We’ll conclude our Australian rolling coverage of Covid-19 developments here. Thank you for your company and correspondence, commendations and criticisms, all of it a welcome and vital part of our community’s discussion.

Be well, and stay safe.

Tonight in Australia:

  • 6,767 cases have been recorded in Australia after 14 new cases in the past 24 hours.
  • 1,022 are still active cases, 83 people are in hospital, with 28 in intensive care.
  • South Australia has had no new cases for nine days, Queensland for five.
  • The death toll is 93 – NSW 43, Victoria 18, Tasmania 13, WA eight, Queensland four, SA four, ACT three.
  • Twenty-one of the deaths were among passengers of the Ruby Princess cruise ship, four were on the Artania in WA and 13 were residents at the Newmarch House aged care home in Sydney.
  • More than 3.5 million people have registered with the federal government’s tracking app Covidsafe since Sunday.

On restrictions, closures and suppression measures:

  • National cabinet will decide on relaxing some social and economic clamps next Friday, a week earlier than expected.
  • Australia’s borders won’t reopen for at least three months, the federal government says.
  • More than 340,000 businesses have received a cashflow boost worth over $6bn
  • Aged care providers will get $205 million to help keep homes open to visitors through extra screening staff and protective equipment.
  • More than 1.5 million people are on jobseeker, with 900,000 claims processed in the past six weeks.
  • In NSW from midnight Friday, households will be allowed two adult visitors, and their children, under an initial easing of self-isolation measures. Most beaches are open for exercise, swimming and surfing only.
  • In WA, up to 10 people are able to gather for non-contact recreational activities and outdoor personal training, while open homes and display villages will also be permitted.
  • In Queensland, some stay-at-home restrictions will be eased on Saturday, allowing people to travel 50km from their residence to visit parks, have picnics and jet ski. Shopping for non-essential items will also be permitted.
  • The Northern Territory is implementing a three-stage easing of restrictions starting with reopening parks and allowing people to golf, fish and swim with others from May 1 before restaurants and bars reopen with a two-hour limit on May 15. Bans on entertainment venues will be lifted in the third stage.
  • Tasmania will on Monday ease restrictions in the state’s northwest which forced retailers and schools to stay closed.
  • Victoria has no plans to lift restrictions until May 11 at the earliest.
  • Victoria will launch a website showcasing live music and comedy performances on Sunday with creators given access to $2.35 million in grants.
  • NSW students will attend school one day a week starting from May 11. Queensland will on May 15 review keeping children at home. No change has been flagged in Victoria. Western Australia hopes all students will return to classes by May 11 while 63 per cent of students have gone back in SA.
  • Still open: supermarkets, pharmacies, banks, public transport, some schools, hairdressers, petrol stations, postal and freight services, bottle shops, newsagents, retail shops. Restaurants restricted to takeaway and delivery in most states.

In other developments:

  • Five Australian hospitals will receive the experimental drug remdesivir from US pharmaceutical company Gilead.
  • Five defence force officers have been flown home after contracting the virus in the Middle East.
  • 23 aged care facilities have had an outbreak, 15 have cleared it.

The Guardian’s international liveblog continues here:

Updated

And to the Northern Territory:

The Northern Territory government insists its health system is prepared for a potential second wave of coronavirus cases, as four defence force members with Covid-19 arrived from overseas.

The four returned from the Middle East on a routine Australian Defence Force flight that landed in Darwin early on Friday morning.

It occurred a day after Chief Minister Michael Gunner laid out his road map for winding back coronavirus restrictions in three stages over five weeks, with all businesses including restaurants, bars, cafes and gyms to reopen.

The NT had recorded no new cases of coronavirus since April 6, with only three of 28 people to test positive still recovering.

There have been no deaths or community transmission, with all cases related to travel, but a second wave of the virus is considered a high risk, especially if restrictions are removed too quickly.

The Australian Defence Force says it decided to test personnel “after being notified that a number of locally engaged contractors had tested positive” but did not say where the officers became infected..

The four were asymptomatic and taken to Royal Darwin hospital for assessment and placed in isolation.

A number of other people on that flight went into mandatory quarantine, NT Chief Health Officer Dr Hugh Heggie said.

A fifth ADF member who tested positive recently completed their deployment and returned to Australia and is currently in mandatory quarantine in Brisbane.

