21:47

In case you missed this announcement earlier, the Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, has announced details of a $2.4bn health package and warned of “difficult times and days” ahead for Australia’s health system as it deals with a surge in demand linked to the coronavirus outbreak.

Morrison said Australia’s “world class” health system remained well prepared to deal with the crisis.

These are not usual times and usual demands on our health system. And so, I anticipate there will be times when that will come under great stress. That is not a reason for alarm or concern, because the plan and the resource and the preparedness and the professionalism of our health system will attend to those needs.

The package unveiled by the government on Wednesday includes:

$615.4m for primary care measures, including telehealth services and 100 new pop-up clinics,

$100m for the aged care sector,

$1.1 billion to increase the country’s stockpiles of masks, pharmaceuticals and other personal protective equipment.

$30m for a new national information campaign,

$30m for workforce training,

$30m on the research response to the virus.

About $1.2 billion of the total package will be spent before the end of June. Morrison said that the plan was designed to match demand, and urged the community to “work together” to get through the coming months.

Health minister Greg Hunt also moved to clarify remarks he made on Sunday about the need for testing, saying people without symptoms and those who had not travelled or been in contact with someone affected by the virus did not need to get tested.

He said: