“Non-essential” organised mass gatherings of more than 500 people will be banned across Australia from Monday in a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the ban on Friday, after meeting with state premiers, senior ministers and health authorities.

Schools, universities and shopping centres, along with Australia’s vast public transport networks, are not included in the ban.

However, Anzac Day events next month are now under a cloud.

“It has been recommended to us that we move to a position, by Monday, where we will be advising against organised non-essential gatherings of persons of 500 people or greater,” Morrison said.

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Play Video Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called for a ban on no essential mass gatherings beginning on Monday. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called for a ban on no essential mass gatherings beginning on Monday.

“That, of course, does not include schools. It does not include university lectures.

“It does not mean people (not) getting on public transport or going to airports or things of that nature.”

Temporary cabinet

Morrison said there were many issues to work through between Friday and Monday, and a new temporary national cabinet emerging out of the COAG meeting would convene again on Sunday.

“This step we are flagging for Monday is just about a scalable precautionary response,” he said.

Earlier on Friday, Australia’s chief medical officer, Dr Brendan Murphy recommended to the COAG meeting that a 500 person limit be placed on public gatherings.

Chevron Right Icon ‘This step we are flagging for Monday is just about a scalable precautionary response.’

At the press conference after COAG, Murphy dismissed concerns from reporters that the ban would not come into effect until Monday.

“It wouldn’t have mattered if they’d made a decision one or two days either side,” he said.

“It was felt that that was a reasonable time to progress.”

He said his advice to COAG had pertained only to non-essential events, because current evidence showed that community transmission of COVID-19 was not widespread in Australia.

Sporting co-operation

Morrison said he was looking forward to still attending the Cronulla Sharks match on Saturday.

He conceded, however, that he might be watching future matches from the comfort on his lounge room.

He said it was up to sporting codes to decide how they complied with the non-essential mass gathering ban, because the government didn’t run the NRL or the AFL.

“We will leave them to manage the issues,” he said.

Chevron Right Icon ‘We will set the ground rules about how these events can be run in the future.’

“We will set the ground rules about how these events can be run in the future, and I have no doubt that there will be strong co-operation from all of the codes as to how they manage that.”

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The PM didn’t rule out staying away from his mega-church on Sunday either.

“That is an organised gathering (but) I always consider it essential for me to go along,” he said.

Social gatherings

“I think any of those social gatherings that are organised that don’t involve your daily work or education or things of that nature, then obviously I think church organisations and church groups are going to have to make arrangements as well in relation to how large their gatherings are.

“I suspect they will do something common sense like hold multiple services at different periods of time over the course of the weekend.”

The opposition has yet to formally respond to the new ban, but in tweet, Bill Shorten questioned why it was not coming into effect until Monday.