Scott Morrison has warned even more draconian measures could be imposed if Australians don’t take social distancing seriously during the coronavirus pandemic.
On Sunday a fed-up Prime Minister announced tough new ‘stage one’ restrictions, ordering pubs and licensed premises close for six months.
The restrictions also cover places of worship, casinos, restaurants and cafes without takeaway services, nightclubs and registered clubs.
Expressing his frustration with Australians who flocked to Bondi Beach on Friday and Saturday, Mr Morrison begged the community to act responsibly.
‘As we’ve just made very clear, that when that [social distancing] doesn’t occur, then more dramatic measures have to be introduced,’ he said.
‘I would simply ask Australians to be calm and exercise some sensible judgement.’
The new restrictions were announced as the number of coronavirus cases in Australia hit 1,354, doubling every three to five days, and police warned of six month jail terms for those who breach public health orders.
Earlier on Sunday evening the Prime Minister managed to avoid a complete nationwide lockdown after a tense eleventh hour meeting with the national cabinet.
Mr Morrison met with state and territory leaders to discuss further measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus, hours after announcing a second stimulus package worth $66billion.
Scott Morrison warned more draconian measures would be put in place if necessary to ensure Australians follow social distancing rules
1,354 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Australia as of Sunday evening, with seven deaths
While New South Wales and Victoria were pushing for a full-scale lockdown where only supermarkets, petrol stations, pharmacies, convenience stores, freight and logistics services would remain open, the states eventually agreed to more limited shutdowns over fears their economies could collapse.
After the meeting Mr Morrison announced there would be a staged process starting with a shutdown of ‘principal places of social gathering’.
‘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.’
Bottle shops will remain open, after shoppers headed in droves to liquor stores to stock up on alcohol.
Police are hoping businesses and councils will help enforce social distancing measures in the hopes of minimising the spread of COVID-19.
NSW Police said it would allow members of the public to report breaches, including those who ignore 14-day self-isolation orders after returning from overseas.
‘[Crimestoppers will] take information from the public about anyone not complying with Public Health Orders’, NSW Police said in a statement.
‘NSW Health and the NSW Police Force are working together to ensure risks to the community are minimised.’
A senior government source confirmed that state and territory police and even the military could enforce the Prime Minister’s orders if federal resources were needed to deal with civil disobedience, The Australian reported.
But 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.
Anyone found breaking the public health orders, such as the 14-day self-isolation for those who have returned to Australia, will face six months in prison (People wearing face masks at Sydney’s Town Hall)
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)
Mr Morrison said the new rules needed to be put in place because Australians were not following rules around social distancing while the virus was continuing to spread.
‘We cannot have the confidence as a group of leaders that the social distancing guidelines and rules that we have put in place won’t be followed to the level of compliance that we require to flatten the curve and slow the spread and save lives,’ Mr Morrison said.
Parents were reassured schools would reopen after the Easter holidays, based on current medical advice.
Victorian and ACT school holidays have already been brought forward to Tuesday.
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.
The AFL announced matches would be suspended until at least May 31.
Meanwhile the NRL will attempt to forge ahead with the 2020 season despite strict new coronavirus measures which have prompted the AFL to postpone its competition.
The NRL on Sunday insisted games would continue until it was told otherwise by the government, amid financial concerns over any lost rounds.
The remainder of the competition could be played in Queensland in a last-ditch bid to save the game from complete extinction.
Warner Bros. Movie World (pictured), Sea World, Wet’n’Wild, Paradise Country and Topgolf, will also be closed from Monday
Village Roadshow Theme Parks (VRTP) announced the closure on Sunday, leaving more than 5,000 people without jobs
If games are lost, there are fears of a ‘catastrophic’ financial impact with dire outcomes within months for the league and some clubs.
Iconic theme parks Dreamworld and White Water World will be closed from Monday amid COVID-19 concerns and government restrictions.
A statement from Ardent Leisure says no confirmed cases have been reported at either of the venues, but social distancing measures as well as government restrictions on non-essential indoor and mass gatherings are the reasons for the temporary closure.
‘We will continue to monitor and follow advice from government health authorities,’ a statement from the Ardent Leisure board said on Sunday.
The rest of the Gold Coast theme parks, Warner Bros. Movie World, Sea World, Wet’n’Wild, Paradise Country and Topgolf, will also be closed from Monday.
Village Roadshow Theme Parks (VRTP) announced the closure on Sunday, leaving more than 5,000 people without jobs.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian (right) will close all non-essential services in the state to slow the spread of coronavirus
Pictured: A quiet restaurant in Melbourne on Saturday. Restaurants have been ordered to close along with licenced premises in hotels
An announcement the Tokyo 2020 Olympics is going to be cancelled is also expected in the coming days.
Mr Morrison confirmed the rules banning Australians from travelling overseas applied to everyone, including athletes set to go to the Olympics if the ban is still in place in July.
‘The AOC will make their decision but the simple answer is that we have a complete travel ban to the rest of the world, so the smartraveller advice and the advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade I think is pretty clear,’ he told 7News on Sunday.
‘The health of all Australians is the most important thing and there’s nothing more important than that.’
The global tally of COVID-19 cracked 300,000 on Sunday, with just over 13,000 deaths and 96,000 patients recovering.
In Australia, the number of cases has risen to 1,354, meaning the caseload is now doubling every three days. Seven people have died.
State and territory leaders and Mr Morrison have recommended against all non-essential domestic travel, following the unprecedented ban on international travel.
WA Premier Mark McGowan announced entry to his state would be restricted via road, rail, air and sea from 1.30pm local time on Tuesday.
There will be exemptions for health, emergency, defence and policing personnel, certain mining industry workers, flight crews, essential goods deliverers and on compassionate grounds.
Beachgoers are seen at Bondi Beach on Friday (pictured) despite the threat of coronavirus
Unless exempted, arrivals from interstate will be ordered to self-isolate for 14 days.
‘Western Australia is now in a war, the type of war we have never seen before,’ Mr McGowan said.
‘These are extreme steps but these are extreme days.’
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said most new diagnoses of coronavirus were still related to travellers.
It might be another week or two until the increased travel restrictions flowed through to a reduction in travel-related cases, he said.
In a bid to ease Australia’s expected dive into recession, the federal government announced a second round of stimulus measures worth $66 billion.
It will temporarily double the Jobseeker payment – known as Newstart until last Friday – and make it easier for casuals and sole traders to access it; give a second round of $750 cash payments to pensioners; and significantly expand the already announced cash flow injection into small businesses, which will now get at least $20,000 and up to $100,000 each.
Supermarkets and bottle shops, considered to be like ‘any other retail premises’, will remain open
Rangers were on hand to help move people along from the beach on Sunday after Mr Morrison closed it due to lack of social distancing
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg described this as a supercharged safety net and flagged further measures as the crisis evolves, saying it was in no way a ‘set and forget’ situation.
State governments have also implemented stimulus measures and are looking at other ways to ease pressure on people, including how to give renters and commercial tenants a break.
The government is also urgently considering how to bring home Australians trapped overseas or on board cruise ships.
Federal parliament will sit from Monday to debate and pass laws enabling the initial two stimulus packages, with more measures expected in coming weeks.
Labor will seek to amend some of the bills, but is committed to passing the laws.