E3: Australia coronavirus live: government prepares second stimulus package as 37 more cases diagnosed in NSW – updates

Queensland senator Susan McDonald has tested positive for Covid-19; the 2020 AFL season will last only 17 rounds; and NSW health minister warns of an ‘exponential’ rise in cases. Follow all the latest news, live

That’s it for Q+A tonight and the blog for this evening.

I think it’s fair to say that the big take aways were around the government’s response, and the information (or lack thereof) being provided by the government.

Bill Bowtell:

“You’ve had, since the beginning of January to do this. And when the situation got serious in Taiwan, they created a national unified command I think on January 20. Eight weeks ago.

“Nothing like that was done here. There was no public education campaign. There was no mobilisation of the people. The state governments did not sanitise and disinfect the transport systems. And people would go around saying that as recently as on Friday your PM was saying nothing to see here. Social distancing next week. Everybody go out and it’s not a problem.”

Should we try for herd immunity?

Bowtell says there is no immunity yet.

A mother of a 10-year-old child with cystic fibrosis is concerned what the impact of coronavirus will have on her son, and whether he will still have access to the health services he needs.

Colbeck says it is about reducing the impact on the healthcare system, and reducing the rate of infection.

Mostyn says the government needs to open up the funding for the NDIS to make it easier for parents to get payments with the money that is available.

She suggests casual workers put out of work could be trained up quickly to cope with the surge in demand for other services such as that in the NDIS.

Take the politics out of it, Bowtell argues, like Bob Hawke and Andrew Peacock did during the Aids crisis in the 1980s:

“The people who then ran the response to that were funded, were eminent experts from across the field of virology, epidemiology and public communication. There was no politicisisation, there was no political party brawling in the parliament. And it worked very well. We saved tens of thousands of lives and hundreds of thousands of unnecessary infections, unlike in the US for example. That was the model.

“We used to be a leader in this field.”

He says this response should have happened already.

“[What we] are facing on the verge of a serious national calamity, with the fierce urgency of now, tonight, is to correct all the things that have not been done and to really take effective action to persuade the people to basically isolate themselves until we can figure out what is going on and what to do.”

Did the government launch advertising too late?

It was only launched over the weekend. Colbeck argues there has been a consistent message, but Haikerwal says it should have been sooner, and a more consistent message about what people should be doing to protect themselves.

Gallagher agreed:

“It’s been too late, Hamish. And now the government is having to deal - everyone is having to deal with the level of anxiety and fear in the community that could have and should have been dealt with better by earlier access to information, so that you build trust.

“If you don’t have trust, then you’ve got real problems.”

Asked what the government would do for casual workers put on leave, Colbeck says government won’t be able to do it all on its own, and discussions were underway with industry, unions and workers.

“This is going to be extremely difficult for us all...This will work across the entire economy. It will continue to evolve and we’ll have to continue at looking at what we’re doing.”

Sam Mostyn tells the panel that there needs to be a single voice of authority. Colbeck argues that is the role of the chief medical officer, Brendan Murphy.

“It’s unfortunate we’ve had other voices that have split off from that process which I agree has confused the message,” he said.

“There’s no question that’s what’s happened. That’s why Brendan Murphy has been there every day so that he can in the same way that we did during the fires, have somebody who has access to all the information that’s required and can then be part of transmitting that to the Australian community.”

Bowtell tells Colbeck the government is not ahead of the curve, and hospitals will not be able to cope with the exponential growth in cases NSW forecast earlier today:

“You’ve had, since the beginning of January to do this. And when the situation got serious in Taiwan, they created a national unified command I think on January 20. Eight weeks ago.

“Nothing like that was done here. There was no public education campaign. There was no mobilisation of the people. The state governments did not sanitise and disinfect the transport systems. And people would go around saying that as recently as on Friday your PM was saying nothing to see here. Social distancing next week. Everybody go out and it’s not a problem.”

Former AMA president Dr Mukesh Haikerwal is asked about the violence facing front-line medical staff as people panic over access to healthcare.

He says it has been seen across the country, and the key to reducing violence is in part about reducing demand through the efforts to spread the curve of the infection rate.

