Coronavirus update: Scott Morrison announces strict new quarantine rules, new cases decline for second day, US overtakes China's tally

Updated

All people returning to Australia will be forced to quarantine in hotels for 14 days, a baby is among 24 new cases in Western Australia, and the US now has more confirmed cases than any other country.

This story is no longer being updated. For the latest coronavirus news and updates, follow this story.

Friday's key moments

Stay up-to-date on the coronavirus outbreak Download the ABC News app and subscribe to our range of news alerts for the latest on how the pandemic is impacting the world

All people returning to Australia to be forced to quarantine in hotels for 14 days

The Federal Government has announced further self-isolation restrictions on people returning to Australia, following a meeting of the National Cabinet, which brings together federal, state and territory leaders.

By 11:59pm on Saturday, states and territories will quarantine all people arriving by plane to Australia in hotels and other facilities for 14 days before they are able to return to their homes.

Those people will be quarantined for those two weeks in the city in which they arrive, even if that's not where they live.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Australian Defence Force would assist state and territory police in enforcing compliance with the new measures, as well as the already-existing self-isolation requirements.

"If there is a situation where people are non-compliant, of course the enforcement authority is the state jurisdiction and the relevant law enforcement agency in that state. But the ADF will be there to put boots on the ground," he said.

Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said 5,000 hotel rooms were on standby for returning travellers in his state and those returning home would be "housed, fed and transported" at no cost.

Meanwhile, Mr Morrison also announced there would be a third tranche of economic measures to support Australians, saying that part of that plan will be to "hibernate Australian businesses".

"We do not want over the course of the next six months or as long as it takes, for those businesses to be so saddled by debt, so saddled by rental payments, so saddled by other liabilities that they will not be able to start again on the other side," he said.

The Federal Government has been considering a radical suite of measures to effectively put the economy into hibernation.

Some people face 28 days of self-isolation

Some Australian travellers face the prospect of 28 days of self-isolation as two measures to restrict the spread of coronavirus double up.

From 11:59pm tomorrow night, international travellers returning to Australia will be forced into quarantine in hotels in for 14 days in the state they arrive in. They will not be allowed to return home.

In some cases, if those travellers then need to go home to another state, they may face a second 14-day period of self-isolation.

It would work like this:

Passenger A lives in Perth

Their flight back to Australia lands in Melbourne

They will be forced into 14 days quarantine in a hotel in Victoria

At the end of those 14 days, Passenger A flies fly home to Perth

They must spend another 14 days in self-isolation at their own home

This is a state-by-state issue, but this scenario has been confirmed for:

Western Australia

Tasmania

Northern Territory

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall said the rule "might" apply in his state.

At the moment there are not border restrictions in place in New South Wales or Victoria.

New cases in Australia decline for a second straight day

The national daily tally of new COVID-19 cases has slipped below the previous day's count for a second consecutive day, with new confirmed cases either falling or remaining steady in NSW, Victoria, WA, SA and Tasmania.

The figures are part of a national database of every confirmed case since January 25, when NSW and Victoria reported the country's first four cases.

Some other quick figures:

There are 3,166 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia

in Australia A total of 204 people have recovered after contracting COVID-19

after contracting COVID-19 See the state-by-state breakdown here

Boris Johnson tests positive for COVID-19

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tested positive for coronavirus and is self-isolating.

Mr Johnson, 55, was tested by National Health Service staff at Number 10 Downing Street after developing symptoms.

He released a video via his Twitter account to confirm the positive test and said he would "continue to lead the Government's response" via video conferencing.

"I've developed mild symptoms of the coronavirus, that's to say a temperature and a persistent cough, and on the advice of the chief medical officer I've taken a test, that has come out positive," he said in the video message.

"So, I am working from home, I'm self-isolating, and that's entirely the right thing to do.

"But be in no doubt that I can continue and thanks to the wizardry of modern technology to communicate with all my top team to lead the national fightback against coronavirus."

Australia about to get 1.5 million new tests. Here's who can get one

Australia is set to receive a shipment of 1.5 million "finger-prick" coronavirus testing kits "within days", according to the office of the Chief Medical Officer.

To put that figure in context, so far in Australia — which is said to have among the world's highest rate of testing per capita — more than 180,000 people have been tested, at a rate of around 10,000 per day.

