Australia's Chief Medical Officer has described new restrictions as "radical" but says they are designed to prevent community outbreaks of conoravirus becoming "very hard to control", as international passengers arriving in Australia are quarantined in hotels.

This story is being updated regularly throughout Sunday. You can also stay informed with the latest episode of the Coronacast podcast.

Sunday's key stories:

Australia's death toll rises, but rate of new cases falls

Australian health workers are preparing for an influx of coronavirus patients. ( ABC Melbourne: Kristian Silva )

Two more Australians infected with COVID-19 have died, bringing the country's death toll to 16.

A 75-year-old woman who had been a passenger on board the Ruby Princess cruise ship died in Queensland, and a man in his 80s died in a Melbourne hospital.

Chief Health Officer Brendan Murphy said there were now 3,978 coronavirus cases in Australia.

He said there had been a slowdown in the growth of the epidemiology curve, but it was "not enough".

"We have to slow it further … and we have to stop the thing that's worrying us most, which is community transmission," he said.

"That is transmission without known links to a known case. That is of concern, particularly in Sydney and to a lesser extent in Melbourne and south-east Queensland."

Professor Murphy said Australia had one of the world's highest testing rates and one of the lowest positive test rates.

"We are not Italy, we are not the United States, we are not Spain," he said.

He said other countries "probably had much, much larger outbreaks in the community that were undetected".

"We feel reasonably confident that we are detecting a significant majority of the cases in Australia.

"That means that we can get on top of cases when they are detected."

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the rate of new coronavirus cases in Australia had fallen from 25-30 per cent last week to 13-15 per cent.

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Gatherings limited to two people

From tomorrow children will not be able to use public playgrounds. ( Clarissa Thorpe: ABC News )

Gatherings in Australia will be limited to two people, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced.

He said people could only be with members of their households or with one other person.

The rules around funerals and weddings remain the same — five people for weddings and 10 people for funerals.

Speaking after a National Cabinet meeting this evening, Mr Morrison urged people to stay at home in a bid to protect themselves from coronavirus.

Other restrictions and recommendations:

Public playgrounds, outside gyms and skate parks will be closed from tomorrow

Public playgrounds, outside gyms and skate parks will be closed from tomorrow People aged 70 and over should stay home and self-isolate for their own protection

Mr Morrison said people should only go shopping for food or other essential supplies, and they should do so "as infrequently as possible".

He said Australian could go outside for medical care or compassionate needs, exercise, or for work or education if they could not work or learn remotely.

Chief Health Officer Brendan Murphy said the recommendations were "radical".

"We have to change the way we, as people, interact with each other. It is very simple," he said.

While "the vast majority of Australians have done the right thing" others were being "silly" and not complying with advice, he said.

"If people don't take this seriously and we get big community outbreaks they will be very hard to control."

Also at that press conference, Mr Morrison announced states and territories would ban landlords from evicting renters who had found themselves in financial hardship due to coronavirus for six months.

"My message to tenants, particularly commercial tenants and commercial landlords, is a very straightforward one — we need you to sit down, talk to each other … and come up with arrangements that enable them [businesses] to get through this crisis," Mr Morrison said.

International travel quarantine enforcement begins

The first busloads of international arrivals have been taken to quarantine hotels across Sydney under new coronavirus rules that came into effect Sunday morning.

Arriving passengers collected their bags before they were escorted to waiting charter buses for the short trip into the city, in a convoy led by federal police.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 1 minute 43 seconds 1 m 43 s Overseas arrivals have been shuttled to hotel quarantine facilities by police

Some have raised concerns about those passengers with special needs. Andrew Cowling, who arrived to collect his 85-year-old father flying in from the United States, said he was not confident the Government would be able to adequately meet his father's needs.

"He's been at his house in lockdown in Philadelphia, he's not from New York," Mr Cowling said.

"Unless he's got it on the plane, we feel as an 85-year-old person with his own health issues, that he needs support of breathing, he's going to need medication, I don't how any of this is going to be managed by the Government."