Bill Bowtell, argues older Australians are not more vulnerable, pointing out 80% of cases in NSW are people under 60.

Colbeck says it’s not about who does and doesn’t get the virus, it’s about fatality, and it’s older people who are dying from it.

Bowtell says it is a “lazy assumption”.

Colbeck: “Other people do contract it, but I’m talking about the impact when they do.”

First question to minister for aged care Richard Colbeck - what’s being done to limit visits to nursing homes?

Colbeck says he’s released advice to aged care facilities today to limit access to the facilities due to the heightened risk facing the elderly.

People who don’t need to be there are being advised not to visit, and people are also being told to limit their visits.

I’ll post updates from the Q+A coronavirus special on this live blog.

It’ll come as no surprise there isn’t a live studio audience tonight, after the ABC cancelled all live studio audiences.

Here’s Paul Karp on why schools are still open (the ones that haven’t decided to close of their own volition, that is).

Related: Why Australia is not shutting schools to help control the spread of coronavirus

Katharine Murphy on why the government is already talking about a second stimulus package despite not yet having legislated the first:

The precise timing for unveiling round two of the stimulus package is unclear, but government sources say options are being worked up urgently, and the package will be announced well ahead of the May budget, not in the May budget, which was the plan last week.

Events are moving so rapidly the government is telegraphing round two even though it is yet to legislate its first tranche of stimulus measures. Legislating round one will happen next week, with parliament expected to gather for a short session with the building in a partial lockdown.

Related: Australian government signals second round of stimulus as market tumbles 9.7%

The home affairs minister, Peter Dutton, who is under home isolation, was on Sky News (on the phone) earlier tonight and claimed the two women who were on the same flight as him from Sydney to the US and also contracted coronavirus “detest” him and are “long-standing opponents of the government”.

Medical experts have said Dutton wasn’t infectious on the flight, and only became sick when he returned to Australia.

In what is likely a sign of the times for the near future, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra livestreamed a performance of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade to an empty audience in Hamer Hall.

It’s very good. You can still watch it here.

ICYMI earlier today, my colleague Christopher Knaus explained why Australia is soon going to get tests for coronavirus that take just three hours:

Roche, a multinational medical device company, says it has rushed to develop a new test to support “the urgent need for patient testing during the novel coronavirus pandemic”.

Roche says results can be returned within three hours of testing. That allows for 384 tests in an eight-hour shift.

Related: Coronavirus tests being rushed to Australia can deliver results within three hours

The ACTU has a list of employers who are offering their staff paid leave in the event they need to work from home.

Here’s a rundown of what has happened so far on Monday:

We’ve heard from the AFL and the FFA about what their plans are for the season but the NRL is still figuring out what to do, particularly because the NZ Warriors may not be able to play here.

Via AAP:

NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg revealed on Monday that the radical step of shifting to a 15-team competition was among a handful of scenarios being considered to combat the impact of the coronavirus.

Random breath tests are also being suspended in NSW, following Queensland, according to 7News.

BREAKING: In an extraordinary move, Random Breath Testing has become the latest victim of coronavirus and is being suspended for the first time since it started. https://t.co/TWh1KQycs4 @ebatten7 #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/HzGhYUifj1

The Sydney Writers’ festival, which was set to run from the end of April until early May, has now been added to the growing list of literary and artistic events being cancelled.

“This is an unprecedented, deeply upsetting and challenging time for everyone, but the health and safety of writers, audiences, staff, publishers, volunteers and our community must come first,” said the artistic director, Michaela McGuire.

Football Federation Australia has announced games will still go ahead, but without crowds. Any players who have flu-like symptoms will be told to stay home.

You can read the full guidelines announced by FFA here.

On universities: the University of NSW is moving to remote lesson delivery where possible, and the Australian National University is also looking at online delivery.

The Queensland Police Service will suspend roadside breath-testing for drugs and alcohol for the time being in order to minimise the risk of transmission of Covid-19 to police officers and the community.

Some more university-related updates:

The AFL season has been reduced to 17 rounds, with each team facing off every other team just once in the season.

The first round could still go ahead, but the AFL will not announce whether that will happen until the end of tomorrow at the latest. The first game between Richmond and Carlton is set down for Thursday.

