Summary
- The global death toll from coronavirus has passed 206,000. There are more than 3 million known cases of infection but more than 867,000 people have recovered, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally
- In Australia, the death toll stands at 84 and there are 6721 confirmed cases
- Two million Australians will have the coronavirus tracing app on their phones tonight but a top former digital agency public servant won't download it because of the government's track record with people's data
- House prices could tumble by a cumulative 30 per cent over this year and next under the most pessimistic scenario unveiled by National Australia Bank
- New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says there is no longer any undetected community transmission of COVID-19
'He doesn't run the schools': Victorian Premier tells PM to back off
By Paul Sakkal
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has hit back at federal government urgings to re-open schools, saying Prime Minister Scott Morrison doesn’t run the education system and should leave the matter to state governments.
Mr Andrews also revealed all Victorian children may be sent back to schools in term two and acknowledged that many parents are not enjoying having children at home.
The Premier criticised what he called “irresponsible” commentary about students potentially needing to repeat a year of school because of the interruptions caused by home learning.
“He doesn’t run the schools,” Mr Andrews said of the Prime Minister.
“Some people can provide commentary, other people need to get on and make decisions … and we’ve made a very difficult decision.
“We’re not about abandoning our kids, we’re about keeping them safe.”
Speaking on ABC Radio Melbourne, Mr Andrews said children of non-essential workers - who are currently advised to learn remotely - could be sent back to school this term if the medical advice changed.
“If we believe it’s safe to change the setting some time during term two, of course we'd do that and we’d give people ample notice,” he said.
“I’m not about doing the popular thing, I'm about doing what is right.”
Mr Andrews reiterated the state government’s fears about the virus being transmitted in schools, not just among children but among staff and parents during drop-off and pick-up.
He said Victoria had seven cases directly linked back to a school setting, which he said proved the danger of schools being open.
'We love to hear that news': No new cases in Queensland
By Lydia Lynch
No new cases of COVID-19 were detected in Queensland overnight keeping the state’s total at 1033.
Health authorities are overjoyed with the result, given the state plans to ease restrictions this weekend.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said only 13 cases had been confirmed in the past week.
“We love to hear that news,” she said.
Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles said zero days are his "favourite days".
About 90 per cent of the people who have been infected have since recovered. The state's death toll remains at six.
Of the fewer than 100 “active” cases, 14 patients remain in hospital with six of those in intensive care.
LIVE: Queensland Premier gives a coronavirus update
Victoria will not pull back on social distancing until mass testing is completed
By Paul Sakkal
After NSW, Queensland and Western Australia announced plans to loosen social distancing restrictions this week, Victoria's Premier has said he will not take similar steps before mass testing for coronavirus is completed.
The Victorian government will not ease social distancing rules until it is certain there is no undetected community transmission, Mr Andrews said on ABC radio this morning.
He added that other states pulling back on restrictions was a “matter for them”, and warned against lifting lockdown measures before knowing whether the virus was still moving through the community.
The Victorian Premier said the state would have “options” to remove certain social distancing measures once 100,000 more tests were completed over the next two weeks.
After widespread testing of anyone with symptoms is carried out, according to Mr Andrews, health authorities would have confidence that removing some of the strict measures would not result in a second wave of infections.
“Then we’ll have options to make decisions … you can’t just flick a switch,” he said.
NSW students to be back at school full-time by the end of term two
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has said she intends for school students to be back on campus full-time by the end of term two, after a staggered return to classrooms from May 11.
This timeline will be revised after a fortnight of having students in school on a rostered basis, the Premier said.
"We're very hopeful that the first few weeks of school returning will result in us being able to possibly truncate the process; to have full time face-to-face student attendance quicker than anticipated," Ms Berejiklian told reporters on Tuesday morning.
The Premier said individual school principals should have been in touch with parents about what a gradual return to classrooms will look like at their school.
She also defended the decision to return children part-time, saying she did not want the government to have to change its advice again after encouraging parents to send children to school.
"We wanted to introduce the staged approach to make sure that all of our schools are ready for any unforeseen issues that might arise, but also ready in case there is a breakout in a local community and they can respond quickly."
Federal Education Minister encourages states to send kids back to school
By Max Koslowski
Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan has urged the Victorian government to reopen schools in May, fearing disadvantaged children will be disproportionately hit by more school absences.
"My hope is the Victorian government, if we keep flattening the curve like we are, they will review their decision [to keep schools closed until May]," Mr Tehan told Fran Kelly on ABC radio this morning.
"My hope is that they would then consider reopening schools. We do not want to see students missing out," he said.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has said his government will not consider opening schools until the state of emergency ends on May 11.
Term two begins for students in NSW, Western Australia, Tasmania, South Australia and the ACT this week. NSW students will be starting a staggered return to classrooms from May 11.
Mr Tehan said he would convene a meeting of the state and territory education ministers in May to discuss how best to reopen schools and what strategies must be in place to help students with the formal education they missed out on due to coronavirus.
"It is those students who can least afford to miss out on education who will miss out," he said.
In pictures: Bondi locals return to their beach
Crowds gathered this morning as Bondi locals returned to their beach, which has been shut since March 21.
Herald photographers Nick Moir and Janie Barrett were there as locals complied with Waverley Council's restrictions: entering through gaps in the fence at North Bondi for swimming and further south for surfing.
Locals gather as Bondi Beach is opened for swimming at 7am.Credit:Nick Moir
Swimmers are returning to Bondi beach this morning.Credit:Nick Moir
Groups of two adults now allowed to visit homes in NSW
NSW social distancing restrictions will be relaxed this week, with two adults allowed to make a visit to someone in a home from Friday.
"Two adults will be able to go and visit anybody else in their home on the basis of care, on the basis of reducing social isolation and everybody's mental health," Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced on Tuesday morning.
"We know that for many people, they've been cooped up in their homes for a number of weeks, and with the exception of exercising, medical needs or buying what they need to or going to work, many people have been isolated in their homes."
If you have younger children, you will be able to bring them with you on the visit and they will not count towards the "two adults" total.
The size of the household being visited also doesn't matter, the Premier later clarified, as households of varying sizes have been treated the same under the existing social distancing restrictions.
However, Ms Berejiklian warned that social distancing and caution should still be in practice during these visits.
"I do want to stress that if you're visiting someone who is over 70 years of age, or someone with a co-morbidity, you have to practice really good social distancing," she said.
"If you have the mildest sniffle, do not go and visit anybody. If you're feeling slightly unwell or fatigued, don't risk it."
The Premier later added that "this isn't a license to go wild and have massive parties", saying people should exercise social responsibility in deciding whether or not to have a visit.
Five new cases in NSW
There were five new cases of coronavirus in NSW diagnosed on Monday, after 4000 tests were conducted on Sunday.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the testing numbers were better than the previous weekend, although she was "still keen to sustain" 8000 tests a day.
"Please don't be afraid to come forward on a weekend and get tested," she said.
The Premier added that five new cases was "a good result, given the results we were experiencing a couple of weeks ago in March".
The five new cases are all from known sources, which the state's Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant described as "pleasing".
LIVE: NSW Premier provides a coronavirus update
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2020-04-27 23:23:00Z
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