to the coronavirus outbreak, Sage has stood down all the club’s players and staff.

The outspoken club owner said the decision was “heartbreaking”.

“I can’t remember sadder days except when my mum died and my brother died. It’s heartbreaking. Very, very sad,” Sage told the West Australian.

Professional Footballers Australia, however, says it will initiate legal proceedings against Sage if the players aren’t immediately reinstated.

“A fortnight ago it was fine to relocate players to the east coast away from their families and expose them to a global pandemic,” PFA chief executive John Didulica said. “Now, when the opportunity arises, it is considered acceptable to stop paying them.”

Updated

The Australian Rugby League commission’s chairman, Peter V’landys, will present his plan to slash costs from NRL headquarters on Monday in a move expected to hand players an additional $7m for this year.

The Rugby League Players’ Association has been negotiating with the NRL for wage cuts to keep the game alive through the toughest financial challenge it has ever faced.

A model for an 87% drop in wages for the coming months due to the coronavirus suspension has already been presented, based on a worst-case scenario.

However, the rescue package to be presented by V’landys at Monday’s meeting is set to take the original offer of $12.4m for players for the rest of the season up to about $20m.

Updated

Queensland cases at 625

Hi everyone, it’s Naaman Zhou taking over the liveblog for a bit.

Queensland’s total cases of coronavirus have risen to 625, an increase of 70.

The state’s chief health officer, Jeannette Young, said this increase was “fairly steady”, AAP reports.

As of midnight, people transiting through Brisbane international airport will be sent to a hotel for a 14-day quarantine period.

The state’s health minister, Steven Miles, said 1,047 people arrived in Brisbane from overseas yesterday, but that was down from about 7,000 a week ago.

Updated

Afternoon recap: strict new measures for travellers due at midnight, and another airline support package announced

Let’s recap on the day so far, as Australian cases of Covid-19 hit 3,378. Another death has been reported in NSW, a 91-year-old woman. The national death toll is now 14.

  • From midnight anyone arriving at an Australian airport from overseas will be taken straight to a hotel. The Victorian and NSW premiers have explained how this will work: travellers will be given health checks and taken straight by bus to hotel rooms. They will be monitored by authorities to ensure they are adhering to quarantine and so they can be given treatment if they become unwell. They will be provided with food.
  • Another airline support package has been announced to support regional communities that depend on aviation for medical and food supplies. The additional $198m was announced by the deputy prime minister, Michael McCormack, with about 140 communities relying on regional aviation.
  • Victoria and South Australia have followed NSW in introducing on-the-spot fines for businesses and individuals breaching social distancing restrictions.
  • Total job losses across Australia have exceeded 75,000.
  • Queenslanders are heading to the polls for local government elections and two state byelections, with the state’s Covid-19 total now at 625.

Melissa Davey with you, I’ll be handing over to my colleague Naaman Zhou shortly while I refill the coffee cup and prepare to take you through the afternoon liveblog coverage.

Updated

257 Covid-19 cases in South Australia

It’s tough to keep up with the multiple press conferences that happen every day from the federal government as well as the states and territories, plus the opposition.

Thankfully our friends at AAP have filed this update on the press conference in South Australia earlier today.

AAP reports:

South Australians who breach self-isolation or quarantine orders will be slapped with a $1,000 on-the-spot fine under new regulations and $5,000 fines for companies and businesses that trade against the current rules.

The SA police commissioner, Grant Stevens, said while most people were doing the right thing, some were not.

“The principal objective here is to ensure that people who are required to self-quarantine, who we believe are at risk of spreading the infection, comply with those obligations,” he said.

Before the new rules, police had to launch a formal prosecution and take the matter to court.

New regulations will also ban gatherings of more than 10 people. Gatherings of fewer than 10 would have to follow the one person per four square metres rule.

