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Summary
- Australia’s death toll stands at 16, while 3873 Australians have tested positive for COVID-19
- Public gatherings will be limited to two people, reduced from the previous cap of 10 people, under stricter social-distancing measures to come into force from Monday
- Italy has recorded its second successive fall in the daily death rate, reporting 756 deaths on Sunday
- Between 100,000 and 200,000 Americans will die from coronavirus, according to Dr Anthony Fauci, the US government's top infectious disease expert
- Britons may be subject to some form of social restrictions for six months or longer, England's Deputy Chief Medical Officer said
'A decade of evolution and innovation in a few days'
Australian Medical Association president Tony Bartone has said the $669 million provided for telehealth services, which will allow all Australians to see a doctor over the phone, has brought GP consultations forward a decade.
The federal government announced funds for telehealth services as part of a $1.1 billion package for the health sector on Sunday.
"This was always on the card in the next decade, we've brought forward a decade of evolution and innovation in a few days," he told Fran Kelly on RN Breakfast this morning.
However, Dr Bartone denied telehealth would allow GPs to see more patients.
"You might say consultations are going longer, because you are usually also having a discussion of COVID-19 ... heart disease, diabetes don't take a holiday just because there's a global pandemic."
Asked if the federal government was moving to take over private hospital facilities, Dr Bartone said it would be a matter for states and territories, although converting private hospitals to public ones in a time of crisis would not be without precedent.
"They are looking for some sort of opportunity to render their services ... we should be able to do this, it's happened before."
All foreign investment subject to review to 'safeguard national interest'
All foreign investment into Australia will be reviewed by Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, as part of economic measures to "safeguard the national interest".
The temporary measures, which will remain in place "for the duration of the current crisis", apply to investment of any size and from any foreign country, according to a statement from Mr Frydenberg released this morning.
"The Government recognises that foreign investment will play an important part in helping many businesses get to the other side - securing jobs and supporting our economic recovery," the statement read.
"However, these measures are necessary to safeguard the national interest as the coronavirus outbreak puts intense pressure on the Australian economy and Australian businesses."
NSW Premier to address media at 8am
Good morning, this is Mary Ward in Sydney taking over from Megan Levy in New York on the blog.
As Megan said, last night Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced further social distancing measures. These included:
- Restricting outdoor gatherings to two people
- Advising people to only leave their homes to shop for food or other essential supplies, seek medical care, exercise, or travel to work or education if this cannot be done remotely
- Urging those over 70 (and those with chronic illnesses over 60 and Indigenous people over 50) to "limit contact with others as much as possible"
The national cabinet also agreed on a moratorium on evictions from commercial and residential rental properties for people in financial distress because of the coronavirus.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian will address the media at 8am today, and is expected to provide detail on how the new social distancing measures will be enforced in NSW. Stay with us.
New social restrictions come into force in Australia
Good morning - if you're just joining us now, here are some of the major developments from overnight, Australian time:
- On Sunday night, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced further social restrictions on Australians. Under the new measures, which come into force on Monday, all outdoor gatherings will be restricted to just two people, while anyone aged over 70 has been urged to remain at home. You can read the full report by Rob Harris and Fergus Hunter here
- Italy has recorded its second successive fall in the daily death rate from coronavirus. The daily toll climbed by 756 on Sunday. That was down from 889 deaths on Saturday, and 919 deaths on Friday
- Britons may be subject to some form of social-distancing measures for six months or longer, England's Deputy Chief Medical Officer Jenny Harries said
- Millions of Americans will be infected by the coronavirus and 100,000 to 200,000 will die, according to Dr Anthony Fauci, the US government's top infectious disease expert
- A medical evacuation plane has exploded in a ball of flames during take-off in the Philippines, killing all eight passengers and crew on board. The New York Times reported that the plane was being used as an air ambulance to fight the coronavirus outbreak
Modi seeks 'forgiveness' over India's coronavirus lockdown
India's federal government has asked states to quarantine migrant workers for 14 days and prevent the movement of people across borders to contain the spread of the coronavirus across the South Asian nation.
The number of confirmed cases rose to 979 on Sunday, including 25 deaths, a senior health official said. Authorities are identifying emerging hotspots and taking cluster containment measures, he said.
Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day lockdown in the country on Tuesday, there has been a large movement of people out of large cities, as people try to reach their homes after their work disappeared overnight. This is a violation of lockdown measures to maintain social distance.
Indian migrant workers crowd to board buses to return to their native villages after a nationwide lockdown was announced.Credit:Getty Images
Modi asked the nation's poor for forgiveness, as the economic and human toll from his lockdown deepened.
"I would firstly like to seek forgiveness from all my countrymen," Modi said in a nationwide radio address.
The poor "would definitely be thinking what kind of Prime Minister is this, who has put us into so much trouble," he said, urging people to understand there was no other option.
"Steps taken so far… will give India victory over corona," he added.
Migrant workers will be kept in state-run quarantine facilities, while the federal government has asked states to provide shelter and food to those stranded due to the lockdown measures.
