Coronavirus Australia: Everything Scott Morrison announced Friday: social gathering rules, testing - NEWS.com.au

Prime Minister Scott Morrison highlighted how suppression of coronavirus in Australia was working, while addressing several other issues on Friday.

Mr Morrison noted “the good progress that has been made”, pointing out how NSW was now encouraging anyone with symptoms of the virus to get tested.

He said we were now in the third phase of the outbreak, the “community phase”, where the virus actually moved within our own community.

EXPANDED TESTING CRITERIA
The National Cabinet, after meeting again on Friday, agreed to expand testing criteria across Australia to all people with mild symptoms of COVID-19.

Mr Morrison said this would ensure cases were quickly identified.

“This is a very important pillar of how we will be dealing with this virus going forward into the future,” he said.

“We already have one of the most, if not most, comprehensive testing regimes in the world, and this is a key, a key tool for us going forward.”

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WEARING MASKS NOT NECESSARY

Mr Morrison said National Cabinet had accepted the advice of the medical expert panel that “it is not recommended” that masks are “necessary to be worn”.

“It's not about protecting you from infection. But that's why, when people were leaving airports and things of that nature, they were wearing them to prevent the transmission,” he said.

Chief medical officer Brendan Murphy backed him up.

“We have very low case numbers in Australia, and these masks often aren't of particularly good quality, and they often provide a false sense of security and make people not practice the social distancing measures that we want,” Professor Murphy said.

“So we are not recommending the general community wear masks. We have been saying that consistently through the pandemic.”

1.5M RULE ‘NOT REQUIRED’ AT SCHOOL

Mr Morrison said the 4 square metre rule, and 1.5-metre distancing between students during classroom activities, “is not appropriate and not required”.

The exemption left some parents confused, but Mr Morrison said the advice from medical experts was clear.

“I can't be more clear than that,” he said in a press conference.

“The advice cannot be more clear than that. The 1.5m in classrooms, and the four square metre rule, is not a requirement of the expert medical advice in classrooms.”

Mr Morrison said that was based on advice from Australian Health Protection Principal Committee.

RETURN OF SOCIAL GATHERINGS POSSIBLE

The government's expert medical panel is preparing a series of recommendations on easing some restrictions on social gatherings.

In three weeks’ time, National Cabinet will meet to consider a roll back of strict measures designed to slow the spread of coronavirus, thanks to Australia’s success in flattening the curve.

WARNING FOR AGED CARE HOMES

Aged care homes across Australia were put on notice to stop leaving seniors locked down in their rooms over coronavirus fears, and banning visitors and carers.

As families complain some aged care homes are taking a draconian approach to patient safety, Mr Morrison urged providers to do the right thing.

“Having people stuck in their rooms, not being able to be visited by their loved ones and carers and other support people, that's not OK,” he said.

“We are not going to have these as secret places, where people can't access them. They must.”

TRACING APP 'NOT FAR AWAY'

The much-discussed coronavirus tracing app still isn't ready, but Mr Morrison said it was “not far away”.

“We're making great progress,” he said.

“The app will soon by released. There are still some issues we're working through late in the piece, which is to be expected. We're not too far away now.

“Earlier this week, as I indicated to you, it received the in principle support of the National Cabinet, and we have been taking that through its final stages in recent days.”

NEW 'SAFE WORKPLACE' PRINCIPLES

National Cabinet has agreed to a set of “COVID-19 Safe Workplace” principles.

“This is all about getting Australians back to work and ensuring that, when they go back to work, that they and their families can feel safe,” Mr Morrison said.

“It's to ensure that there are important principles in place, there are protocols and procedures that, should a COVID-19 case present in a workplace, then the rules that people need to follow.”

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2020-04-24 14:19:10Z
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