The premier, Steven Marshall, said the government understood the restrictions were changing people’s lives: “But they are not optional. Everyone needs to understand that from today failure to follow the directions to the letter of the law will leave individuals and businesses liable for significant on-the-spot fines.

“The period of education regarding restrictions during this pandemic really has come to end and the period of enforcement has begun.”

South Australia has 257 confirmed coronavirus cases with six being treated in intensive care.

Updated

Gladys Berejiklian is asked whether NSW is going to move towards stricter shutdowns ahead of the other states and territories. She says:

If we see those numbers and community transmission go up at a rate that we are not comfortable with, we will have to put in stricter measures. And we would rather hold off before we need to do that. But if we need to do that, we will.

And as I said yesterday, and the day before that, I get daily briefs from the experts on what those numbers are telling us. We also get daily briefs on what people are doing. And I have to say, in the main, we have seen a major reduction in the number of people moving around, and that is a good thing. Because unless you have to go out of your home, you shouldn’t really be moving around.

A reporter asks for some clarity because businesses are scared and confused. When will more of them have to close?

Can I say, this is an uncertain time for all of us and I’m not going to pretend it is not. But what I am intending to do is make sure that every time we make a decision, people understand what it means for them. We have been very clear on that to this point in time, and I have said that NSW is looking at stricter conditions in relation to people’s activity if we don’t feel comfortable that the decisions we made last week are making a real difference.

We are starting to get some information which suggests those actions have resulted in some positive results, but it is too early to determine whether it is enough, and that is why I am putting NSW on notice, just to say never, ever will you have to worry about getting what you need. Never, ever do you have to hoard from supermarkets. Supermarkets will always be open, pharmacies, service stations, essential things that people need.

Updated

NSW now has 1,617 cases

The NSW chief health officer, Dr Kerry Chant, has given an update saying NSW now has 1,617 confirmed cases. This is an increase of 212 new cases since 8pm on Thursday 26 March.

Chant said 84,907 people have been tested and excluded. Of those infected, 22 are in intensive care. A 91-year-old woman who was a resident of the Dorothy Henderson Lodge aged care facility died overnight. The death toll in the state is now eight.

Updated

The NSW police commissioner, Mick Fuller, is speaking about the additional restrictions that will take effect from midnight.

Travellers returning from overseas will be taken straight to hotel rooms for 14 days isolation, he says. They will be monitored by police and other authorities. Travellers will be transported to hotels by bus straight from the airport and will undergo health checks.

They are not criminals. They will be given food and hotel rooms and they will have positive health outcomes. They will spend 14 days in a controlled environment. And why? That is because we know that they are those who spread the virus.

And we need to stop the spread.

I know it is challenging times for those people returning home. They probably just want to come home and lie on their own bed and see their family members, but the reality is that this is truly unprecedented times.

We will treat people with absolute respect and dignity but we will need their support in terms of understanding.

Updated


The NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, is urging travellers to bear with the government throughout shutdown and quarantine measures:

It is frustrating time for many of us. It is really hard and frustrating for all of us.

And so I say to those travellers: you need to bear with us and do the right thing. There will be enforcement procedures in place from both the federal perspective and state perspective. But we are also asking people to do the right thing.

I’m not pretending it will be a perfect system. I’m not going to pretend that we are going to be able to make sure that every single person abides by the rules. But I will say that our entire police force is ready for the task and we are looking forward to working with border force and also the Australian defence force, as well as other authorities involved, because we know that by working together closely we can keep our community safe.

We draw a line in the sand from midnight. The police are in charge of managing the operations, along with the ADF and border force. And we want to make sure that we keep our community safe by making sure the people adhere to strict isolation measures.

We know the largest number of people with coronavirus are bringing it in from overseas. The next category of people are those they are in close contact with. Unless we control the job at that level, we won’t have a chance to contain the spread in the community.

Updated

Total job losses reach 75,000 as kikki.K closes stores

Stationery retailer kikki.K, which was already in receivership, has shut its 59 stores and stood down 440 staff because of the coronavirus crisis.