“Defence will take all necessary measures in consultation with our coalition partners, relevant host nations and Australian federal, state and territory governments to ensure ADF personnel receive the treatment and care required,” the ADF said in a statement.

The public were safe because everyone on that plane that landed on the Friday morning plane was in quarantine and not “walking the streets or in shopping centres”, NT Health Minister Natasha Fyles said.

Fyles said the health department had done acute care scenario testing to prepare for an outbreak of COVID-19, it had a pandemic plan, and a lot had been learnt when repatriated Australians from China and a cruise ship were quarantined in Darwin earlier this year.

NT Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker said Territorians had been wonderful in their compliance with restrictions so far and urged them to remain vigilant and maintain measures, such as physical distancing, with parks starting to open this long weekend.

Updated

South Australia has enjoyed nine days of zero new Covid-19 cases. But the premier has warned against complacency, and lifting restrictions too early.

From AAP:

Talks of lifting South Australian coronavirus restrictions will begin in a week’s time but if done too early, could be a blow to the economy, the premier says.

Steven Marshall said restaurants, cafes and pubs could open to a bookings-only system where social distancing and good hygiene would remain in place when restrictions lifted.

“We may need to go back to the proprietor of that restaurant to find out who was dining there on a certain night if we find out someone had been infected and was present there, so there will be modifications,” the premier said on Friday.

He encouraged South Australians to participate in non-contact sports, such as tennis, golf and lawn bowls, so long as they coincided with current restrictions.

“As long as you’re not using the change rooms and facilities and keep the numbers under 10, we’re encouraging people to get out and play.”

Marshall said more clarity around contact community and recreational sports could also be given from next Friday, now it’s been confirmed that decisions will be made by individual states or territories.

Decisions on elite sports that require crossing jurisdictions will be made at the national level.

“We know sport is part of our psyche here in Australia but we’ve got to do it in a way which is safe,” Marshall said.

“We have to recognise that different jurisdictions are at different points along the curve in terms of the pandemic.”

He said the cabinet will meet twice next week to further discuss the right way to incrementally lift restrictions.

“We’ve got one shot to get this right here in SA.

“We didn’t want to have this in-and-out orientation, releasing them and then putting them back in place a few weeks later.

“It would have an enormous cost to the economy.”

It comes as the state reported its ninth consecutive day of zero Covid-19 cases.

The state’s total remains at 438 with 97 per cent considered recovered.

There are no longer any patients in intensive care but three people remain hospitalised.

SA Pathology has conducted more than 58,000 tests since February and although the two-week blitz has finished, the testing remains open to anyone who has minor symptoms.

#BREAKING: we have recorded NINE consecutive days of ZERO new cases in #SouthAustralia 👏👏🙌 pic.twitter.com/503aChJcSk

— Steven Marshall, MP (@marshall_steven) May 1, 2020

Updated

The Australian Digital and Data Council (you didn’t know we had one, did you) met today by phone: a meeting of the state, territory and federal ministers, as well as NZ’s minister for broadcasting, communications and digital media.

The major topic was, of course, Covid-19, “the largest disruptive event the world has seen in many years”.

The meeting reported that 3.5 million people in Australia have downloaded the Covidsafe app.

“Ministers acknowledged privacy concerns are still front and centre for many people when deciding whether to download the app and were an important consideration in the app’s design.”

Meeting of the Australian Digital and Data Council - Communiqué #auspol pic.twitter.com/M1dJ3XRPkN

— Political Alert (@political_alert) May 1, 2020

Updated

The NSW government has released a statewide Covid-19 ‘heat map’, showing pandemic information by postcode. The map details the number of active cases, testing rates, and number of recovered cases in each local community.

“This new way of showing NSW Health data will help communities understand the numbers of people being tested, and encourage more people with symptoms to come forward for testing when they see the impact COVID-19 is having on their local area,” NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian said.

“It also provides encouraging data showing how people are bouncing back from the virus.”

It’s accessible here.

Up to date information on #COVID19

Latest updates:https://t.co/4wPEEtH67z

Find the facts: https://t.co/YL3R1278ne

NSW Health response: https://t.co/kuKy2UTfMr

Advice for travellers:https://t.co/hLCiTkDkLW

Health professionals: https://t.co/qa1TieDmAq pic.twitter.com/iVjdcvXluB

— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) March 17, 2020

Cholera has largely been beaten in the west, but it still kills tens of thousands of people in poorer countries every year. As we search for a cure for coronavirus, we have to make sure it will be available to everyone, not just to those in wealthy nations.

