Latest Coronavirus Updates In Australia
LATEST NEWS AND UPDATE ABOUT CORONAVIRUS IN AUSTRALIA.
- In Australia, the death toll stands at 71 after the death of a 94-year-old man at a Sydney aged care home on Sunday morning
- Nearly 60 million masks have arrived in Australia
NUMBERS
* A total of 6606 Australians have caught the virus and more than 4100 of them have recovered.
* Australian deaths: 72 (29 in NSW, 15 in Vic, six in Qld, seven in WA, eight in Tas, three in ACT, four in SA). 21 were passengers on the Ruby Princess.
* Sydney’s Newmarch House aged care facility, home to about 100, now has 26 residents and 13 staff infected.
* Just 55 coronavirus patients are in intensive care in hospitals across Australia.
* More than 411,000 tests have been conducted across the nation, with an positive rate around 1.6 per cent.
MEASURES
* A federal government app to track people who have been in contact with a coronavirus case will be available in the next couple of weeks.
* Prime Minister Scott Morrison has clarified the tracing app will not be mandatory.
* 100 million surgical masks needed to help stop the spread of COVID-19 will be distributed to frontline workers over the next few weeks.
* 3.5 million extra doses of the flu vaccine will be made available.
* The national cabinet will this week consider allowing elective surgery and IVF procedures.
* The Queensland government has offered $200 million to help rescue Virgin Australia, as the cash-strapped airline struggles to survive.
* Australians with a disability have been assured of their safety during the coronavirus pandemic through a national cabinet-supported plan.
* All Australians must continue practising social distancing and stay at home unless going out for essentials or exercise.
* Australians returning home from overseas must be quarantined for two weeks in hotels or other accommodation before being allowed home.
* Australians, excluding aid workers and compassionate cases, are banned from international travel.
* Still open: supermarkets, pharmacies, banks, public transport, some schools, hairdressers, petrol stations, postal and freight services, bottle shops, newsagents, retail shops. Restaurants restricted to takeaway/delivery in most states.
* Closed: gyms, indoor sports venues, pubs, cinemas, nightclubs, casinos, places of worship, theme parks, auction houses, food courts in shopping centres, beauty therapy, tanning, waxing, nail salons, spas and tattoo parlours, galleries, museums, libraries, youth centres, community halls, clubs, RSL clubs, swimming pools, amusement parks, arcades, indoor and outdoor play centres, social sports that involve large groups, outdoor and indoor markets, outdoor playgrounds, outdoor gyms, skate parks.
KEY QUOTE
* “What it means is we now have a sustained and genuine flattening of the curve.” – federal Health Minister Greg Hunt after Australia recorded seven consecutive days where the rate of infection was below one per cent.
OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
* The Artania cruise ship left Western Australia after the death of three people on board during its three-week stay in Fremantle.
* NSW Police revealed the Ruby Princess cruise ship which is docked at Port Kembla is unlikely to leave the state’s waters until next week.
* Foreign Minister Marise Payne is pushing for an independent, international inquiry into how the COVID-19 pandemic happened and was handled.
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SPORT
* A financially-battered Cricket Australia has stood down most of its staff for the rest of the financial year on 20 per cent pay.
* The AFL, NRL, A-League, Super Rugby and Super Netball competitions have also been postponed.
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ECONOMICS
* US stocks have ended the week higher thanks to a surge in Boeing shares, and optimism about Donald Trump reopening the American economy.
* Data from China showed the world’s second-largest economy had shrunk for the first time since at least 1992 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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GLOBAL CORONAVIRUS
* Cases: at least 2,330,259
* Deaths: at least 160,917
* Recovered: at least 598,228
*Source: State and federal government updates and Johns Hopkins website at 1730 AEST
Australian Associated Press