This adds to 10,000 stand downs announced last night by the department store Myer, which will shut for a month when doors close on Monday night.

It brings total job losses announced by airlines, retailers, sporting codes and retailers over the past week to more than 75,000, with hundreds of thousands more estimated to be gone from hospitality.

Retailers in particular haven’t waited for an order from the government to shut their doors, and have also stopped paying rent to landlords.

Receiver Barry Wight of Cor Cordis said kikki.K’s online shop remained open and he hoped to sell the business as a going concern.

Updated

Melbourne reporter Matilda Boseley has this update:

Thirty-nine Australians who were on board the Costa Luminosa and are now trapped in quarantine in Rome have got word that at least two of their international shipmates have died.

Italian authorities demanded the group isolate for two weeks before returning to Australia after Coronavirus infections broke out on board their cruise ship. They may soon be joined by 200 Australians on the Costa Victoria.

Facebook groups have been created for Luminosa passengers and family members around the world to share updates. In the past day, two people have posted to say their elderly relatives had died – one in an intensive care ward of a hospital in Savona, the Italian town where the cruise ship is docked.

At least two Australian passengers have been admitted to hospital for Covid-19 since arriving in Italy. One is in critical condition. It’s unknown how many more may have the virus.

US and Canadian passengers were evacuated via charter plane when the ship docked in France on 20 March. Since arriving home many have posted to say they have tested positive, and at least one man is in intensive care in the US.

With the Italian health care system under extreme strain, family members fear Australians who fall ill will not receive sufficient care.

Updated

Eighth death in NSW

A 91-year-old woman is latest person to die in NSW after testing positive to Covid-19. The woman was a resident at the Dorothy Henderson Lodge aged care facility in Macquarie Park. It is the fourth Covid-19 death related to the facility.

The number of deaths in NSW related to coronavirus is now eight. Nineteen people are in intensive care and nine are on mechanical ventilation.

BaptistCare manages the Dorothy Henderson Lodge and its chief executive, Ross Low, said:

Words fail to express the deep sense of sadness and grief we are all feeling at this time.

I have spoken with the family to express my condolences. My heart and thoughts are with them all, along with the friends and staff who loved and cared for our resident.

Over the past several weeks, teams of people have been working tirelessly to protect the health of our residents. To lose another person in our care is a painful loss for us all.

Updated

AFL and players reach pay deal

A bitter stand-off between the AFL and its players has ended, with players agreeing to a 50% pay cut until the end of May owing to the coronavirus shutdown.

They are also prepared to play games until December to ensure the season is completed.

In an agreement reached on Friday, the players’ pay cut will increase to 70% if the season is delayed beyond 31 May, but will stay at 50% when games recommence.

Updated

McCormack is asked whether it’s appropriate that the Queensland council elections and byelections are going ahead today despite the pandemic. The state has more than 550 cases.

He says:

I know [the Queensland premier] Annastacia Palaszczuk has been working with the prime minister very well through the cabinet process. She has been cooperating. I appreciate that for Queensland they are practising social distancing measures.

I understand they are taking every measure to ensure that people are the right distance away from each other as they vote in those elections. I have every faith that that process is being followed through. We will see what happens as a result of that.

Updated

We’re doing a callout for voicemails for Guardian Australia’s Full Story news podcast which is now daily and looking for your stories about how the coronavirus pandemic has affected you.

We want to know:

  • How are you feeling?
  • How has your life changed?

You can leave a voicemail on (02) 8076 8550 and leave your first name and number if you wouldn’t mind us getting in touch with you.

Updated

Aviation industry support measures announced

The deputy prime minister, Michael McCormack, is speaking in Wagga Wagga in the NSW Riverina and says the aviation industry is one of the hardest hit due to Covid-19, with cuts to flights especially harsh on regional Australia which relies on planes to bring in essential supplies.