The state leagues and talent programs are suspended for 2020, and VFL has been suspended until the end of May.

Another Australian politician has tested positive for coronavirus. This time the LNP senator Susan McDonald.

QLD Senator Susan McDonald has tested positive to COVID19 #auspol @SBSNews pic.twitter.com/t7d15O9EIl

NBN Co says it saw a 5% increase in demand on its network on Saturday, compared to the previous Saturday.

The company is working with retailers to ensure there’s adequate bandwidth capacity (which it calls CVC) for retailers so if more people are working from home, then the network can cope with that extra demand.

#BREAKING: Aria-award winner Thelma Plum tests positive for #COVID-19. She is currently receiving treatment in a #Brisbane hospital @9NewsQueensland @Ninecomau

The University of Technology Sydney has cancelled classes for a week from tomorrow until 24 March.

The university says it is doing this to redesign the face-to-face delivery of courses to cope with social distancing from that date. The campuses, study spaces and libraries will remain open, staff will be working and the university say there have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus at UTS so far.

Western Australia has announced 10 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the total in the state to 28, with more than 6,000 people tested.

Just a small update on the situation in Queensland:

There are 68 cases of coronavirus in Queensland, with the first Queenslander dying from coronavirus late yesterday – a 77 year-old woman who died in Sydney after leaving her home in Noosa.

There will still be a dawn service for Anzac Day in Victoria, but the public will not attend.

RSL Victoria held an emergency meeting on Monday and decided it would go ahead at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne with a small number of official guests, but the march through the CBD and the midday service have both been cancelled.

RSL sub-branches will be asked to conduct a single Anzac Day service but the public will be asked not to attend that.

More on the ASX:

The Australian stock market tumbled 9.7% on Monday, the biggest one-day fall in decades for the benchmark ASX200 index, wiping out nearly four years of gains.

Telstra is boosting the amount of data on offer for its customers over the next month for those who have to isolate at home and might need that extra data.

Broadband consumer and small business customers will get unlimited data until the end of April.

Post-paid mobile customers will get an extra 25GB over the next 30 days, while pre-paid customers with an active recharge of over $40 will get 10GB of extra data within 28 to 30 days.

Included in the WA government’s announcement:

The federal court is reducing its number of hearings over the next four months, and where possible judges will attempt to deal with case management and interlocutory matters in writing without the need for a hearing.

They will also use video conferencing and telephone hearings.

The communications and arts minister, Paul Fletcher, says he will hold a teleconference roundtable tomorrow with cultural and industry bodies to discuss the impact of coronavirus in that sector – particularly after all the event cancellations over the past few days.

He says he’ll try to get an understanding about how the stimulus package already announced could be used to help this sector out.

The disability royal commission has announced it has suspended all public events, citing concerns about the spread of coronavirus.

It had been due to hold education sessions next week in Brisbane, as well as hearings focused on justice issued and First Nations people with disabilities in April and May.

The Sydney stock market has closed almost 10% down on another disastrous day of trading. It dropped 9.7% to 5,002 points.

The massive losses came despite an announcement by the Reserve Bank that it will begin buying bonds in a quantitative easing operation to prop up the country’s cratering economy.

JUST IN: The Australian share market has plunged after another volatile day. The ASX 200 index dropped 9.7% to 5,002 points – its worst day since at least the global financial crisis via @abcnews #coronavirus #COVIDー19 #ausbiz #auspol #markets #ASX

Anzac Day services have been cancelled in New South Wales.

The RSL’s acting president, Ray James, said the risk was too high.

Coles is also following Woolworths with the 7am-8am hour for elderly and disadvantaged people, and closing at 8pm to allow stores to be cleaned and restocked.

The company has also announced plans to hire 5,000 casual staff to help with the increased demand.

new: Coles follow Woolworths in giving first hour of each day (7-8am) exclusively to "elderly and disadvantaged" shoppers

also:
- closing stores 8pm every night to restock shelves
- "temporarily" suspending home delivery for most customers
- putting on 5000 new casual workers pic.twitter.com/8nvpQ6iuIE

Just some more on the plan for Woolworths:

Stores will close at 8pm each night from Wednesday to allow staff to restock shelves (because people had often been taking the stock before it was put on shelves) to attempt to calm the panic.

