Scott Morrison has ordered all pubs, restaurants and cafes across the country to shut from midday on Monday.

The Prime Minister met with state and territory leaders on Sunday night to discuss further measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus, as the number of cases in Australia surged to 1354.

He later announced indoor venues would move into 'stage one' restrictions, covering cinemas, gyms, nightclubs, places of worship and licenced premises in hotels and clubs.

Mr Morrison said cafes and restaurants would be allowed to provide takeaway services only.

But he remained firm on the government's stance to keep schools open.

The Prime Minister has ordered all pubs, restaurants, cafes, cinemas gyms, nightclubs, places of worship and licensed premises in hotels and clubs close from Monday to prevent the spread of the coronavirus

WHAT WILL CLOSE IN AUSTRALIA FROM TOMORROW? WHAT WILL CLOSE: Registered and licenced clubs Licenced premises in hotels and pubs Restaurants will only be able to provide a takeaway service Places of worship Cinemas, nightclubs, casinos and other forms of indoor entertainment Funerals will have to follow an 'enforced' four-metre rule WHAT WILL STAY OPEN: Supermarkets Shopping centres Bottle shops Schools Hairdressers and beauticians Advertisement

'Children should go to school tomorrow. There is no change to the medical expert advice in relation to the medical expert panel, from the states and territories in their advice to the national cabinet, in relation to the health advice,' Mr Morrison said.

Bottle shops will also remain open as they are considered to be 'like any other retail premises'.

'I am deeply regretful that those workers and those business owners who will be impacted by this decision will suffer the economic hardship that undoubtedly they will now have to face,' the Prime Minister said.

'That is a very, very regretful decision. But a necessary one in the view of the premiers and chief ministers and myself to ensure that we can control the spread of this virus.'

Mr Morrison said the government was not locking down Australians in their homes and said the idea had not been discussed yet.

'We are not putting in place lockdowns that put people and confine them to their home,' he said.

All bars and restaurants will be forced to close from tomorrow, with the latter only allowed to provide takeaways, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Sunday evening (stock image)

Supermarkets and bottle shops, considered to be like 'any other retail premises', will remain open

1,354 cases have been confirmed in Australia as of Sunday evening. 533 of the cases are in New South Wales and 296 are in Victoria

'That is not a measure that has been contemplated at this point. So there is no reason for anyone to do that.'

Chief medical officer Brendan Murphy appeared to criticise the thousands of people who flocked to Sydney's Bondi Beach on Saturday - leading to its closure - as he justified the implementation of the new measures.

'What were doing here is we're dealing with the principle places of social gathering,' he said.

'We don't now have any confidence that those guidelines [on social distancing] will be followed.'

The Prime Minister earlier said Australia could be locked down for six months as states and territories prepare to take unprecedented measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Premiers Gladys Berejiklian and Daniel Andrews released separate statements assuring supermarkets, petrol stations, pharmacies and home delivery services would stay open during the 'comprehensive shutdown'.

SCHOOLS TO STAY OPEN AFTER EASTER BREAK Schools will resume classes after the Easter holidays based on the latest medical advice relating to the coronavirus. But Prime Minister Scott Morrison has warned schools could be closed for the entire year if Australians don't co-operate with authorities to stem the spread of the virus. A meeting between the prime minister and state and territory leaders on Sunday night ended with the leaders agreeing all schools should reopen on the other side of the Easter break, subject to further health advice. But Mr Morrison warned it would not be school holidays as usual, and the actions taken by parents and children over the break would have broad impacts. 'There will not be trips interstate ... there will not be congregating up at the trampoline venue or whatever it happens to be,' he said. 'It won't be a holiday as anyone has ever known it. 'The decisions that parents make, that we all make, over the course of the next few weeks in particular could very seriously determine the trajectory that Australia continues to go on in relation to the coronavirus.' Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy said the risk to schoolchildren from the virus was very low. 'The consensus view of all of the chief health officers is schools should stay open,' he said. Victorian and ACT schools are set to close on Tuesday, with the state and territory bringing forward the Easter holiday break. Mr Morrison said the states and territories could be forced to take severe measures if Australians continued to ignore warnings to maintain safe distances from other people, stay home from work if sick, and limit travel. 'If there is not a broad co-operation in the population ... states will have to take more severe measures,' Mr Morrison told ABC television on Sunday night. '(The restrictions) just won't be for a couple of weeks. I mean kids could lose their entire year of school. That's what's at stake here. ' Mr Morrison said in an earlier interview his family was heeding current medical advice. 'My kids will be going to school in the morning and ... we will be following the medical advice,' Mr Morrison said. 'For those health workers and others, a complete closure of schools across the country would take out 30 per cent of our health workforce. 'Now, you could imagine what the health impact would be.' By Australian Associated Press Advertisement

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian (right) will close all non-essential services in the state to slow the spread of coronavirus

Children outside a school in Strathfield in Sydney. Mr Morrison stayed firm on the government's stance to keep schools open

Pictured: The Northern Territory and Queensland state border. States and territories are meanwhile taking drastic measures - including forcing all interstate travellers to quarantine for 14 days - to halt the spread of the virus

But bars, restaurants and cafes will likely be forced to close in the coming days.