Travellers arriving in Australia will be quarantined for 14 days ( ABC News: James Carmody )

As of midnight Saturday night, all Australians returning home from overseas will be put into compulsory quarantine in hotels for two weeks.

Travellers will be quarantined at the airport in which they enter the country, meaning they will not be able to board a connecting domestic flight.

"If their home is in South Australia or in Perth or in Tasmania and they have arrived in Melbourne, they will be quarantining in Melbourne," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 1 minute 55 seconds 1 m 55 s Scott Morrison announces new quarantine measures for international travellers

Those in quarantine will receive "self-isolation care packs" of food and other essential items.

Mr Morrison could not put a figure on what the measures would cost the taxpayer, but said it would be paid for by the states and territories.

The Federal Government will help out with logistics, transport, Australian Defence Force personnel and Border Force officials.

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Wages package only days away

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the Federal Government's upcoming wages package will be designed to keep employees connected to their employers, as the coronavirus crisis closes businesses and wipes out jobs.

Mr Morrison has refused to confirm reports of a plan to pay workers as much as 80 per cent of their wages, as an alternative to using the welfare system.

He said the Government's latest package was still to be finalised.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann confirmed the Federal Government would relax restrictions around partner income to make it easier for people out of a job to access welfare.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 37 seconds 37 s Mathias Cormann announces the Government will ease partner income restrictions for welfare recipients

Currently, if you lose your job but your partner is still earning more than $48,000 a year, you're not eligible for the Jobseeker payment.

The Government will lift this threshold in the coming days. It is also working with various agencies to defer rental costs for business and residential tenants.

Opposition industrial relations spokesman Tony Burke said a wage subsidy package needed to be finalised immediately.

"Two weeks ago, when we were arguing this, unions have been arguing it, business has been arguing it, Scott Morrison, as Prime Minister, ridiculed the idea and described it as unworkable," Mr Burke said.

"Now, we are pleased that he's come to the table and says that the Government is now working on implementing it."

Medicare, mental health, family violence package on its way

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 3 minutes 13 seconds 3 m 13 s Prime Minister Scott Morrison announces $1.1 billion support for health services

Australia is injecting another $1.1 billion into critical health services that are already seeing a major increase in demand as the coronavirus pandemic spreads.

The money will go towards mental health, domestic violence, Medicare and emergency food services. It will be split into:

$669 million for expanding Medicare subsidies for telehealth services so that GPs can consult with patients over the phone or via video conferencing

$669 million for expanding Medicare subsidies for telehealth services so that GPs can consult with patients over the phone or via video conferencing $74 million for mental health services, including a dedicated coronavirus wellbeing hotline coordinated by BeyondBlue

$74 million for mental health services, including a dedicated coronavirus wellbeing hotline coordinated by BeyondBlue $150 million for family violence counselling services

$150 million for family violence counselling services $200 million for charities that provide emergency household relief

The expansion of telehealth services will mean anyone who is self-isolating can access health care over the phone or via video conferencing.

That includes consultations with GPs, specialists and allied health professionals, so for example, mental health consultations with psychologists, psychiatrists and other specialists are covered.

"As of tomorrow, we will have universal telehealth available in Australia," Health Minister Greg Hunt said.

The Government is also doubling the bulk-billing incentive and making that available for both face-to-face and telehealth consultations.

There will also be an incentive payment to ensure practices stay open to provide face-to-face services when necessary.

"That is very important because so many health services still need to be face-to-face, involve examination, involve physical consultation," Mr Hunt said.

New messaging app to help Australians navigate coronavirus

The Coronavirus Australia app allows people to access official information and advice around coronavirus. ( Supplied )

The Federal Government has introduced a new messaging service to help Australians understand the various ramifications of the intensifying pandemic.

It allows users to navigate the latest advice in a range of areas including basic health warnings and updates on the measures being put in place by state and federal governments.