That’s much earlier than some Woolworths stores close – some are open as late as 11pm.

This move is in addition to the dedicated hour between 7am and 8am for elderly and disabled people to shop.

Hazzard says 67 of the 171 acquired coronavirus overseas, while 44 were transmitted onshore.

Qantas flight QF8 on 11 March from Dallas had one confirmed case. People who were seated in rows 73-77 or 11-15 are being urged to contact health authorities.

Since 11am yesterday there have been another 37 cases of Covid-19 diagnosed in NSW, bringing it up to 171 cases since the outbreak started, Hazzard said.

There are 1,282 cases under investigation. There have been 25,511 tests so far.

People who breach the quarantine order could face fines of up to $11,000 or six months in prison.

The NSW health minister, Brad Hazzard, is giving an update.

He said since last night he’s made two orders. First, no gatherings of 500 or more people (as per the federal guidance). Corporations could be fined $55,000 for holding such events, with $7,000 fines for each day after that.

The second order is that anyone entering Australia in NSW will be required to quarantine for 14 days.

The University of NSW says it will shift most of its classes and lectures online – but won’t close its campus.

“This is achievable for lectures and many tutorials,” the university said. “Labs that can be conducted incorporating social distancing will continue to be held on campus.

⚠️ #CORONAVIRUS UPDATE (16 March): We are continuing to carefully follow the guidance of @NSWHealth in our response to COVID-19.

It is now sensible to take these additional steps to help shape the profile of the epidemic. pic.twitter.com/Qc60nvwfsL

An important and only slightly baffling message from Arnold Schwarzenegger. His advice on social isolation is sound, and his miniature horses are incredible.

Stay at home as much as possible. Listen to the experts, ignore the morons (foreheads). We will get through this together. pic.twitter.com/FRg41QehuB

The president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has warned against fake medical advice floating around, including a “virus protection” guide reposted by Miranda Kerr.

The RACGP president, Dr Harry Nespolon, said “the best sources of information on Covid-19 include the RACGP website and the official health.gov.au website, not Miranda Kerr’s Instagram account”.

Parliament will still sit next week, but “temporary and precautionary” changes are being announced as part of what the prime minister, Scott Morrison, said would be a “scaled back” parliament.

Under the changes, Parliament House will remain open to the general public to access the public areas and the marble foyer, but the public galleries in each chamber for the next sitting week will be closed.

More on the Parliament House restrictions:

Chamber galleries in APH closed for next week. Also:
• Former parliamentarians;
• Elected members of other legislatures;
• Volunteers; and
• Sponsored pass holders
will not have automatic access to the secure areas of the building #auspol #COVIDー19

Labor’s Michelle Rowland is calling for temporary capacity relief for the NBN, if it becomes overwhelmed from people working from home.

The shadow communications minister is asking the government to consider waiving fees for retail providers at peak hour.

In Brisbane, a legal team has successfully applied for a last-minute judge-alone trial to stop the case being delayed by a potential disruption to juries due to coronavirus.

New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria have all delayed the start of new jury trials.

A bit more on the second stimulus package.

The prime minister has been having discussions throughout today with ministers in portfolios where the coronavirus is having a substantial impact – and has spoken to both the treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, and the finance minister, Mathias Cormann, about further measures to support the economy, business and households.

After showing some signs of recovery at lunchtime the Australian market is again tanking following the Reserve Bank’s announcement it is ready to wade into the market and start buying government bonds.

At around 1.30pm the benchmark ASX200 index was down by about 7.8%.

The Australian arts industry has called for an “emergency support package” after the new social distancing restrictions cancelled any event with more than 500 people.

A swathe of concerts, festivals, shows and galleries have closed or been cancelled – including the entire Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

Related: Coronavirus: Australian arts industry calls for 'emergency support package'

Most readers will know the Morrison government last week unveiled an economic stimulus package worth $17bn. It wasn’t clear at the time that would be enough, and obviously events are now moving at a clip. The Reserve Bank this morning signalled it is preparing to move to quantitative easing.