This is a fine piece by Dr Neil Singh.

For coronavirus is not the only pandemic the world faces. There is another one raging right now. Since cholera first spread across the globe, two centuries ago, it has killed about 50 million people. In the time it takes you to read this article, another five people will have died from it. It is now mostly ignored in the west, but in other parts of the world, it has never gone away.

Cholera and coronavirus: why we must not repeat the same mistakes https://t.co/Nohr3GZdcI

— Guardian Australia (@GuardianAus) May 1, 2020

The chief of Australia’s Defence Force, General Angus Campbell, has written to the families of ADF members, thanking them “for the continuous sacrifices that you and your family make in supporting us”.

He said the role of Defence in Australia’s Covid-19 response was critical, “and I thank every Australian Defence Force member, their parents, partners and children for the patience, resilience, understanding and support they continue to provide so that we can continue to serve”.

The ADF has established Operation Covid Assist, deploying military personnel within Australia to assist state and territory governments with contact tracing, planning and logistics, and working alongside police to enforce mandatory quarantine arrangements for international arrivals.

Five members of the Australian Defence Force have caught Covid-19 while serving in the Middle East.

To our Australian Defence Force families, during these extraordinary times of #COVID19, I thank you for your support to our military force. On behalf of #YourADF, we appreciate the sacrifices you are also making to support our national #COVID19 effort. pic.twitter.com/plQpCNuznQ

— General Angus Campbell (@CDF_Aust) May 1, 2020

Updated

On that note I am going to hand over to Ben Doherty.

Stay safe, stay warm, and if you have any respiratory symptoms or a fever, however mild, please do get a Covid-19 test. My nephew (a reliable source) had one today and says they “tickle”. So I imagine adults can manage it.

Updated

A reminder:

Heading to a park this weekend? Don’t forget many council facilities such as playgrounds, fenced dog off-leash areas and BBQs remain off limits in Queensland.

— Queensland Police (@QldPolice) May 1, 2020

In other news, if you, like me, are in Melbourne, you may have noticed that it is quite cold. Almost record-breakingly cold for the first of May, in fact, although the dial did just inch above 12C this afternoon.

There has been significant snowfall across the alpine resorts, which just a few months ago were on fire or close to it. The ski season doesn’t officially start until next month so it’s possible coronavirus restrictions could by then be eased to allow some skiing.

In the mean time, check out these beautiful photos.

Updated

Here are a few more details on that study on the potential spread of the coronavirus in schools, which the WA government announced earlier in partnership with the Telethon Kids Institute.

It will be conducted across 80 public schools, education support centres and residential colleges across WA, covering a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds.

Participation in the study is voluntary, and requires the consent of both teachers and the parents of all children involved. That doesn’t mean you have to give consent if your child attends one of the 80 schools, only if they specifically are part of the study.

The first part of the study involves surveillance testing of a sample of staff and students across 40 schools over three months, potentially longer depending on the number of cases detected. Parents will be advised of the outcome of tests and the tests used will be different to those at a Covid clinic. It’ll be a less invasive swab.

That will start next week.

Any positive tests will be subject to contact tracing, and any close contacts identified will “undergo multiple tests for Covid-19 at intervals over two weeks, irrespective of whether they show symptoms”, a WA government statement said.

Close contacts will also be required to keep a diary during that period. This is intended to identify any onward transmission and “provide a greater understanding of the role schools play in the transmissibility of Covid-19 between students and staff, and the wider community via household members and other non-school contacts”.

The third part of the study is about the psychosocial impacts of the pandemic.

Updated

Also below the line folks, we will be switching comments off soon as our hardworking moderator is about to clock off.

While we’re talking about sport, Mark McGowan was just asked about the prospect of AFL returning (they aren’t interested in rugby league in Western Australia).

He said players would be subject to a 14-day mandatory quarantine, just like everyone else entering the state.

“A 14-day quarantine period will be required,” WA Premier Mark McGowan says of prospect of AFL teams flying into WA. Shoots down speculation from some AFL journalists that hubs won’t be required and a regular home and away schedule can take place.

— Jacob Kagi (@kagij) May 1, 2020

The difference in the NRL seems to be that they plan to keep players permanently quarantined, apart from games. That’s why Queensland has granted them a free pass through the border.