And with these tests, the criteria of who can be tested has been expanded. To be tested, you must meet one of the following criteria:

You have returned from overseas in the past 14 days or spent time on a cruise ship , and you develop respiratory illness, with or without fever

, and you You have been in close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case in the past 14 days and you develop respiratory illness, with or without fever

You have severe community-acquired pneumonia and there is no clear cause (including patients who have already been hospitalised for this condition)

(including You have a fever or acute respiratory infection and you work in the healthcare or aged/residential care sectors, or you have spent time in a location that's defined by a state or territory as having an elevated risk of community transmission, or you have spent time at a "high-risk" location where there are two or more linked cases of COVID-19, such as an aged-care home, a remote Aboriginal community, a correctional facility, a boarding school, or a military base (including Navy ships) with live-in accommodation.

Baby among 24 new cases of coronavirus in Western Australia

A five-month-old child is among the new cases in Western Australia, which now has a tally of 255.

The baby is the child of two of the new confirmed cases and is at home with its parents in Perth.

Meanwhile, a cruise ship carrying coronavirus-infected passengers off the coast of Perth has been allowed to dock due to a second medical emergency on board in the space of 24 hours.

The MV Artania had been sitting off the WA coast after being refused port due to seven passengers testing positive to COVID-19.

The two men who have needed medical treatment were not among those who tested positive to coronavirus.

And a second cruise ship off the coast, the Vasco da Gama, will be allowed to dock in Fremantle later tonight.

From Sunday, all West Australian passengers on the ship will be transferred to Rottnest Island for 14 days for self-isolation.

Don't go to the park with your mates, says Chief Medical Officer

Australia's Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy has told people to comply with social-distancing guidelines "every minute of the day" and not mingle in shopping centres or parks.

Speaking alongside Prime Minister Scott Morrison this afternoon, Dr Murphy reiterated the message to stay home unless going out for necessities.

"Working from home where possible, going out only for the necessities. Not mingling with your friends in a shopping centre or in a park," he said.

"Practise social distancing, hand hygiene, cough etiquette. Every minute of the day.

He said there had already been "dramatic improvements" in the practices of everyday Australians, but there needed to be compliance for social distancing to work.

"We can't have anyone breaking the rules, being stupid, being cavalier, and not taking this seriously," he said.

"You have seen what's happened in countries around the world, where big community outbreaks have taken off.

"We have to very closely watch this community transmission. That's our biggest concern at the moment."

US has more confirmed cases of coronavirus than any other country

The United States now has 82,404 confirmed cases of coronavirus, overtaking both China (81,782) and Italy (80,589), according to a database run by Johns Hopkins University.

America's Centres for Disease Control said 38 per cent of US coronavirus patients sick enough to be hospitalised were between the ages of 20 and 54.

Health experts have made clear that unless Americans continue to dramatically limit social interaction — staying home from work and isolating themselves — the number of infections will overwhelm the health care system, as it has in parts of Italy.

Already, there have been more than 1,000 deaths in the country, with New York hardest hit.

Today, US President Donald Trump had a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss the ongoing crisis.

Mr Xi told Mr Trump that China was willing to support the United States in dealing with the coronavirus, according to an account of the conversation published by the Chinese ministry.

Mr Trump said on Twitter that he discussed the coronavirus outbreak "in great detail", and refrained from the more combative words he has used recently, like referring to the "Chinese virus".

Myer, Kathmandu, Just Cuts close stores

A number of major businesses announced today they would temporarily shut their stores, affecting more than 10,000 employees.

Here are some of the big ones:

Myer will temporarily close all stores from Sunday for four weeks. About 10,000 staff members will be stood down and Myer says it will still operate its online businesses.

will temporarily close all stores from Sunday for four weeks. About will be stood down and Myer says it will still operate its online businesses. Hairdressing chain Just Cuts will close its salons for at least the next four weeks. It employs 2,500 stylists in 190 salons across Australia. Its salons in New Zealand and the UK have already shut on direction from those governments.

will close its salons for at least the next four weeks. It employs across Australia. Its salons in New Zealand and the UK have already shut on direction from those governments. Adventure clothing and equipment chain Kathmandu and its surf wear chain Rip Curl shut its stores today for four weeks and stood down most staff without pay. Kathmandu has about 1,300 employees in Australia, and 165 stores across Australia and New Zealand, and will still operate its online business.