Bloomberg, Reuters
Spain's toll rises by 838 in grimmest day yet
Spain has registered a record number of deaths from coronavirus in the past 24 hours as the government tightened restrictions on movement to slow the spread of a pandemic that is proving hard to contain.
The government said 838 people died on Sunday, bringing the country's total to 6528.
Spanish Royal Guard soldiers disinfect a hospital to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Madrid.Credit:AP
Spain's healthcare system is at breaking point after the number of people sent to intensive care on Saturday surpassed the official capacity of 4404 beds. Madrid, the epicentre of the country's outbreak, has created a temporary hospital in the city's main conference centre to handle the overflow.
Spain has been in lockdown for two weeks, but on Saturday Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez tightened those measures even further by ordering non-essential workers to remain in their homes over the Easter period.
He has called for a European "Marshall Plan," a reference to the US aid program credited with pulling Western Europe out of its post-World War II economic devastation, as members of the EU remain divided over how to address the economic fallout from the pandemic.
Bloomberg
High-speed trains used to move critically ill patients in France
French health authorities reported 292 new deaths from the coronavirus on Sunday, up 13 per cent on the previous day and taking the total to 2606 since March 1.
It came as the country used two high-speed trains and a German military plane to move more than three dozen critically ill coronavirus patients to ease the pressure on overwhelmed hospitals in eastern France.
Germany has been taking in COVID-19 patients from hard-hit regions in France. Credit:Getty Images
The daily government tally only accounts for those dying in hospital, but authorities say they will be able to compile data on deaths in retirement homes from next week. That is likely to result in a big increase in registered fatalities.
The number of known cases of infection rose to 40,174 on Sunday from 37,575 a day earlier, Jerome Salomon, the head of the public health agency said.
The Grand Est region was the first in France to be hit by a wave of coronavirus infections that has rapidly moved westwards to engulf the greater Paris region, where hospitals are desperately adding intensive care beds to cope with the influx.
The specially adapted trains carried 36 patients to the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in the south-west, where a line of ambulances waited outside Bordeaux station.
"We urgently need to relieve congestion in the region's intensive care units, because you have to stay one step ahead," Francois Braun, head of the SAMU paramedics, told RTL radio.
Reuters
UK surgeon dies after testing positive for virus
A surgeon in the UK has become the first front-line National Health Service worker to die after contracting COVID-19.
The University Hospitals of Derby and Burton say Amged El-Hawrani, 55, died at the Glenfield Hospital in Leicester on Saturday.
El-Hawrani worked as an ear, nose and throat surgeon at the Queen's Hospital Burton.
His 18-year-old son Ashraf told Sky News that his father "taught me the significance of respect and equality".
"He also stressed the importance of not worrying about the things I cannot control, which he displayed to me right up until the end of his life," Ashraf said.
"He did not seek the praise and approval of others, he was satisfied by viewing the positive effects of his actions and the well-being of his family. I am incredibly proud to say that for 18 years of my life, Amged El-Hawrani was my father."
Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said El-Hawrani's death "is not just an individual human tragedy but a stark reminder to the whole country that we all must take this crisis seriously."
- with AP
New York records its largest one-day rise in deaths since outbreak began
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has emerged as a decisive leader during the crisis, has just finished his daily briefing about the state's coronavirus outbreak.
He said the number of deaths as a result of coronavirus had increased by 237 in the state since the day before, reaching a total of 965. It was the state's largest one-day increase in deaths since the outbreak began.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.Credit:AP
New York also had a one-day increase of nearly 7200 confirmed cases on Sunday, putting the total at 59,513 cases. More than half of the cases, or 33,768, are in New York City.
About 8500 people are now hospitalised, an increase of 16 per cent from Saturday to Sunday. Of those, 2037 are in intensive care units, which are equipped with ventilators.
Cuomo extended his order for all non-essential workers to stay home until April 15.
"When they come up with an inexpensive home test or point-of-care test that can be brought to volume, I think that’s probably when you see a real return to normalcy in the workforce," he said.
Earlier in the day, Dr Anthony Fauci, who has been a leading voice in the effort to curb the outbreak, said 100,000 to 200,000 Americans could die before the crisis is over.
Cruise passengers head to Rottnest Island quarantine
West Australian cruise ship travellers are set to arrive on Rottnest Island for a fortnight in quarantine as the state braces for further overseas arrivals.
About 200 passengers from the Vasco da Gama liner, which has moored in Fremantle, will be ferried to the island on Monday.
The Vasco da Gama cruise ship arrives in Fremantle on Friday.Credit:AAP
A further 600 Australians from other states and territories will be quarantined at the Duxton Hotel in Perth's CBD for two weeks before flying home.
The same arrangement will be in place for a Qatar Airways aircraft due to land in Perth on Monday carrying Australian passengers from Italian cruise liners.
About 270 Australians are on board the flight, including 120 West Australians. No passengers with coronavirus symptoms were allowed to board.
Three-quarters of WA's 311 confirmed coronavirus cases have either come from a flight or a cruise ship.
AAP
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