I gather the government has begun work today on a second package of measures. People are telling me round two will involve support for business and another round of stimulus for households. Cabinet (the regular one, not the special one, which is the rolling meeting of the prime minister and the premiers) is due to meet tomorrow.

The government is working up a second stimulus package #auspol #COVIDー19

Peter Dutton was “not infectious on the plane” with coronavirus while returning from the US, Kelly says.

“I spoke to Mr Dutton in his hospital room on Friday night and I’m not going to go into the details of his particular illness but I can say he was not infectious on the plane,” the deputy chief medical officer said.

Remote Indigenous communities and people in aged care “are front of mind” in the government’s response, Kelly says. He also broadens that out to say the focus is on anybody vulnerable.

He says they are looking at measures to prevent infections in aged care homes, including some they already put in place during flu outbreaks. Restricting access to the homes is among some things “on the table”, he says.

The deputy chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, is speaking now in Canberra.

He says that Australia now has nearly 300 cases of Covid-19 and, sadly, five deaths.

The Reserve Bank this morning announced it would begin so-called quantitative easing (QE) this week to support the economy amid the coronavirus crisis. It involves the central bank buying up government bonds and other financial assets from banks and pensions funds, thereby flooding the system with liquidity. The hope is that the financial institutions will use the extra funds to increase lending to households and businesses.

It’s often referred to as a “money printing scheme” because although the money used to buy the bonds is electronic and not printed notes, those funds are nevertheless simply created by the central bank at the push of a button.

Related: What is quantitative easing?

The National Gallery of Australia, in Canberra, will suspend tours, school visits, events and talks – but will remain open.

In an email to members, the gallery said that the suspension would last at least four weeks.

Bluesfest, a NSW music festival due to host Patti Smith, Crowded House and Dave Matthews Band, has been cancelled today. It was due to start on 9 April and go over five days.

Contrary to an earlier post, MLC school in Sydney has informed us that the school is not closed, despite a year 2 student coming into contact with someone who had confirmed case of Covid-19. The Guardian apologises for the error.

The former prime minister Kevin Rudd has written for the Guardian offering some advice on how the government should be responding to the coronavirus. He is not flattering of the response:

If the battle cry of our government’s response to the Global Financial Crisis was “go early, go hard, go households,” this government’s approach to the current crisis seems to be “go late, go half-measures, and go... well...go to Hillsong”.

For a decade we have been accused of having gone too far in our efforts to avoid the GFC. When we look back on the decisions taken over the last month, they will be seen (as with the bushfires) as the mark of a complacent and negligent government.

Like their response to the public health challenge: too little, too late.

The Australian sharemarket had clawed some losses by midday after diving 7% at the opening bell, with the benchmark ASX200 index down 5.3% from Friday’s closing price.

In reactions to the coronavirus crisis this morning, Air New Zealand has cut 85% of its international flights and will cut jobs, Crown Resorts has closed every second poker machine at its casinos and the hearing implant company Cochlear has withdrawn its previous profit forecasts.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has confirmed it “stands ready” to purchase Australian government bonds – that is – it is prepared to use quantitative easing to boost the economy, a move it flagged in November.

A full announcement will be made on Thursday, but in the meantime, the RBA governor, Phil Lowe, said in a statement:

As Australia’s financial system adjusts to the coronavirus (Covid-19), financial regulators and the Australian Government are working closely together to help ensure that Australia’s financial markets continue to operate effectively and that credit is available to households and businesses. Refer to earlier CFR press release. Australia’s financial system is resilient and it is well placed to deal with the effects of the coronavirus. At the same time, trading liquidity has deteriorated in some markets.

In response, the Reserve Bank stands ready to purchase Australian government bonds in the secondary market to support the smooth functioning of that market, which is a key pricing benchmark for the Australian financial system. The bank will also be conducting one-month and three-month repo operations in its daily market operations until further notice to provide liquidity to Australian financial markets. In addition the bank will conduct longer term repo operations of six-months maturity or longer at least weekly, as long as market conditions warrant. The Reserve Bank and the AOFM are in close liaison in monitoring market conditions and supporting continued functioning of the market.