Today I’m announcing $198m as part of an aviation network support measure to help subsidise the 138 or so communities that rely on aviation. These are airline companies that are flying in and out of centres such as Wagga Wagga, where I am now, the home of the Wagga Air Centre and Rex. They will be subsidised so that regional airlines, the dozen or so regional aviation companies, and others, [can continue to fly] in each and every day.

Of course regional aviation has been smashed by Covid-19. Regional aviation, like all aviation, is doing it very, very tough.

Updated

An emergency department health worker at the Mersey Community hospital is among the new cases in Tasmania. Patients and close contacts are being identified.

Overnight, Tasmanian public health services were also informed that a separate Tasmanian case involves a passenger who was on board the Sun Princess cruise ship that disembarked from Sydney on 19 March.

Any Tasmanians who were on the Sun Princess have been told to go into quarantine from today until 2 April.

Updated

Tasmania cases now at 59

The Tasmania premier adds that from midnight Sunday, any non-essential traveller arriving in the state, either through airports or through the ferry port, will be placed into self-quarantine for 14 days in a government-run facility. Peter Gutwein says the facilities will be managed and overseen by Tasmanian police with support from the Australian defence force. He says the record jump in cases in Tasmania reported on Friday meant vigilance is needed:

I can’t be clearer. We are an island state. We have an advantage. But we need people to work with us. The events of yesterday are a wake-up call. The events of yesterday should send a signal to Tasmanians that we are not immune from this. We need to ensure that the rules are followed, and we can only beat this virus if everyone plays their part. Stay home unless you absolutely need to go out. If you are not going to work, if you are not taking your children to school, if you are not out buying supplies, stay home.

Updated

Tasmanian premier Peter Gutwein urges people to stay home

The Tasmanian premier, Peter Gutwein, has opened a press conference with the words: “Stay home and save lives.”

We introduce the direction that if more than 10 people congregate at a park or beach, that will be an offence. If you go to somebody’s house and you have a party, that will be an offence.

We need to ensure that we follow the rules.

In terms of compliance, I want to just touch on this. So far there have been 730 compliance checks. The vast majority of Tasmanians are doing the right thing, but 18 people were not – out of 730. We are currently working through those individual circumstances, and I want to be absolutely clear. Anybody that was found to be blatantly breaching those rules will be charged.

Now I want to say to Tasmanians, understand that this is serious. If you are asked to go into self-isolation, then you need to stay in self-isolation. This is not a game.

We have both the benefit and the challenge that more than 98% of our cases today relate to cruisers or overseas travel. We are leading the way in terms of the way that we have managed our borders, but we need to do more.

Updated

Kindness everywhere ...

A little earlier I asked you all to email me with your stories of kindness during this difficult time, where people are separated from their loved ones, losing their jobs, and facing uncertainty. And wow, did you deliver. I have been overwhelmed with stories of people walking their elderly neighbours’ dogs, leaving thank you notes to retail staff in supermarkets, children writing letters of support to health workers, and people dropping care packages to neighbours.

Here are a few of the stories you’ve sent this morning. Thanks for sharing ... Is someone cutting onions in here?

Rachael West told me that her Melbourne apartment building has pulled together a WhatsApp group which means neighbours who would never have met otherwise are now talking. Some of the requests for help that have been met include glass jars for jam making, dog-sitting and book-swaps.

Amber wrote in to tell me that her daughter, Victoria, has been busy making up boxes of goods for elderly relatives and dropping them off in suburbs around Melbourne. The boxes include handmade letters and pictures from grandchildren.

Dandenong market has launched a “Be Kind” campaign encouraging the community to engage in random acts of kindness for each other. You can read about here. They’re donating bags of fresh fruit and vegetables to the most vulnerable in the community.

Charlotte emailed to say that one of her neighbours had anonymously left a roll of toilet paper on every doorstep in the street in Coburg, Victoria.

