Australian authorities have not ruled out a nationwide lockdown similar to those currently underway in several European countries to minimise the threat of coronavirus.
Italy, Spain and France have introduced policies forcing citizens to stay indoors to slow the spread of the deadly respiratory infection as cases soar past 187,000 globally.
On Tuesday, Australian travellers were urged to make their way back home as soon as possible and ‘reconsider their need for travelling’ in a statement released by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
‘If you’re already overseas and wish to return to Australia, we recommend you do so as soon as possible by commercial means.’
Cases of coronavirus in Australia have soared to 455 in recent days, including five fatalities
Australian travellers were urged to make their way back home as soon as possible and ‘reconsider their need for travelling’ in a statement released by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Pictured: A woman and two children arriving in Australia’s international terminal
Thousands of Australians have suggested the measure is a prelude to a complete closure of the borders in preparation for a European-style lockdown.
Federal health minister Greg Hunt on Sunday said ‘all options are on the table’ for consideration, and Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy agreed.
‘It is potential that could be the case, but that may be focal. One of the things we know about outbreaks of infections is they can affect one part of a country, but not the other,’ he said.
He said the government would consider shutting down an entire city the size of Sydney if they believed it would be beneficial for the public.
If the government chooses to go ahead with a nationwide lockdown, Australians will likely be confined to their homes – and possibly work offices – and be banned from social gatherings, travelling, gambling and dining out.
Daily Mail Australia takes a look at what life would be like in Australia under total lockdown.
A nurse speaks with patients at the door of the new Covid-19 Clinic at the Mount Barker Hospital in Adelaide
RESTAURANTS, BARS AND PUBS TO BECOME ‘TAKE AWAY’ DINERS
My Kitchen Rules chef Colin Fassnidge confessed on Tuesday he’d been ‘told on the quiet’ that venues would be closed by Sunday.
He decided to close his two restaurants – 4Fourteen in Surry Hills and the Banksia Hotel near the city’s airport – immediately following the news.
Despite potential closures, restaurants may still have the option to stay open for take away to continue bringing in at least a slight profit.
‘Just support us, get takeaway,’ he said. ‘Nobody knows what’s going to happen. Everyone’s saying restaurants could be closed for up to three or four weeks.’
‘So everyone should support the local restaurants and cafes and just get takeaway. The next few weeks are going to be tough. We’re not going to make any money. It’s about just staying afloat – so support us.’
Cafes, restaurants, bars and pubs were among the first venues told to close as the coronavirus pandemic threatened lives.
In Italy, Spain and France, the closures are a part of nationwide lockdowns, but other venues scattered across Europe, the United Kingdom and United States have also felt the weight of the virus.
Globally, hospitality workers are facing job cuts and weeks on end without substantial pay or tips – which many rely on to survive.
Restaurants will likely close the dine in facilities, instead offering people take away options to stay afloat. Pictured: Outdoor seating at a cafe on Lygon Street, Melbourne
ALL SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES CLOSED
With a national lockdown comes the closure of educational facilities, including day care centres, primary and high schools as well as universities.
Some Australian universities are already in the process of transitioning to online learning to avoid unnecessary human-to-human contact, but it is likely all will follow suit in the case of a mandatory lockdown.
For students who were expecting to graduate in 2020, most have already been notified that the event has been cancelled.
The ramifications are far greater when considering younger children being kept at home.
While schools can also share learning content online, students will effectively be home-schooled for the length of the lockdown, creating staff shortages in other industries.
Parents will be forced to stop work to look after their kids, meaning shortages across every industry, from doctors to cleaners, couriers and chefs.
Yale University social scientist Nicholas Christakis told news.com.au governments should follow the Japanese government’s model in giving parents a basic income to support them during school closures.
‘Health care workers could be taken out of commission to care for their own children precisely when we need them at hospitals. Parents could lose job opportunities,’ he said.
‘This is why in Japan, they’re providing a basic income to parents during the closure. It should be rightly seen as a state expense.’
For students who were expecting to graduate in 2020, most have already been notified that the event has been cancelled
SPORTING EVENTS AND CONCERTS CANCELLED
Sporting events in Australia have already been changed for the foreseeable future.
Those that are still able to go ahead will have to do so with no live crowds in order to maintain health standards for all players.
But a total lockdown would signal the end of all sports for the 2020 season.
Concerts, festivals and social gatherings would also be canned under the stringent policies for at least the duration of the lockdown.
Already multiple music festivals, including Groovin The Moo, Splendour in the Grass and Touch Bass have cancelled or postponed their 2020 tour dates in response to health threats.