Australian share market slumps

The Australian share market closed sharply lower after giving up early gains and despite Wall Street rising, as more stimulus was promised by world leaders to head off a coronavirus-induced recession.

Investors are also awaiting a $US2 trillion ($3.3 trillion) economic rescue plan to be approved by the US Congress.

Australian shares jumped in early trade but staged a sharp reversal, which saw the ASX 200 index close 5.3 per cent lower at 4,842 points.

The All Ordinaries index finished the session 5.1 per cent weaker at 4,874.

All sectors ended in the red, led by financials, health care and energy stocks, including Santos (-10pc) and ANZ (-7.4pc).

It comes as the leaders of the world's biggest economies pledged to do whatever necessary to fight coronavirus.

Sydney, Melbourne coronavirus hotspots revealed

State health data in Victoria and NSW has shown the local government areas (LGA) with the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases.

Sydney's spots are:

Waverly LGA: 105 Sydney CBD: 69 Northern Beaches: 68 Woollahra: 66

Melbourne's spots are:

Stonington: 58 Mornington Peninsula: 39 Melbourne: 33 Boroondara: 28

Fines for gatherings over 10 people in Tasmania

Effective as of now, groups of more than 10 people won't be allowed to congregate in public or on private properties in Tasmania.

Houses where more than 10 people live will be exempt.

Tasmania's coronavirus tally is 46.

Premier Peter Gutwein warned the public they faced fines of up to $16,800 if they gathered in groups larger than 10 people in public or private.

He said anyone wishing to enjoy the forecast warm and sunny weather by "taking 20 people to the beach for a few beers" could land themselves in hot water.

"Stay home, unless you are going to work or school or to get supplies, stay at home," he said.

Remote NT police officer tests positive for coronavirus

Northern Territory police have confirmed a remote officer and his wife have tested positive for COVID-19.

The couple returned from overseas to the remote Harts Range Indigenous community in Central Australia.

Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker said the officer and his wife flew on a domestic flight to Yulara in Central Australia before driving home and then self-isolating.

He said they stopped to get fuel at a remote fuel stop on the way to Harts Range.

Oncology ward limits access after patients, staff test positive

Melbourne's Alfred Hospital has limited access to its oncology and haematology ward after discovering four inpatients had COVID-19.

Two of those patients have died, and two remain in hospital.

The Alfred said three staff members have since tested positive for COVID-19, and other staff are in self-isolation.

They do not yet know the source of transmission.

Meanwhile, the ABC has crunched the numbers on how many beds we might need for COVID-19 patients this winter, based on varying models.

It's important to note the virus may never reach the projected models, and the admissions projected in this chart wouldn't all happen at once, but surge periods are forecast where admissions threaten to outnumber beds.

AFL reaches pay deal with players

The AFL has reached a new pay deal with the game's male players after their season was postponed due to coronavirus.

The deal will see players receive 50 per cent of their salaries up until May 31.

After that players will be paid according to how many games they play this season.

Crowd numbers and the viability of the AFL's sponsors will also determine their salaries.

Jobseekers get reprieve from 'mutual obligation arrangements'

The Government will extend the suspension of "mutual obligation" for jobseekers across the country until April 27.

A statement from the office of Employment Minister Michaelia Cash said:

"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".

The Government said it was a move designed to "alleviate some of the congestion and give certainty to the sector", and it would continue to review these arrangements regularly.

Australian confirmed cases top 3,000, NSW doesn't know how 145 infections happened

Health authorities in NSW have confirmed 186 new coronavirus infections, bringing the state's total to 1,405.

NSW's chief medical officer Kerry Chant said authorities were particularly concerned about 145 of the new cases which were acquired with an undeterminable source.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the rise in cases from an unknown source reinforced the need for self-isolation, and said people should not go outside unless they "absolutely have to".

Number of cases linked to Ruby Princess reaches almost 200

NSW Health has confirmed another 41 cases of coronavirus from people who were aboard the Ruby Princess cruise ship.

That means people who were on the ship are responsible for 162 of the state's 1,405 COVID-19 infections.

Earlier this week, NSW Health said another 26 people on the ship had tested positive and were interstate, meaning the total number of infections that can be linked to the cruise is almost 200.