Updated

Queensland gives the NRL permission to restart the 2020 season

The Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, says she had a phone conference following national cabinet with the NRL chairman, Peter V’Landys, and the CEOs of the Broncos, Cowboys and Titans, and told them they could resume training for the season reopener on 28 May.

In a statement, Palaszczuk said:

I said I was as keen as anyone else to see the NRL return and I meant it.

The only condition was that it did not put our excellent work containing the spread of COVID-19 at risk and the Chief Health Officer advises that the NRL plan is workable.

BREAKING: We’ve cleared the way for the @NRL to restart their 2020 season. https://t.co/ko5PzT5ixb #NRL pic.twitter.com/Hm3KDnsjwo

— Annastacia Palaszczuk (@AnnastaciaMP) May 1, 2020

She also demanded assurances that the NRL will enforce home quarantine, after reports of some players breaking restrictions this week.

The decision means players have permission to travel across the Queensland border to play, effectively making them essential workers.

First round games will be played in Queensland and of course I put in a bid for a local grand final and we all look forward to hosting the State of Origin.

Updated

South Australia has recorded no new cases of Covid-19 for the ninth day in a row. That’s no new cases since 22 April.

Cook is outlining a plan for a study, which will be done with the Telethon Kids Institute, to monitor and track any transmission of Covid-19 in schools.

It will involve a random sample of staff and students who volunteer to be tested for Covid-19 over a period of three months. Any positive tests will be contact traced, and participants are required to keep a diary. The study will examine whether any of the transmission occurred at school.

Cook says “all available evidence indicates that schools are safe and our commitment to this study should provide the community further assurance that we are taking all available steps” to ensure that schools are safe, and that any undetected spread at school is discovered.

Updated

And a clarification on that earlier figure re the number of tests. Cook says the WA figures related to the number of people tested (which to date is more than 41,000), not the number of tests done.

That’s why WA’s test figures could appear low compared to other states, because some states report the number of tests done and there can be multiple tests done per person.

Updated

The Western Australian health minister, Roger Cook, says WA has the highest rate of tests per community transmission of the virus. Which seems to be quite an esoteric way to measure it.

Still, a high rate of testing.

Cook makes the point that the overwhelming majority of WA’s cases are imported. They’ve had a few cruise ships land.

Updated

Western Australia records no new cases again

McGowan says WA recorded no new Covid-19 cases overnight. There are now only 32 active cases in the state, 23 locals and 11 from elsewhere.

Only three of those active cases are in regional areas, in the Goldfields. Eleven patients remain in hospital, with three in ICU.

More than 41,000 tests have been conducted.

Updated

The Western Australian premier, Mark McGowan, is addressing the media in Perth.

He starts by talking about a fatal police shooting that happened at the South Hedland shopping centre, which is about 1,500km north of Perth, a few hours ago. More on that here.

McGowan says he would “like to thank everyone who has dealt with that situation ... those police officers. I would like to thank them all.”

An Aboriginal woman, Joyce Clarke, died after being shot by police in Geraldton in September. A police officer has been charged with murder.

Updated

Childcare providers not eligible for jobkeeper may get top-up payment

Just after Scott Morrison’s press conference ended, the government announced another tweak to its childcare package to ease concerns about some services facing funding shortfalls. Under the temporary “free childcare” policy, parents are spared from paying any fees, but providers have been crunching the numbers and finding problems.

While the general funding under the relief package was intended to work together with the jobkeeper wage subsidy of $1,500 per worker per fortnight, some services do not meet the test for the payment and those that do qualify cannot claim it for some casuals or work visa holders.

The education minister, Dan Tehan, issued a statement this afternoon saying the government had expanded the eligibility for extra payments to childcare services that miss out on the jobkeeper wage subsidy.

It says:

Providers that are not eligible for the JobKeeper Payment, including non-government schools, large charities and not-for-profit organisations, will be eligible for a top-up payment.

Tehan said the government would also help family day care and in-home care providers that were not eligible for jobkeeper and apply for an ABN by 1 June.

You can read more about that here:

Updated

Some more details on that one-off $205m payment to the aged care sector. It’s intended to facilitate testing by ensuring centres have adequate staff.

The payment is linked to the number of residents at a facility.

Providers will receive about $900 per resident in major metropolitan areas and $1,350 per resident everywhere else.

Updated

More details on the aged care code of conduct

The aged care Code of Conduct on Pandemic Procedures sets out the requirements for aged care centres to facilitate family visits. It can be viewed here. (This is the link the PMO provided, even though it says ‘draft’.)