Sporting matches as we know it have been scrapped for the foreseeable future. Events which haven’t been cancelled will not host live crowds. Pictured: Couple at the Manly Sea Eagles NRL game on Sunday wearing face masks
Tasmania’s annual art festival, Dark Mofo, also called off the celebration of the winter solstice.
All galleries would likely cease operations, as would tourist attractions, like the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb or swimming in the Great Barrier Reef.
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young says the arts industry will be among the worst hit, and must be front and centre of the second stimulus package being prepared by the prime minister.
‘It’s estimated the arts industry will lose more than half a billion dollars in ticket sales alone over the next three months,’ she said.
‘The industry needs an urgent rescue package with significant funding to get through the next 12 months.’
SAY GOODBYE TO FAMILY OWNED SMALL BUSINESS…
Most local dancing studios, fish and chip stores and hair salons are family-owned small businesses operating on a week-by-week or month-by-month basis.
A mandatory, nationwide lockdown could leave them financialled ruined.
Mum-and-dad sporting clubs and small beauticians will face mounting out of pocket expenses during the lockdown, as they still have overheads to pay – and maybe even salaries.
Some people have called for members of the community to help out where they can.
‘If you’re still getting a pay check and can’t attend lessons (martial arts, dance, music etc) consider still paying and make it up later,’ one person suggested.
Most local dancing studios, fish and chip stores and hair salons (stock image) are family-owned small businesses operating on a week-by-week or month-by-month basis. A mandatory, nationwide lockdown could leave them financialled ruined
Others said buying gift vouchers for the local hairdresser, beautician or massage therapist to use when the lockdown finished would be another simple way to support the community.
‘Remember, large corporations will recover from a month or two of lost income, small businesses may not.’
But even some of Australia’s most well known organisations are likely to suffer in the face of the economic downturn coronavirus could cause.
The government has created a $17.6billion stimulus package to help save the economy – which is currently teetering on the brink of collapse.
People employed in the tourism industry or retail sector are likely to feel the sting of the crisis the most, as people cancel holidays in and out of Australia and stop heading out to shopping centres.
HYGIENE AND CLEANLINESS
While many workers could simply shift to a working from home model in the case of a total lockdown, the loss or restriction of certain industries would be particularly felt.
Garbage disposal workers, cleaners, tradesmen like electricians and plumbers would be particularly missed in the happenings of everyday life.
Restrictions on movement for sole traders could limit their ability to do home call outs, while garbage men may have to reduce their collection routes.
During the Spanish influenza crisis in the early 1900s, a statewide lockdown in NSW required every person to wear surgical masks.
Australian authorities recently confirmed they had received additional supplies of face masks, but the nation has felt the sting of a shortage in the past.
For weeks now, members of the public have been stocking up on hand sanitiser and toilet paper in the case of an emergency or shortage.
Supermarket bosses have reiterated that there are no shortages of either product, despite shelves in stores being empty, and said the issue is not with manufacturing but with transporting and stocking the products to meet increased demand.
A woman was seen wiping her eyes as she headed through Sydney International Airport on -March 16 – one day after Prime Minister Scott Morrison introduced new self-quarantine rules
DEPLETED SUPPLIES IN SUPERMARKETS
With lockdown comes closures of businesses and potentially warehouses, meaning a manufacturing shortage could be imminent.
Medicines, toilet paper, and hand sanitiser which are made on home soil could be impacted in the case of a mandatory, nationwide lockdown.
While there is no confirmation about whether or not workplaces will be closed or restricted to limited hours, the supply chain could potentially be hurt in the move.
In Europe, even during lockdown, essential workers have still been able to get to and from work.
But closing cafes, restaurants, pubs and smaller food outlets could further increase demand and push already struggling supermarkets beyond their limits.
Coles, Woolworths and Aldi have all imposed strict limits on purchasing toilet paper, hand sanitiser and non perishable goods like pasta and rice in recent weeks.
The supermarket giants have also introduced designated shopping times for the elderly, vulnerable and disabled from 7am to 8am.
Customers have been taking extra precautions when heading out to do their groceries. Pictured: A woman buying water bottles at Coles in Waterloo while wearing a face mask
Empty shelves in an Australian supermarket after panic buying due to the coronavirus crisis
LESS CONGESTION ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT
During a lockdown, it is unlikely the nation’s entire public transport network would be temporarily disbanded.
The more likely scenario, when considering the current procedures in Italy, France and Spain, is that trains, buses and ferries will simply be quieter.
People who need public transport to get to and from work will still have access to the facilities, but less congestion will mean they can still safely practice social distancing policies.