The Ruby Princess docked in Sydney earlier this month, and thousands of passengers were allowed to disembark despite several people onboard being tested for the virus.

Australia's only medical mask factory goes into overdrive

With medical masks in short supply, Australia's only mask factory is hoping to produce 50 million masks to support frontline medical staff in their battle against coronavirus.

"We were making about maybe 2 million masks a year and all of a sudden now we're potentially looking at, with added machines, making as much as 50 million masks a year," Med-Con CEO Steve Csiszar told the ABC.

Before the coronavirus outbreak, his small business supplied about 5 per cent of the Australian market from its factory in Shepparton in Victoria.

"Our staffing is approximately 17 people but with what's happened now it's been a total upheaval," Mr Csiszar said.

"We're hiring people by the day, machines are running 24/7 and we've never seen so much activity in Shepparton."

Pictures of swans, dolphins in Venice debunked

Photos of dolphins and swans swimming in the canals of Venice have gone viral on social media but are misleading, according to National Geographic and fact checkers at The Quint.

The photos of dolphins were actually taken in Sardinia, hundreds of kilometres away, and the swans were in Burano, in the greater Venice area, where they have been for 20 years.

RMIT ABC Fact Check has examined a number of claims doing the rounds and is now launching CoronaCheck, an email newsletter which will bring you the latest in fact-checking from around the world in relation to the coronavirus.



Subscribe and keep reading for a taste of what's to come.

Doctors cheered on in Britain as health service becomes increasingly stretched

People in Britain have cheered their medical workers from their front doors, gardens, balconies and windows, as the country remains in lockdown.

The "Clap for our Carers" initiative had been widely spread on social media, with the campaign saying, "During these unprecedented times they need to know that we are grateful."

Frontline doctors have warned they do not have enough personal protective equipment and feel like "cannon fodder" in the fight against coronavirus.

They say there is a lack of testing for healthcare workers.

More than 9,500 people have tested positive for the virus in Britain and 463 have died.

As the health service becomes increasingly stretched by the number of cases, the British Government is opening a temporary hospital at an exhibition centre in east London and has asked manufacturers to produce thousands of ventilators.

It's now an offence to stand too close to someone in Singapore

Singapore has made it an offence to intentionally stand too close to another person as part of its response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Under updates to its powerful infectious diseases law, anyone who intentionally sits less than 1 metre away from another person in a public place or on a fixed seat demarcated as not to be occupied, or who stands in a queue less than a metre away from another, will be guilty of an offence.

Offenders can be fined up to $S10,000 ($11,474), jailed for up to six months, or both.

Singapore has won international praise for its tough approach to tackling the virus, which has included using police investigators and security cameras to help track suspected carriers.

With some of the world's highest population densities, the city-state this week announced more stringent social-distancing measures such as shutting bars and limiting gatherings to up to 10 people outside work and school.

More than half a million people have now been infected, with Europe hardest hit

More than half a million people around the world have now been infected with COVID-19, with more than half of those cases coming from Europe.

A world-topping 8,165 people had died in Italy as of Thursday evening — a rise of more than 600 from the previous day — and Spain's number of dead from the virus has topped 4,000.

According to local radio reports, more than a third of Spain's deaths from the virus — some 1,307 people — have been elderly residents in nursing homes.

In total, more than 15,000 people have died from coronavirus in Europe.

3.28 million people in the US file claims for unemployment

The Dow Jones Industrial Average has wrapped up its strongest three days in nine decades, despite the global coronavirus pandemic and Wall Street being at the centre of America's crisis.

Record weekly US jobless claims — 3.28 million people in the country filed claims for unemployment benefits last week — came in below investors' worst fears.

There is also an unprecedented $US2 trillion ($3.3 trillion) stimulus package awaiting approval by the US House of Representatives, which will flood the country with cash.

The Dow closed up 21 per cent from its Monday low.

The United States has overtaken China as the worst-hit nation in terms of confirmed coronavirus cases, and New York is at the centre of the crisis.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo told a news conference on Thursday (local time) that almost any realistic scenario in the coronavirus outbreak will overwhelm the state's existing hospital capacity.

He said the goal was to get to 140,000 hospital bed capacity from the current 53,000 available.