The bank will announce further policy measures to support the Australian economy on Thursday.

Domestic violence service providers say the sector needs more support to deal with the effects of coronavirus.

The Australian Women Against Violence Alliance has warned of a possible spike in domestic violence cases if people are forced to self-isolate at home, AAP report.

The Sydney chicken chain Chargrill Charlies is banning dining in, and is implementing cashless payments only.

The roast chicken purveyor will now be takeaway only, and will close shops in the middle of the day for cleaning.

Can imagine other chains might do similar soon - Chargrill Charlie’s is only doing cashless payments, going takeaway only, closing dine-in options, and closing shops for 1.5 hours a day for cleaning pic.twitter.com/02V0ICT6e7

More on the upcoming 28 March Queensland local elections.

The electoral commission says they will go ahead with extra hygiene precautions, report AAP.

Labor is targeting Australian Border Force for refusing to provide paid sick leave to casual workers. The government has trimmed one week from the wait period for people to access sickness allowance, but has not budged on whether employers should be forced to provide paid sick leave to casuals, who do not receive it.

The workplace relations branch of Peter Dutton’s Department of Home Affairs has confirmed this applies to its own workforce. In an email to staff it said:

While the department acknowledges your request to provide paid miscellaneous leave to casual employees, it is not appropriate to do so given the nature of their employment. While we appreciate the efforts and commitment that casual employees are displaying, the nature of their employment is clear and the department is not in a position to afford them a paid leave entitlement.

ABC News Breakfast will no longer allow guests into the studio – from now on it will all be via video-link.

Life is changing for all Australians, including all of us here at @BreakfastNews. From today, other than ABC staff, we'll have no studio guests. They will join us remotely, via camera or Skype. We're doing our bit to help limit the spread of this virus. #COVID19Aus

Another school has also been closed – St Christopher’s Catholic primary school in Panania.

As reported by the Sydney Morning Herald, the school will be closed today but will reopen tomorrow.

Also from earlier today, Sydney’s MLC school has said one student had contact with a person with a confirmed case of Covid-19.

The student and her family decided to self-isolate proactively, and are not confirmed to have the virus or symptoms, according to an email sent to parents.

I’ve just been tested for COVID19, as per NSW guidelines. It is crazy in there. Many ppl refused tests getting v. aggressive w/ staff. I know it’s scary right now but PLEASE dont get tested if you don’t meet criteria & PLEASE don’t abuse health staff working on the front line ❤️

Performances of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child have been suspended in Melbourne, in line with the ban on non-essential gatherings of more than 500 people.

The play, which is showing at the Princes Theatre, will not be run until at least 12 April, with that date to be revised in line with medical advice. People who have bought tickets for performances dated between 18 March and 12 April will be contacted by their point of purchase and refunded, the producers said. More information on that is available here.

Jury trials in South Australia have also been suspended for at least 24 hours.

From AAP:

In a statement released on Monday, Chief Justice Chris Kourakis said jurors who would have been empanelled on Monday have been asked not to attend.

On testing in remote communities:

The NT’s deputy chief medical officer, Dianne Stephens, said:

We can do the swabs in remote communities and then those swabs are transported into the Darwin laboratory. We are looking at ways of expanding our laboratory capacity into Alice Springs, but this is a very specific molecular biology test that needs certain expertise and equipment to do.

So we are looking at expanding ways of testing in Alice Springs, but we certainly will not be testing in every remote community. That’s not possible, nor pragmatic. The tests will go into the major centre to be done.

The NT has conducted more than 500 tests and had only one positive result, Stephens says.

The Northern Territory chief minister, Michael Gunner, is also speaking now. Nothing new has been announced but the territory’s deputy chief health officer, Prof Dianne Stephens, is giving advice.

“What we’re asking Territorians to do is to be sensible in implementing the social distancing we are asking you to do,” she says. “The markets are OK, but we don’t want you queuing closely for hours to get your favourite laksa.

The health minister, Greg Hunt, has warned of a fake letter circulating about school closures in Victoria.

Please note there is a forged letter circulating on social media purporting to be from myself and the Victorian Minister Mikakos.