"That will assist you to get to be accurate and timely information about what is being done by governments around the country to support you as you and your family," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

You can access the service as its own app in the Apple or Google Play stores, or by heading to aus.gov.au/whatsapp on your phone, downloading Whatsapp and following the prompts.

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Donald Trump backs away from quarantine proposal

New York's Governor Andrew Cuomo has postponed the presidential primaries in the wake of the coronavirus crisis ( AP: Kathy Willens )

Residents of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have been urged to stay inside for the next two weeks, after US President Donald Trump pushed the CDC to issue a "strong travel advisory" for the coronavirus hotspots.

Mr Trump backed away from his earlier suggestion that the states should go into quarantine so that nobody was allowed to travel in or out of the state.

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Some governors had called for strict measures to prevent people from the places with the highest rate of infections from bringing the virus with them into neighbouring states, which Mr Trump said he was considering.

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But the idea drew swift criticism from the leaders of the states in question, who warned it would spark panic.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he believed such a move would be illegal, economically catastrophic and short-sighted.

"I don't know how that could be legally enforceable and from a medical point of view, I don't know what you would be accomplishing," he said.

Mr Trump said he reached his decision after consulting with the White House task force leading the federal response and the governors of the three states.

He said he had directed the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention "to issue a strong travel advisory, to be administered by the Governors, in consultation with the Federal Government."

The CDC issued a travel warning that urges residents of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to "refrain from non-essential domestic travel for 14 days effective immediately".

The advice does not apply to essential workers such as those in trucking, public health professionals, financial services, and food supply.

The United States has 124, 464 cases and there have already been 672 deaths in New York City.

Coronavirus cases are expected to peak in New York in mid or late April.

Barossa Valley cluster closes schools

Schools and early childhood centres in South Australia's Barossa Valley will be closed due to health authorities identifying a cluster of coronavirus cases in the area.

Another 12 people in South Australia tested positive to coronavirus today, taking the state's total cases to 299.

The cluster is believed to be linked to two tour groups from the US and Switzerland.

SA Health has identified the towns of Tanunda, Nuriootpa, Williamstown, Angaston and Lyndoch as areas of concern after 34 positive test results in the region.

WA considers hard border closure

West Australian Premier Mark McGowan has told people in the eastern states "we don't want you", as the state considers a hard border closure to slow the spread of coronavirus.

West Australians will still be able to return to the state if the Government decides to close the border. ( ABC News: Jarrod Lucas )

Mr McGowan said the proposed restrictions would mean only West Australians would be allowed into the state, with exemptions for those travelling for essential purposes or on compassionate grounds.

He said further details would be announced if the WA Government decided to go ahead with the plan.

"If you are not a West Australian and you want to come to Western Australia, don't come. We don't want you. Stay at home," the Premier said.

"West Australians who are still over east, if you want to come home, come home now."

Spain records 838 deaths in one day

Doctors, nurses and ambulance drivers in Spain's worst-hit regions are working nonstop and falling ill at an alarming rate. ( AP: Alvaro Barrientos )

Spain, where stay-at-home restrictions have been in place for nearly two weeks, reported 838 more deaths on Sunday, bringing its total to 6,528.

The country's total number of infected people rose to 78,797 from 72,248 the previous day.

Spain's director of emergencies Fernando Simon had previously said some parts of the country had "probably already passed" the peak of infections.

New Zealand records its first coronavirus death

The 21 staff who treated the woman have been asked to self-isolate. ( AP: Mark Baker )

A 75-year-old woman from the country's West Coast region is New Zealand's first coronavirus death.

She was initially thought to have the flu, along with an underlying health condition, and was in hospital for two or three days before being tested for COVID-19.

There have now been 514 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in New Zealand.

Fines for coughing on police

A woman who allegedly failed to stop at a designated border checkpoint and who coughed in the face of two police officers has been arrested and fined for breaching new coronavirus laws.

Police said the woman sped through a border checkpoint on the Barrier Highway at Oodla Wirra about 10:45pm on Saturday. Officers had to use road spikes to stop her. She was arrested just north of Whyte Yarcowie.