There have been 281 deaths in New York City so far, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

China to close borders to foreign residents on Saturday

China says it will ban the entry of foreigners with valid Chinese visas and residence permits starting on Saturday.

The number of flights in and out of the country has also been cut out of concern that travellers from overseas could reignite the coronavirus outbreak that paralysed the country for two months.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said it had directed Chinese airlines to maintain only one route to any country and limit the number of flights to one per week, effective Sunday.

The authority also ordered foreign airlines to reduce their international routes to China to one per week and only operate one route into the country.

The country is keen to prevent a resurgence of the coronavirus epidemic that emerged in the south-eastern city of Wuhan in late 2019 that has killed almost 3,300 Chinese citizens to date.

Queensland's top medical officer says elections are not a risk

Local government elections and two state by-elections are going ahead in Queensland tomorrow, despite the coronavirus pandemic.

There are about 3.3 million eligible voters across the state, and while more than 1 million people have cast their vote early, on top of another 570,000 who registered for a postal vote, a lot of people will still be going to voting booths at the same time.

But according to Queensland's chief health officer Jeannette Young, there is no risk in going to vote tomorrow given the safety measures in place, including social distancing and people bringing their own pens and pencils.

Health Minister Steven Miles also said this week that the risk of voting was low compared to other things like grocery shopping.

But one doctor from a Queensland hospital pointed out that unlike voting, it was not compulsory to go to the supermarket.

$8.2 trillion pledged for coronavirus response, Putin wants sanctions lifted

G20 leaders have pledged to inject $US5 trillion ($8.2 trillion) in fiscal spending into the global economy to ease the impact of coronavirus.

During a videoconference summit — in which German Chancellor Angela Merkel took part from her apartment where she is in home quarantine — the leaders committed to implementing and funding all necessary health measures needed to stop the virus's spread.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also called for countries to lift sanctions and stop trade wars to ensure essential supplies can reach all nations while the COVID-19 pandemic rages.

China's President Xi Jinping agreed, with the pandemic giving weight to China's criticism of the United States' "trade war".

"I want to call on all G20 members to take collective actions — cutting tariffs, removing barriers, and facilitating the unfettered flow of trade," he said.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres — who had already called for a global ceasefire — also said sanctions should be waived.

Canberra to repatriate Australians in South America

The Australian Government is facilitating commercial charter flights to bring hundreds of Australians home from Peru and Uruguay over the coming days.

This comes as coronavirus lockdowns were enforced which halted all outbound commercial flights.

The Federal Government is working closely with Australian travel company "Chimu Adventures" to manage operations out of Cusco and Lima in Peru and Montevideo in Uruguay.

The flight from Lima is expected to depart within days and will carry more than 260 Australian nationals and permanent residents back home.

The flight from Montevideo will collect Australians from the Ocean Atlantic cruise ship as well as any other Australians who wish to return home.

Chimu Adventures director Chad Carey told the ABC that what happened in South America was "quite different to a lot of the rest of the world".

"The borders were shut almost overnight. On most other continents there was some warning, people could get out," he said.

Additional flights are already being planned for Australians in South America.

Fear in Vanuatu after cruise ship visit

A local on a remote island in Vanuatu says there is widespread fear among villagers about COVID-19, after the cruise ship Voyager of the Sea stopped there for two days earlier this month.

Several passengers have since tested positive to COVID-19 after the ship returned to Sydney last week.

The people on the island of Aneityum have been in quarantine for the past two weeks as a precaution. The ABC understands today is the last day of quarantine.

Vanuatu authorities said five tests had come back negative.

Tour operator Joseph Sivu told the ABC's Pacific Beat program that "people are really scared now", but confirmed no one appears to be unwell.

Australian passenger Gayle Doe told the ABC that she was devastated by the idea they could have brought coronavirus to the island.





State-by-state numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases

There have been more than 3,166 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia, including 13 deaths. The latest update was at 7:49 PM AEDT on Friday, March 27.

NSW : 1,405

: 1,405 Victoria : 574

: 574 Queensland : 555

: 555 South Australia : 257

: 257 Western Australia : 255

: 255 ACT : 62

: 62 Tasmania : 46

: 46 NT: 12

ABC/wires

Topics: covid-19, respiratory-diseases, emergency-planning, health-policy, australia, russian-federation, china, united-kingdom

First posted