This letter is a fake and falsely asserts school closures. Schools remain open with the unanimous support of the States and Commonwealth. The matter is being reported to the police.

Two women who were on a flight with Peter Dutton have contracted coronavirus, AAP reports

The Indigenous activist Boneta-Marie Mabo, who is Eddie Mabo’s granddaughter, and the prisoners’ rights advocate Deb Kilroy were on the same plane from Sydney to Los Angeles as the federal minister, before he found out he was infected.

UPDATE Tests came back for #COVIDー19 & @BonetaMarieMabo & I have virus We are not being hospitalised as there’s limited beds We are the first ones being quarantined in community Yes it’s frightening but I’m healthy & should be fine after 14 days ♥️ Take care of yourselves plz

Queensland’s electoral commission has received nearly 100,000 postal vote applications ahead of upcoming local government elections.

Since Friday afternoon, the ECQ has received over 96,000 applications for postal votes for the 2020 local government elections. Applications close at 7pm on Monday, 16 March 2020. To apply call 1300 881 665, email ecq@ecq.qld.gov.au or online. More info: https://t.co/EAYfy28w9H

In more business news, Air New Zealand has further slashed its flights as sweeping travel bans crippled operations and will start sacking staff soon.

The company, which is listed on the Australian exchange, put its shares into a trading halt before the market opened on Monday morning.

New jury trials in NSW have been suspended. This is across all court levels, from district to supreme.

“Current trials, where a jury has already been selected and empanelled, will continue,” a statement said.

New jury trials temporarily suspended from today in NSW due to COVID-19. Current jury trials will continue. Potential jurors with a summons to attend court should contact juror info line on 1300 780 199 or visit https://t.co/ZzceuQj4Wc.

For more details: https://t.co/MIy9TyqH9C

The Australian market plunged 7.3% on Monday morning as coronavirus fears again gripped traders.

This follows a rollercoaster day on Friday when the benchmark ASX200 index plunged as much as 8% before roaring back to finish the day up 4.4%.

This just in. The CEO of Football Federation Australia has confirmed that the A-League will not be suspended, all remaining games will be played, but they will do so behind closed doors.

The W-League grand final will also go ahead on Saturday, also behind closed doors.

James Johnson confirms that all Australian football will go ahead according to government guidelines. FFA will provide stricter guidelines for clubs & leagues to follow as well: actions before playing, football activities, & good hygiene & social distancing.

Also in news you may have missed last night, it was confirmed that the Channel Nine presenter Richard Wilkins also has coronavirus.

This was after Wilkins met Rita Wilson twice: once after her show at the Opera House on 7 March and once when she appeared on the Today Extra.

Hey ....sincere thanks for all the messages...I really appreciate it. It’s actually a bizarre feeling to have tested positive to this thing we’ve all been talking about. I feel 100% ...no symptoms at all ! Thanks again ....love to all RW xx

The corporate regulator has told high-volume stock market traders to reduce the number of orders they place by up to a quarter after last week’s market chaos.

There were “exponential increases in the number of trades executed, with a particularly large increase in trades last Friday, 13 March”, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission said.

“If the number of trades executed continues to increase, it will put strain on the processing and risk management capabilities of market infrastructure and market participants,” Asic said.

“Accordingly, Asic has issued directions under the Asic Market Integrity Rules to a number of large equity market participants ... These directions require those firms to reduce their number of executed trades [a day] by up to 25% from the levels executed on Friday.”

The Australian market, which has been falling since 20 February, plunged as much as 8% on Friday before rallying strongly to finish the day up more than 4% – a turnaround unprecedented in living memory.

And meanwhile, while in self-isolation in Queensland, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have impressed Australians with a courageously thick spread of Vegemite on their Sunday morning toast.

Thanks to the Helpers. Let’s take care of ourselves and each other. Hanx pic.twitter.com/09gCdvzGcO

Last night Anthony Albanese got his chance to address the nation – after Scott Morrison’s address earlier in the week.

He said:

I want to assure you that we approach this in a spirit of bipartisanship. We will be constructive. We will support the government to protect the health of Australians, but also to protect their jobs and our economy.