Andrew Nicholson said his Bendigo neighbours of the past five have become fast friends with his family due to them having children of similar ages. He says: “Isolation has been making it hard this week, so my wife, Laura Russo, came up with a great idea of removing some colour-bond panels from our shared fence and replacing them with transparent polycarbonate so we could hang out without breaching social distancing measures. Friday night drinks worked out so well we’re going to do it every day. Dance-offs are on the cards.”

And Jamie Derkenne emailed: “When the fires hit Little Forest on the NSW south coast in late December last year the community started a WhatsApp group chat for the entire area. It proved invaluable for sharing information and resources as the fires raged, and is now proving it’s worth again with Covid-19. Through this group chat the community has been able to do such things as resource computers for home-schooled kids and share-shopping duties and tips. This group chat has certainly helped the community remain strong, and has helped us settle quickly into a community we only moved into in mid December.”

Updated

The NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, chief health officer, Dr Kerry Chant, police commissioner, Mick Fuller, and police minister, David Elliott, will provide an update on Covid-19 at noon today AEDT.

NSW has flagged introducing more stringent measures to control the pandemic. The state has more than 1,400 cases; there are more than 3,100 cases across Australia.

Updated

Aussies trapped in India after dramatic shutdown

Thousands of Australians caught by India’s dramatic nationwide shutdown say they face running out of food and water or being evicted from accommodation, as 1.3 billion people across the world’s second-most populous nation are ordered to stay indoors.

“There will be a total ban on venturing out of your homes … Forget what going out means,” the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, told the nation.

Thousands of Australian tourists, expatriate workers and “overseas citizens of India” have been stranded by India’s dramatic shutdown, the largest lockdown the world has seen to arrest the Covid-19 pandemic.

There are no commercial flights permitted in or out of India until at least 15 April, and Australians fear they will not be able to get home without a government-sponsored repatriation flight, which India’s government is allowing.

Australian Jai Houltham is stranded in Goa on India’s west coast. He has been moved on from two hotels that were closed by police and fears he may be forced out again. He has nowhere left to go.

“We are now at the end of the fifth day of a total lockdown, police roam the streets with lathis [bamboo poles used to enforce crowd control] ensuring everyone stays inside, many unable to get supplies,” Houltham said.

“The lockdown has been extended to the 14th of April, and there is talk of it being extended for three months, with currently no option for Australians to get home.”

Houltham said many tourists had tried to get back to Australia when the government first called for citizens to return, but had faced unannounced flight cancellations, sudden border closures or restrictions on transiting through international airports.

“Now with complete lockdown, accommodation closing and people being left on the streets, and being unable to access food, water or medicines, people have had enough and are desperate for the Australian government to step in.”

Australia’s high commission in New Delhi has told citizens: “We would encourage you all to stay indoors and avoid any crowded place. Please note there are no evacuation plans yet declared by the Australian government for Australians in India.

“If your situation is, or becomes, life-threatening, or you have serious concerns for your welfare (eg cannot find any accommodation whatsoever, or any food, or essential medications), please don’t hesitate to contact us.”

Updated

I’d love to include some stories about kindness and being positive during these difficult times. If you have stories of neighbours helping each other out, friends supporting each other in isolation, and other acts of kindness, feel free to email me melissa.davey@theguardian.com or teeet me, and I’ll include them in this blog.

Updated

Superannuation funds have asked the government for taxpayer backing to help them meet withdrawals by members without being forced to sell assets, as the coronavirus crisis sparks one of the worst stock market routs in the past 100 years.

But sources said that so far the treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, has rebuffed the proposal for a “liquidity backstop facility” designed to protect funds from taking heavy losses if or when a large number of people withdraw money because they have lost their jobs due to government restrictions.

Guardian Australia understands there are fears within the super industry that withdrawals will be much higher than estimates of $25bn to $27bn that were circulating this week.