The prime minister said a six-month shutdown had been modelled by medical experts - and any lockdown would need to be long-term.

'If you shut things down you have to understand that if you do, you may well be doing that for at least the next six months,' he told Seven News on Sunday night.

Mr Morrison told ABC News on Sunday night children could lose their entire school year if broad co-operation on closures was not reached with the states.

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA: 26,898 Victoria: 20,042 New South Wales: 4,200 Queensland: 1,152 Western Australia: 662 South Australia: 466 Tasmania: 230 Australian Capital Territory: 113 Northern Territory: 33 TOTAL CASES: 26,898 CURRENT ACTIVE CASES: 903 DEATHS: 849 Updated: 8.50 PM, 20 September, 2020 Advertisement

'If there is not a broad co-operation in the population ... states will have to take more severe measures,' he said.

'(The restrictions) just won't be for a couple of weeks. I mean kids could lose their entire year of school. That's what's at stake here.'

The states and territories were discussing the proposed closures with the Prime Minister in a National Cabinet meeting on Sunday.

All non-essential services are set to be closed in NSW, Victoria and the ACT within the next 48 hours and domestic travel has been discouraged in a bid to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

Supermarkets, petrol stations, pharmacies, convenience stores, freight and logistics services will remain open, with the full details to be spelled out in coming days.

The Prime Minister flagged 'draconian measures' earlier on Sunday.

South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory are imposing two-week quarantine periods on people seeking to enter these states, with police checkpoints posted to monitor travellers.

WA Premier Mark McGowan said entry to his state would be restricted via road, rail, air and sea from 1.30pm local time on Tuesday.

Mr Morrison said he would keep his kids in school and a lockdown may last for six months as if everything were reopened after two weeks, the virus would spread again

Pictured: A quiet restaurant in Melbourne on Saturday. Restaurants have been ordered to close along with licenced premises in hotels

There will be exemptions for health, emergency, defence and policing personnel, certain mining industry workers, flight crews, essential goods deliverers and on compassionate grounds.

Unless exempted, arrivals from interstate will be ordered to self-isolate for 14 days.

Australians have been told not to undertake non-essential travel and Mr Morrison told the ABC on Sunday night what that meant.

Mr Morrison said travel necessary for compassionate reasons or health was allowed, but holidays or discretionary travel must be cancelled.

He said Australia's international travel ban would extend to Australia's Olympic team throwing their participation into doubt - but he had words of encouragement for the nation.

Aussies who lose their jobs during the coronavirus crisis will have their Centrelink payments DOUBLED and pensioners to get extra support Australia will double unemployment payments to help the thousands who will lose their jobs from the coronavirus pandemic. Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday announced a second stimulus package and acknowledged the economic damage would be far worse than anticipated. 'We now expect the economic shock to be deeper, wider, and longer,' Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said. The extra $66 billion brings the giant rescue package to $189 billion, about 10 per cent of Australia's GDP, to avoid economic catastrophe. Thousands of Australians are already losing their jobs as cafes, pubs, and shops of all kinds are empty as many people avoid going out. Those already unemployed or soon to be forced out of work will be able to get up to $1,100 a fortnight in Centrelink payments. The $750 payments to pensioners will also be doubled as Mr Morrison expected the worst economic aspects of the crisis would last at least six months. Those struggling to make ends meet on reduced incomes - especially sole traders - can withdraw $20,000 from their superannuation tax-free to tide them over. Advertisement

'Australians are strong,' he told Seven News on Sunday.

'And we're going to find out just how strong we are, and I know we're not going to be disappointed ... we will get on this bridge to the other side of recovery.'

The AFL announced matches would be suspended until at least May 31.

Mr Morrison warned of more draconian measures as people continued to ignore warnings about social distancing and maintaining at least 1.5 metres of space between people.

'You've got to keep a healthy distance between each other,' Mr Morrison said.

'If Australians can't do that on a broad scale, then they are denying the governments and the authorities the most important weapon we have to save lives and to save livelihoods.'

Wes Lambert, chief executive of the Restaurant and Catering Industry Association is fiercely lobbying for states to allow restaurants to stay open for take away and delivery purposes.

Beachgoers seemingly ignored warnings about the closure of the beach on Sunday morning

'Businesses need to be able to continue to employ staff for food delivery and takeaway, which we think is essential,' he said.

'About 36 per cent of meals are eaten outside the home, so you're talking about a substantial amount of extra purchasing at grocery stores if you don't allow food delivery.'

NSW Health on Sunday confirmed 97 new COVID-19 cases overnight to Sunday, bringing the state's tally to 533.

Several of the new diagnoses were made in backpackers in the Bondi area - just a day after NSW Police were forced to close the famous beach when thousands of people flouted social distancing measures.

The prime minister has imposed further travel restrictions, placing a ban on all non-essential travel.

Mr Morrison said Australians would still be able to travel for work-related activities, but said people who had interstate trips planned for the upcoming school holidays should cancel them.

Even within states, people should scrap travel which isn't part of their standard routine, Mr Morrison said.