Travel for reasons outside of work will likely be prohibited for the duration of the lockdown period, giving state governments the flexibility to suspend some services throughout the day and night.
NO VISITING FAMILY
Some aged care homes across the nation have implemented their own lockdowns, prohibiting any visitors for two weeks in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19.
The elderly have been identified as the most at-risk category of people globally, and most of the people who have died from the disease in Australia were residing in a nursing home which was infected.
New official government directives regarding aged care residents and workers are expected to be announced on Wednesday.
In Italy, prisons have also denied entry to visitors during the lockdown period, meaning Australia may decide to implement a similar policy should the nation go into lockdown.
WORSHIP IN YOUR OWN HOME
Currently, Australia has banned any static mass gatherings of more than 500 people, which affects very few places of worship.
However in the scenario of a national lockdown, people could be encouraged to practice their religions at home to minimise the risk of spreading or catching COVID-19.
Rome was forced to cancel all church gatherings during the nationwide lockdown in Italy to help curb the spread of the deadly respiratory infection.
During the Spanish influenza crisis of the early 1900s, Australians were banned from attending church during the lockdown period.
CLOSURE OF CASINOS
MGM Resorts International temporarily shut down operations of all of its Las Vegas casinos amid concerns about the growing threat of coronavirus.
Closures have occurred all throughout America, but the shutdown of some of the most well-known casinos and mega resorts offers an indication of what a lockdown could mean for similar businesses in Australia.
Already, Crown Casinos in Melbourne has shut down every second pokie machine, essentially forcing punters to adhere to the 1.5m social distancing rule.
But like The Bellagio, MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay, Australian casinos would likely shut up shop during a mandatory, nationwide lockdown.
The Mirage, Luxor, New York-New York, Excalibur and Park MG have also shut in Vegas, MGM confirmed.
Melbourne’s Crown Casino has implemented social distancing on its gaming floor and banned gatherings of more than 450 people to prevent the spread of coronavirus
NO ACCESS TO GYMS OR PUBLIC POOLS
Currently, there are no policies in place regarding training at a gym or using public swimming pools, except for people restricted to self-isolation.
But in a locked down nation, leisure activities like these will likely be among the first things prohibited.
Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy said people should be extra vigilant in practicing good hygiene in gyms at the moment.
‘If you’re going to the gym, I would be very focused on hand washing using hand sanitisers. All of those social distancing and good hygiene measures,’ he continued.
‘We want everybody in the community to start practising those and to start thinking about how we will practice social distancing moving forward.’
NSW Health confirmed coronavirus cells could live on surfaces for anywhere between a few hours to a few days, meaning all equipment should be thoroughly sanitised between uses.
A family wearing face masks at Town Hall, in Sydney’s CBD on March 17 as more COVID-19 cases in Australia are identified
WILL WORKING FROM HOME BECOME THE NEW NORM?
Companies are increasingly encouraging staff to work from home as the coronavirus pandemic sweeps the globe.
And some experts say it is likely a selection of businesses will continue with the model even after the threat of the virus passes.
But at least for the duration of a lockdown, theoretically most employees will be set up to work from the comfort of their own homes to avoid unnecessary travel.
One workplace trends consultancy manager recently told US media ‘once effective work-from-home policies are established, they are likely to stick,’ when discussing the impacts of coronavirus.
WHAT DOES LOCKDOWN LOOK LIKE IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD?
In Italy, the lockdown has forbade any trips in public. Residents are able to travel to and from work, and to receive medical attention or supplies.
The Spanish version remains slightly more lenient, though could change at any moment.
A partial 15-day lockdown was implemented after a state of emergency was declared following a sudden spike in cases of COVID-19.
Schools, universities and retailers shut their doors but grocery stores have been allowed to remain open, and people can travel to and from work.
Italy (pictured) has been placed into lockdown after more than 24,000 cases of coronavirus in the nation developed
People are also allowed to visit hospitals and banks and are welcome to visit sick, vulnerable or elderly people.
In France, all non-essential businesses and venues have temporarily closed their doors.
A handful of states in America, as well as Ireland, have also implemented lockdowns, closing bars, pubs and venues to curb the spread of the disease.
Authorities warn Australia is about two weeks behind Europe and the United States in terms of the virus’ spread – leading some to believe closures on home soil are imminent too.
Prime Minister Morrison has already implemented the social distancing policy, as well as a self-quarantine requirement for anybody arriving in Australia from overseas.
Furthermore, he has placed a ban on all non-essential gatherings of more than 500 people, and warned the volatile situation will likely result in future changes to policies.