The industry super funds, which tend to have a higher proportion of their assets in harder-to-sell but more lucrative unlisted assets such as roads and ports, have led the push for the facility.

For-profit funds represented by the Financial Services Council do not support the proposal.

Read more here.

Updated

Victoria, like NSW, now has on-the-spot fines

Just to recap those measures just announced in Victoria to penalise those breaking physical distancing rules. New South Wales has introduced a similar system of on-the-spot fines. In Victoria from today:

  • Police have been given the power to issue on-the-spot fines of up to $1,652 for individuals and up to $9,913 for businesses that don’t follow the rules.
  • The fines can be issued to those people and businesses who, for example, fail to self-isolate for 14 days after arriving at an airport; organise or attend a mass gathering; organise or attend a wedding that has present more than the people being married, the celebrant, and two witnesses; organise an auction.
  • Victoria police has established a coronavirus enforcement squad of 500 officers to ensure containment measures are followed.

Updated

Yet again Daniel Andrews has flagged “stage three” of a lockdown is coming but without giving clarity around what stage 3 means, how many stages there are, or when the next stage might come. Despite this, Andrews insists he has been clear.

He says:

In terms of next stages, I’ve been very clear about this: there was a stage one, and when we announced that, I told you all there would be a stage two, we’ve done that. There will be a stage three. It will come at an appropriate time. The national cabinet understands what is going on in Victoria is very different from what is happening in the Northern Territory; what is happening down the eastern seaboard is a different magnitude – it poses a different threat and risk than other parts of the country. We have the full support of the national cabinet for a differentiated approach – the measures that help Victoria flatten the curve, the same for New South Wales, and the same for parts of Queensland. That’s national cabinet working well.

Compare that with New Zealand, which has published clear definitions for each phase of its response.

Updated

Victoria’s treasurer, Tim Pallas, is speaking about how the $1.7bn economic survival package announced one week ago will be rolled out:

We’ve been very clear that this is not about economic stimulus. There’s no stimulus going on. There’s a very deliberate strategy put in place by government to make sure that we preserve the economic architecture of the state. So this is about business survival to the best of our capacity.

We can’t put customers into people’s businesses at the moment. And that’s largely due to the fact that our social isolation strategies are aimed at that not happening. What we can do is give cash. Give cash for survival, not for stimulus.

One of the things we’ve been very clear in the business survival package is the $1.7bn of support and assistance that we’ve identified is being directly provided to businesses. Now we’ve come up with the strategy of making sure those targeted businesses – all whom can apply from Monday this week for these grants – the aim will be to ensure that the first part of that $500m package of support for smaller payroll businesses will apply.

These grants are for small business only. That’s a business with a payroll of less than $650,000 who weren’t eligible for payroll tax relief in the broader allocations.

The payroll refund and waiver arrangements – businesses were emailed on Monday of this week to update their bank details to tell us if in fact the state revenue office had the appropriate details for the purposes of providing the refunds we have identified. The cash has started to flow. In fact some $52m has already been refunded to many businesses.

Updated

Victoria’s police minister, Lisa Neville, is now speaking, elaborating on enforcement measures including on-the-spot fines just mentioned by Daniel Andrews:

We’ve seen the biggest overnight increase in infection since this has started in Australia. So the measures we’re announcing today are more important than ever.

This will give Victoria police an additional tool. At the moment we’ve had over 2,600 checks by Victoria police of people through spot-checking and phone calls where someone has rung in to say that someone is not complying.

Giving them this tool of an additional on-the-spot fine means that people understand the consequences of their actions straightaway. Individuals can face a fine of just over $1,600, if they are, for example, not self-quarantining as required, if they travelled back from overseas.

If you’re holding a wedding and you’re over the numbers, you’re a business who is also being closed and you are now opened ... those are all subject to this on-the-spot fine. If you’re a business you can face an on-the-spot fine of $10,000.

Updated

685 coronavirus cases in Victoria and biggest overnight increase for the state

The Victorian premier has just said there are now a total of 685 coronavirus cases in Victoria. That is 111 more since he updated us yesterday.

Updated

The Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, is holding a press conference with the state’s treasurer, Tim Pallas. Andrews is speaking about breaches of isolation rules and measures for returning travellers:

As you may be aware, we’re going beyond simply an infringement notice and a court-based process for the enforcement of these very important issues. We’re moving to an on-the-spot fine system.

Yesterday the national cabinet agreed that all returning overseas travellers would go to a hotel rather than their own place of residence. And they’ll be quarantined. They’ll be self-isolated; they’ll be isolated for 14 days.

I want to thank the hotel industry who have done an amazing job. This is the closest thing to bookings they’ve seen for many weeks. So it’s very good health policy. It’s also good for jobs.

We have offers of some 26,000 rooms made by hotels all across the city and into the regions. We have 5,000 of those ready, set up to go right now.

Updated

Late night announcement: mutual obligations suspension extended

You may have missed the news which came late yesterday – after 9pm – that the federal government has extended the suspension of mutual obligations until 27 April “to support job seekers through this difficult period”.

The government announced it had suspended mutual obligations on Tuesday and said it would review the decision on Friday. Documents seen by Guardian Australia suggest it did not plan to directly inform jobseekers of this.

The employment minister, Michaelia Cash, and the social services minister, Anne Ruston, issued this late night statement:

As demand remains high on government services, the suspension of mutual obligation requirements will alleviate some of this congestion and give certainty to the sector.

This announcement means jobseekers will not be penalised for being unable to either attend, or report their attendance, at appointments or activities. Payments will be not be suspended and no compliance action will be taken.

These arrangements will continue to be reviewed regularly.

During these challenging times jobseekers are encouraged to stay job ready and connected to their employment services provider in their local area.

Updated

Radio New Zealand reports that the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, has “pleaded with the Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, to make an exception to the rule that bars many of the 650,000 New Zealanders there from receiving a benefit” for unemployment.

Ardern said:

New Zealanders who are in Australia are more likely to be employed, they earn more, they are Australia’s best migrant workforce, and I’d like to think they could be supported during this horrific time for everyone, alongside their fellow Australian workers.”

Read the full story here.

Updated

The US president, Donald Trump, has just announced that 100,000 ventilators will be produced in the next 100 days.

He adds that the airline Boeing has offered the US use of a “very big” plane to distribute medical supplies.

Trump says:

Boeing is also offering us the use of what they call the dream lifter cargo plane ... They called up just a little while ago, and that can sort of take anything, that’s the biggest in the world, and they’re letting us use that for the distribution of product all over the country, especially heavy product or large quantities of product.

Boeing will dedicate three planes to the flying of medical supplies anywhere we need it. Each plane can carry 63,000 pounds of cargo per flight. That’s a lot of cargo.”

He’s signed a relief package worth US$2tn.

Updated

76 new cases in NZ bringing total to 338

Just looking over to New Zealand for a second where yesterday it was announced there had been 76 new cases in the 24 hours prior, bringing the total to 338.

Associate Prof Arindam Basu, an epidemiologist, wrote this for The Conversation explaining the jump which has come despite the stringent lockdowns the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, announced from early on.

He writes that lessons learned from China and its lockdown revealed: “The number of confirmed cases only reached a plateau at the beginning of March, suggesting that it takes a little over a month for a strict lockdown to take effect.”

Meanwhile my colleague Kate Lyons has written this lovely piece about how New Zealanders are keeping their spirits up in lockdown.

Updated

I have been reporting on the drug hydroxychloroquine, a medicine used in many countries overseas to treat malaria, and in Australia to treat people with serious and often excruciating autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.

