02:51

There’s still no clarity about whether Crown Resorts will shut its flagship Melbourne casino as a result of prime minister Scott Morrison announcing this afternoon that venues should be limited to one person every 4sq m.



The James Packer-controlled group’s poker machine rooms in Melbourne and Perth are still open, with every second machine shut off.



Crown went into a trading halt for “discussions” with the Victorian government earlier today, before Morrison announced the latest set of social distancing rules.



But at 5.45pm the casino and Victoria’s chief health officer were still locked in negotiations about the fate of the Melbourne pokies.



Public health experts have slammed Crown’s continued operation and this afternoon the deputy head of federal parliament’s national security committee, Anthony Byrne, said Crown and other casinos had to be shut down.

“Crown doesn’t offer a unique community service,” he told Nine Newspapers. “It is not a special place. It undermines confidence in government measures to contain the virus by giving Crown a free ride to remain open.”