Police searched the car, allegedly finding two knives and an open carton of beer. They said she refused a roadside breath test and deliberately coughed on two police officers after being taken to hospital for a medical assessment.

The woman was fined $1,060 for not complying with the new COVID-19 directions.

In WA, police have charged two men for failing to comply with the directives.

A 73-year-old Geraldton man, who arrived in WA on Thursday, allegedly failed to self-isolate after he was seen outside his home.

Police say residents of the man's retirement village saw him talking to others in close proximity, travelling to the local shops and riding his push bike in the area.

Meanwhile, a 26-year-old Kardinya man has been charged with failing to comply with emergency requirements after entering the Broome town site as a non-essential traveller.

The man was allegedly denied entry to the Kimberly region on Friday.

Police located the man in his vehicle on Saturday night.

Both men are set to appear in court.

Boris Johnson to write to UK households urging them to stay home

Boris Johnson has described his symptoms as mild, and is continuing to lead the Government's response to the crisis while working from home. ( AP: Ian Vogler )

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is self-isolating after testing positive for coronavirus, will write to every UK household to urge people to stay at home.

A statement from 10 Downing Street included an excerpt of the letter, to be sent to 30 million households starting next week.

"We know things will get worse before they get better," Mr Johnson will write.

"But we are making the right preparations, and the more we all follow the rules, the fewer lives will be lost and the sooner life can return to normal."

His Health Minister has also tested positive and is working from home and another member of his Cabinet has developed symptoms after sitting next to Mr Johnson in the House of Commons on Wednesday.

The Prime Minister is the highest-profile political leader to have contracted the virus.

A temporary National Health Service (NHS) hospital, to be called the Nightingale Hospital, is being constructed in London. ( AP: Alberto Pezzali )

The United Kingdom has seen an increase of 260 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the country's total to at least 1,019.

Coronavirus deaths in the UK have been roughly doubling every three days, and the number of confirmed cases is doubling every three to four days.

The peak of the epidemic in the country is expected to come in a few weeks. Government advisers have warned that even tougher lockdown and physical distancing measures may be put in place.

Stranded cruise ship allowed through Panama Canal

There are 1,243 guests and 586 crew on board the Zaandam, as well as four doctors and four nurses. ( Reuters: Erick Marciscano )

A cruise ship stuck off Panama's Pacific coast after four passengers died and more than 130 others developed flu-like symptoms will now be allowed to proceed through the Panama Canal.

Holland America Line's MS Zaandam can now continue its trip to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. No passengers or crew will be allowed off in Panama.

The ship, which was previously on a South American cruise, was denied access to the Panama Canal over concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, leaving passengers and crew wondering when they would get home.

In the meantime, the operator sent another ship to the area so that 401 passengers without symptoms could get off the Zaandam.

There are 1,243 guests and 586 crew on board the Zaandam, as well as four doctors and four nurses.

Some restrictions lifted in the Chinese city of Wuhan

The vast majority of shops are still shut in the Chinese city of Wuhan. ( AP: Arek Rataj )

Mainland China has reported 45 new coronavirus cases, with the country's health authority saying all but one involves travellers from overseas.

In the past week, China reported 313 imported cases of the virus and only six confirmed cases of domestic transmission.

Five more people died on Saturday, all of them in Wuhan, the industrial central city where the epidemic began in December.

Some restrictions on people in China have been lifted and six subway lines in Wuhan have reopened.

After being cut off from the rest of the country for two months, the reopening of Wuhan marks a turning point in China's fight against the virus.

However, life in Wuhan remains far from normal. The vast majority of shops are still shut and roadblocks remain.

A total of 3,300 people have now died in mainland China, and 81,439 infections have been reported.

Global number of COVID-19 cases surpasses 660,000

The number of confirmed coronavirus infections worldwide has topped 660,000, with new cases stacking up quickly in Europe and the United States.