Melbourne’s public libraries and recreation centres will be closed temporarily, the City of Melbourne has announced.

“Our six libraries and four recreation centres will close from 2pm today until Tuesday 31 March 2020, with the possibility of this closure being extended,” the council said.

And also earlier, the University of Queensland has announced it will halt all classes for a week, as the number of Covid-19 infections in the state rise.

The vice-chancellor, Peter Høj, announced that all coursework would pause at the Brisbane-based university – including in-person and online lectures and classes. This comes after the government on Sunday warned against all non-essential static gatherings of 500 people or more.

And some news from earlier that you may have missed with those rolling, multiple press conferences.

Woolworths has announced a dedicated shopping hour for elderly people and people with disabilities. That will be from 7am to 8am, starting tomorrow, at most (but not all) stores.

More detail on those fines for organisers of events with more than 500 people.

In NSW the health minister, Brad Hazzard, announced that today he had made an order under section section of the Public Health Act 2010 that will “force the immediate cancellation of public events with more than 500 people”.

The ACT chief minister, Andrew Barr, has also declared a state of emergency, after Victoria did the same earlier today.

He says there are two confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the territory.

On Sky, Scott Morrison has confirmed that further restrictions are under consideration including controls on visits to aged care centres and how to deal with enclosed gatherings (rather than mass gatherings in open).

Referring to the death of his father over the summer, Morrison said: “When you have elderly relatives in nursing homes you obviously want to see them – it might be the last time you get to see them ... That needs to be done sensitively ... We need to lessen the broader risk for people in these facilities.”

Speaking to the broadcaster Alan Jones, the prime minister, Scott Morrison, confirmed “scale-back arrangements” would be imposed when parliament meets next week, including staff not travelling to the capital and closing public viewing galleries.

He applauded the move by Woolworths to reserve a dedicated shopping hour for elderly and vulnerable people and said the violent scenes at shopping centres were disappointing and “not Australian”.

CHO Brett Sutton says the quarantine order doesn't mean people need to IMMEDIATELY self-isolate when they land in Melbourne if their actual destination is further on. If you're headed regionally, can get to your end destination before quarantining.

Scott Morrison has clarified that the new requirement for all international arrivals to self-isolate does not apply to their families.

Morrison told ABC AM that people arriving from overseas would be issued with personal protective equipment to wear on their journey home, where they would need to self-isolate for 14 days. But their family would not need to self-isolate because they were a “low-risk group”, he said.

The number of Victoria cases of Covid-19 has risen by 14, taking the state’s total to 71.

“My understanding is the majority again are overseas acquired,” says the chief health officer, Prof Brett Sutton.

Morrison says 80% of people who contract coronavirus have mild symptoms, including the home affairs minister, Peter Dutton, and people should not panic.

“Our advice is that eight out or 10 Australians who contract this virus will have mild symptoms,” he said.

Scott Morrison is now speaking on Channel Nine’s Today show.

The host Karl Stefanovic tells him he feels uncomfortable that schools are still open. Morrison says he is still following the advice of the chief medical officer and the experts.

Brett Sutton, Victoria’s chief health officer, is now speaking.

He says the ban on gatherings above 500 people does not apply to: “Airports, public transportation, medical and health services, emergency services, aged care, prisons, correctional facilities, youth justice centres, parliament, food markets or an office building, factory or site of construction that is necessary for normal operation.”

Victoria’s premier, Daniel Andrews, has just declared a state of emergency to combat the spread of coronavirus.

That is effective from noon today and will last four weeks.

At a press conference this morning, the New South Wales premier, Gladys Berejiklian, has just confirmed that police can fine or imprison people who fail to self-isolate, and arrest event organisers who defy the closure of events with more than 500 people.

Yesterday Scott Morrison announced new restrictions to slow the spread of coronavirus, including 14-day self-isolation for anyone arriving from overseas, and a 30-day ban on cruise ship arrivals.

Good morning and welcome back to our continuing coverage of the coronavirus outbreak in Australia.

This morning, Woolworths has announced a dedicated shopping hour for elderly and disabled people – to combat shelf shortages due to panic buying – while the University of Queensland will pause all its classes for a week.

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