It comes after the aged care sector received criticism for, in some cases, shutting down facilities and not allowing visitors even when no outbreak was present. When there is a Covid-19 outbreak, a lockdown is allowed but communication with family members and residents must be swift and extensive.

The code says that visits to residents should be short unless the person being visited is dying, or the resident has an established pattern of receiving visits that help in their care or support.

When it comes to residents who are dying or in their final weeks, the code says, homes should be flexible with regards to the number of visitors at any one time and the length and frequency of visits.

Erring on the side of compassion is important, given the difficulty in predicting when a person is going to die.

Where visitors have an established pattern of always coming at a set time to help their loved one, for example coming to help with meals, “the length, frequency, and nature of the visits should reflect what is needed for the person to be cared for appropriately and consistent with established practices and routines”.

Updated

While we are talking about sport, Scott Morrison, a keen Cronulla Sharks fan, refused to comment in that press conference on whether the NRL had been or would be given permission to resume its 2020 season. The league has set a return to play date of 28 May.

More on that issue here:

Updated

Sport principles show sport will remain spectator-free

The national principles for the resumption of sport and recreation activities are 15 points long, so I won’t go through all of them.

Point 13 is that sport, if resumed, will be spectator-free for the foreseeable future.

The principles say the resumption of sport will be based on “objective health information” and that while the Australian Institute of Sport’s Framework for Rebooting Sport in a Covid-19 Environment will provide a “general guide” the final decisions will be made by state and territory governments.

Other key points:

  • Outdoor activities are considered lower risk.
  • Community sporting activities involving 10 or fewer participants in a “non contact fashion” will be able to resume first before sport involving larger groups and full-contact sports. Physical distancing will have to be maintained. That will also apply to children’s sport.
  • Golf, fishing, bushwalking, swimming etc will also be required to stick to physical distancing rules.
  • “Significantly enhanced risk mitigation” must be applied to all indoor activities associated with outdoor sorts. So no shaking hands in the change rooms.
  • The AIS framework is the minimum baseline standard required to be met before the resumption of training or match play of professional sports.
  • Sports seeking specific exemptions must seek approvals from the relevant state or territory governments, or local public health authorities.
  • At all times, sporting organisations must respond to the directives of public health authorities, including if ordered “quarantine of a whole team or large group, and close contacts, for the required period”.
  • “For the foreseeable future, elite sports, if recommenced, should do so in a spectator-free environment with the minimum support staff available to support the competition.”

Updated

ACT eases restrictions – slightly

The ACT chief minister, Andrew Barr, has announced a very slight easing of restrictions. The definition of household units will be expanded/clarified to include children. Household units will now be allowed to visit each other, so adult children can visit their parents.

Barr described this measure as a “down payment” on further changes to be announced next week, which he hints will include an easing of restrictions on the number of people allowed to congregate together outdoors.

Barr also issued advice that non-essential retail is also allowed, like buying a winter coat before winter.

Barr warned Australia has “still got a long way to go” and it’s “more a matter of when further outbreaks occur rather than if they do”.

“The one race I am happy we’ve won [in the ACT] … is we have no active cases”.

Updated

So, what did we learn from that press conference?

Well, not as much as we may have expected.

We know that the national cabinet has brought forward its decision on whether to ease those baseline shutdown provisions to next Friday 8 May. Previously the deadline was 11 May. Downloading the CovidSafe app is not mandatory, but Morrison says the number of downloads will be one of the factors considered. He will not say how many people need to have downloaded it, but suggests there need to be many more downloads for national cabinet to be comfortable with its ability to improve contact tracing. So: app not mandatory but strongly encouraged, particularly if you want to go back to the pub or play sport.

On sport, a set of principles has been agreed to on allowing the resumption of professional and community sport, but no decisions have actually been made. Those decisions will be made next week.

The biggest aged care providers have also signed on to a new industry code of conduct on managing the coronavirus, and the federal government has agreed to give them a one-off payment of $205m.

And the chief medical officer, Brendan Murphy, said Australia will begin testing cohorts of asymptomatic people in an attempt to ensure early detection of any new outbreaks and avoid a second wave. That cluster testing will be focused on groups that have a high risk of exposure or work with vulnerable people, like aged care workers or healthcare workers. Teachers are among those who might get tested.

Anyone with any respiratory symptoms at all – a cough, runny nose, anything – is now encouraged to get tested for Covid-19 and to avoid work.