The latest landmark comes only two days after the world passed half a million infections, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, showing that much work remains to be done to slow the spread of the virus.

The tally showed more than 664,000 cases and over 30,000 deaths.

A priest wearing a face mask to protect against coronavirus performs funeral rites at a Madrid cemetery. ( AP: Bernat Armangue )

Italy's death toll has now surpassed 10,000 with 889 dying in the past 24 hours.

The United States now leads the world in reported infections with more than 104,000 cases.

Australia has recorded 3,725 cases with 16 deaths.

Tesla, Mercedes, Red Bull switch lanes to make ventilators

Authorities have warned that New York is desperately in need of more ventilators. ( AP: Mark Lennihan )

Leaders of the automotive industry are pitching in all over the world to build thousands of ventilators to help health services deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

The machines, which help patients breathe, are vital in treating severe cases of those suffering from COVID-19.

Tesla chief Elon Musk pledged to donate hundreds of ventilators to New York, the hardest-hit state in the US. He said given the "pressing needs", delivery would begin straight away.

"We're deeply grateful. We need every ventilator we can get our hands on these next few weeks to save lives," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted.

There are already more than 6,000 hospitalised COVID-19 patients in New York, with almost 1,600 in intensive care.

Mr de Blasio said that next Sunday, April 5, would be "a decisive moment for the city" in terms of having enough medical workers, supplies and equipment.

In the UK, seven Formula 1 teams have joined forces to create Project Pitlane, assisting the National Health Service with manufacturing equipment and potentially designing a new device.

The teams working together include Red Bull, Racing Point, Haas, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG, Renault and Williams.

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Virus prevention measures turn violent in parts of Africa

South Africa went into a nationwide lockdown for 21 days in an effort to control the spread of COVID-19. ( AP: Themba Hadebe )

Measures imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus have taken a violent turn in parts of Africa as countries impose lockdowns and curfews or seal off major cities.

Minutes after South Africa's three-week lockdown began, police screamed at homeless people in downtown Johannesburg and went after some with batons, with reports of rubber bullets fired. Police fired tear gas at a crowd of Kenyan ferry commuters as the country's first day of a curfew slid into chaos.

In Rwanda, the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to impose a lockdown, police have denied that two civilians shot dead were killed for defying the new measures, saying the men attacked an officer after being stopped.

Experts are concerned the continent will not be able to handle a surge in cases without the depth of medical facilities available in more developed economies.

Pope Francis leads solitary prayer in St Peter's Square

Praying in a desolately empty St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis likened the coronavirus pandemic to a storm. ( AP: Alessandra Tarantino )

The Pope said the coronavirus pandemic had put everyone "in the same boat" as he held a dramatic, solitary prayer service in St Peter's Square, urging the world to see the crisis as a test of solidarity and a reminder of basic values.

The Vatican called the service An Extraordinary Prayer in the Time of Pandemic, a sombre echo of an announcement by Italian officials minutes earlier that the coronavirus death toll in the country had surged past 9,000.

Pope Francis walked alone in the rain to a white canopy on the steps of the basilica and spoke sitting alone before a square where he normally draws tens of thousands of people but is now closed because of the pandemic.

The leader of the world's 1.3 billion Roman Catholics said God was asking everyone to "reawaken and put into practice that solidarity and hope capable of giving strength, support and meaning to these hours when everything seems to be floundering."

The Vatican said that tests showed Pope Francis and his closest aides do not have coronavirus.

State-by-state numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases

There have been more than 3,600 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia, including 16 deaths. The latest update was at midday AEDT on Sunday, March 29.

NSW : 1,791 (8 deaths)

: 1,791 (8 deaths) Victoria : 769 (4 deaths)

: 769 (4 deaths) Queensland : 656 (2 deaths)

: 656 (2 deaths) Western Australia : 312 (2 deaths)

: 312 (2 deaths) South Australia : 299

: 299 ACT : 71

: 71 Tasmania : 62

: 62 NT: 15