The drug is being explored in clinical trials, including ones being run in Australia, as a potential treatment or preventive for Covid-19. I wrote about those clinical trials here including why a massive degree of caution is needed. Clinical trials are important and should be done, but the way hydroxychloroquine has been reported on has led to massive hype about it as a Covid-19 treatment, prompting shortages worldwide, including in Australia.

There are good reasons media do not normally report on these clinical trials until they are complete and have undergone peer review. Last week the US president, Donald Trump, touted hydroxychloroquine as possibly “one of the biggest game-changers in the history of medicine”. He also said: “It’s not going to kill anybody.” And he incorrectly announced the drug’s approval had been fast-tracked. Soon afterwards a US man died after he began drinking a form of chloroquine found in fish tank cleaner because he was scared of getting sick. In Nigeria, people have been poisoned attempting to take the drug as a preventive.

But now prominent advertisements paid for by the former federal politician Clive Palmer which have run in the Australian and on Facebook have promoted hydroxychloroquine as a potential “cure” for Covid-19. These ads are “ethically immoral” according to Prof Peter Collignon, a former WHO adviser who worked on Australia’s response to the Sars virus.

The two-page ad in the Australian states hydroxychloroquine, when combined with another medication, could “wipe out the virus in test tubes”, and Australia’s drugs regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, is now investigating whether the ad breaches drugs advertising rules.

The ad says Palmer had agreed to personally fund the acquisition or manufacture of 1m doses “to ensure all Australians would have access to the drug as soon as possible”.

Much of the hype for the drug has been generated by a small French study which, although reported by some media, has since been widely disputed, found to have omitted data, and to contain spurious results. A small but well-conducted study from China found no benefit to chloroquine being given to Covid-19 patients.

Palmer has not responded to my attempts to reach him for comment.

Updated

What a lot changes in a few hours, let alone a week, when it comes to Covid-19. Melissa Davey here, and when I was with you on the liveblog last Saturday, Australia had crossed 1,000 cases by the end of the day. This morning the national total is approaching more than 3,200 cases, and almost half of those are in New South Wales. Thousands have lost their jobs and we are in more stringent lockdown.

A significant amount of spread has come from the Ruby Princess cruise ship – more than 200 cases are linked to that cruise. Yesterday we learned 32 Queenslanders from the ship tested positive to the disease. Meanwhile 162 people in NSW and at least 49 interstate have been diagnosed with Covid-19 after they left the cruise ship, which was allowed to dock twice in Sydney’s Circular Quay this month.

NSW and Victoria are preparing to announce a stricter shutdown than the rest of Australia. In Victoria 22 people are in hospital with the virus, and 574 people have been infected. The NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, is expected to announce the state will keep only essential service services such as grocery stores, pharmacies, petrol stations and health facilities open. Those two states, with significantly more cases than elsewhere, keep flagging stage 3 of a shutdown, but neither the federal government nor states have revealed how many stages there are or what each stage means.

The imminent state measures come as Berejiklian revealed there were at least 145 Covid-19 cases that appeared to be due to community transmission – they could not be explained by overseas travel or contact with a person that had travelled.

Queensland, too, has a significant number of cases: more than 550. There are concerns about today’s local government elections which many said should have been postponed.

Finally, late last night Myer announced it would stand down 10,000 staff as it closes all its stores from tomorrow.

Internationally, the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, tested positive for Covid-19 – he originally insisted he would keep shaking hands with people, including Covid-19 patients.

Don’t heed advice from Johnson. Keep that distance and flatten the curve.

Thanks for joining me here. If I miss anything as this story moves rapidly, feel free to email me melissa.davey@theguardian.com or say hi over at Twitter. This is a difficult time. People with sick loved ones interstate and overseas are wondering when they will next get to visit. Thousands have lost their jobs and are facing financial uncertainty. People have lost their businesses and livelihoods. Lives have been lost. So let’s try to keep the interaction and comments kind. We are all bound to get aspects of this rapidly moving situation wrong.

Updated

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