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. There have been 6721 confirmed coronavirus cases since the outbreak began
- Two million Australians now have the coronavirus tracing app on their phones, but a top former digital agency public servant won't download it because of the government's track record with people's data
- NSW residents will be allowed to visit other households in groups of two from Friday, in the state's first relaxation of social distancing restrictions
- New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the country no longer has any undetected community transmission of COVID-19
Permanent job losses will occur despite stimulus: Treasury head
By Shane Wright
The head of the federal Treasury has warned that even with hundreds of billions of dollars worth of economic support to deal with the coronavirus outbreak, there will be permanent job losses.
Steven Kennedy, giving evidence to a Senate inquiry that is overseeing the government's response to the pandemic, said this morning the shock of the outbreak was unprecedented at many different levels.
Treasury Secretary Dr Steven Kennedy has warned that even with hundreds of billions of dollars worth of economic support to deal with the coronavirus outbreak, there will be permanent job losses.Credit:Dominic Lorrimer
Treasury is forecasting unemployment to reach 10 per cent in the June quarter. Since the middle of March, around 25.6 per cent of jobs in the accommodation and food sector had disappeared while 18.7 per cent had gone from the arts and recreation sectors.
Dr Kennedy said even by historical comparisons, the events of recent weeks were hard to comprehend.
"Unemployment rose to higher levels in the Great Depression but it did that over the course of a couple of years, these movements are happening in just a couple of months," he said.
"We have never seen an economic shock of this speed, magnitude and shape, reflecting that this is both a significant supply and demand shock."
Dr Kennedy said the economic fallout from the virus would be permanent.
"The final shape of this shock remains hard to predict because it depends on how the virus’ transmission unfolds in the face of efforts to suppress it – both in Australia and overseas," he said.
"Over time, the uncertainty around the progression of the virus will diminish and more economic activity will return.
"But new challenges will have emerged. Some jobs and businesses will have been lost permanently."
App developers question whether COVIDSafe works on iPhones
By Tim Biggs
Apple iPhone users are still unclear about whether they can use the COVIDSafe app effectively, following mixed messages from the federal government on whether the service will keep working when the devices are locked or other apps are in use.
Department of Health chief information officer Daniel Keys said at a press conference on Monday afternoon that it was best for people to run the app at the forefront with the phone unlocked, but implied it would still work if they did not.
However, several app developers have claimed it's not possible for the COVIDSafe iPhone app to keep sending and receiving Bluetooth data while the phone was locked, and the service was unlikely to work "in the background" until an update was pushed out from Apple next month.
According to the government the app has been downloaded more than 2 million times, following its release on Sunday night. It is listed as "trending" in both the Apple and Google Play app stores.
Victoria will 'take tests to the people' with workplace regime
By Paul Sakkal
Almost 50 testing centres have been set up in Victorian’s suburbs and regions to facilitate the state government’s target of carrying out 100,000 tests in the next fortnight.
Premier Daniel Andrews said once the 100,000 tests were completed, the state would have an understanding of whether the virus was spreading through the community and have “options” to ease restrictions, he said.
Mr Andrews again urged anyone with even mild symptoms to get tested at the 45 test centres and at workplaces that will soon offer testing.
"We will be doing workplace testing and testing in lots of innovative ways, taking the tests to the people rather than the other way," he said.
"This is not over, and any sense of complacency would simply be wrong. It would run the risk of giving back all the great gains that we have made.”
The Prermier added that mass testing of people with mild symptoms or asymptomatic people could continue into next year to ensure the virus does not quietly re-emerge in the community.
Relaxing social distancing: where do the states stand?
There have been some updates to social distancing restrictions across the states and territories announced over the past few days.
Here are the major changes which are coming in, or have already been put in place.
New South Wales
Victoria
- No changes yet: social distancing to be reassessed when state of emergency ends on May 11
Queensland
- Queenslanders can travel up to 50 kilometres from their home from Saturday, with picnics and weekend drives allowed
- Non-essential retail (clothing and shoe stores) will also reopen
- No change to schools until at least May 15 (students to continue remote learning)
Western Australia
- Attendee limit on weddings, funerals and group exercise increased from two to ten people since Saturday
- School students to return to classrooms from May 29
South Australia
- No changes yet, although unlike in other states the government's advice for parents has been for children to be sent to school (with remote learning options available)
Tasmania
- No plans to relax social distancing soon, in light of the state's northwest cluster which has now exceeded 100 cases
- Term two of school has started remotely today. However, the start of term in the northwest has been pushed back another week
Northern Territory
- Parks and reserves to open for camping this weekend, as Chief Minister Michael Gunner tells Territorians: "Don't stuff it up"
- Cafes and gyms will reopen in June under strict social distancing rules
ACT
- No plans to relax social distancing or bring students back to classroom soon
- Chief Minister Andrew Barr has said the relaxing or measures should not be "a race or a contest between jurisdictions"
with AAP
Two new cases in Victoria
By Paul Sakkal
Two new cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Victoria over the past 24 hours, taking the state’s total to 1351.
Twelve people are being treated in hospital, with eleven in intensive care.
Premier Daniel Andrews said the figures proved the community was observing social standing measures but warned against complacency.
“It is fragile, and it can change very quickly,” he said.
“We have seen outbreaks in our state, we have seen outbreaks in other parts of the country.
“It is very fast moving, and if it gets away from you, you can find yourself in a position that many other countries have found themselves in, where they change their settings, they let off some of their rules, and now they are in even harder lockdown than they were to start with."
LIVE: Victorian Premier gives a coronavirus update
Trump grieves for 'loved ones stolen by an invisible enemy'
US President Donald Trump has said the country is grieving for "loved ones stolen by an invisible enemy" in his first press conference since Friday.
The President said the US was seeing "encouraging signs of progress" with a decline in new numbers of cases in hotspots such as New York.
"We're seeing very little that we're going to look at as a superseding hotspot. Things are moving along. [It's] really a horrible situation that he have with been confronted with, but they are moving along."
The president suggested schools might be among the first institutions to reopen given the lower vulnerability of youngsters to the coronavirus.
"I think you'll see a lot of schools open up," the President said Monday at a White House press briefing. "Young people seem to do very well."
The president is urging states to restart their economies, and he stressed Monday that safety must be the key consideration. But he also said he expected some schools to restart even if there are only a few weeks left in the US school year.
He went on to assert that China could have stopped the coronavirus before it swept the globe and said his administration was conducting "serious investigations" into what happened.
"We're doing very serious investigations. We are not happy with China," Trump said. "There are a lot of ways you can hold them accountable."
"We believe it could have been stopped at the source. It could have been stopped quickly and it wouldn't have spread all over the world."
Trump's criticism was the latest from his administration to target China's handling of the coronavirus outbreak, which began late last year in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
The pandemic has killed more than 207,000 people around the world, including more than 55,000 in the United States, according to a Reuters tally.
AP
'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
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2020-04-28 00:29:00Z
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