Updated

Murphy also comments:

We weren’t at the the time of the view that information was being withheld from us.

Updated

Morrison says an independent investigation would look at what happened and why it happened.

So we can learn if something similar could happen in any part of the world so the world will be able to respond quicker. Because clearly in these cases time is everything.

Scott Morrison is asked to comment on Donald Trump’s claim to have evidence to substantiate a theory that the coronavirus originated at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Trump’s comment was made despite US intelligence agencies concluding that the virus was “not manmade or genetically modified”.

Morrison says he has not seen any evidence to suggest that’s the case, but says Australia is still pushing for an independent investigation into the origin of the disease.

What we have before us doesn’t suggest that that is the likely source. There’s nothing that we have that would suggest that that is the likely source, but you can’t rule anything out in this scenario.

He says the virus did originate in Wuhan, but “the most likely scenario that has been canvassed related to wildlife wet markets”.

That is why Australia wants an “objective independent” investigation, he says.

While that can’t be ruled out, it’s not something we have seen any hard evidence of that that is the position.

Updated

Guardian Australia’s Daniel Hurst asks if the free childcare policy will be extended past the initial three months.

Morrison says it’s too early to say.

Updated

A reporter asks if the easing of restrictions next week is contingent on more people downloading the CovidSafe app. Morrison says it is.

He says if you want to go to the pub, you have to download the app.

Now if that isn’t an incentive for Australians to download CovidSafe on a Friday, I don’t know what is ... that is a prerequisite to even getting to that conversation.

There will not be any additional restrictions.

We haven’t been considering additional restrictions, we have been out of that mode for some weeks ... but the degree, honestly, to which we can consider easing the restrictions we have now, that depends on how many people have downloaded the CovidSafe app. It really does.

Updated

More detail on restarting sport

Morrison says the principles agreed to for restarting sport and recreational activities are based heavily on the Australian Institute of Sport’s plan.

He says national cabinet has not made a decision on when and in what way sport can resume. That will be made next week.

Among the principles are that outdoor activities are lower risk, and that there should be a staged resumption of sport. Possibly with smaller groups, less than 10 people in a non-contact sport, being allowed out first.

Again, no decisions made yet:

Decisions have not been taken to move on any of those matters but these principles set out the basis upon which we might be able to go forward when we set that out next week.

Richard Colbeck is also the minister for sport. He says the return will be staged. We are currently in stage A – no sport. The next stage is stage B – outdoor, non-contact sports in groups of 10 or less. Then it’s stage C – all sport. He makes another plug for the app

If you want to get out to play, download the app today.

Updated

Brendan Murphy defends Victoria's deputy chief health officer

Both Scott Morrison and Brendan Murphy are asked for their opinion on Victoria’s deputy chief health officer, Dr Annaliese van Diemen, making a tweet. The state opposition has called for her to resign and reported her to Victoria’s public health commission.

Morrison made some remarks on that earlier, and said he won’t comment further.

Murphy defended van Diemen’s ability to do her job.

She’s a fine young public health physician who has been working 80 hours a week for the past three weeks. She made a personal tweet on a personal twitter account ... I don’t personally agree with her but that’s a matter for her.

Updated

A question on how people living in densely populated areas should deal with the easing of restrictions.

Journalist: People are told “don’t do a Bondi”. What if people go down to the beach and see it’s really busy. Do they go home?

Morrison says people need to “exercise commonsense”. Physical distancing, the requirement to remain 1.5 metres apart, will not lift when the restrictions lift.

Those things would always have to be practised. So long as the coronavirus is out there then that is your best defence against it.

Morrison says people should be motivated by their own desire not to get sick.

I think people will be able to exercise judgment in their own self-interest. People walking into a crowded room ... will be putting their health at risk.

Murphy:

Whilst we are living with this virus the way that we interact with each other will have to be different and will remain different.

Updated

Murphy is asked if the cohort testing of asymptomatic people will include testing of schoolchildren. He says no, but it will include testing of teachers.

He says there has been cohort testing of asymptomatic schoolchildren, when a school reports an outbreak.

There really isn’t a strong basis to test a cohort of children at this time.

Updated

What about the NRL?

Morrison says it’s a matter for state jurisdictions to clear or not clear any particular sporting codes. But the health advice to the states will be consistent and provided by the AHPPC.

So each state should be saying the same thing to each code.

In relation to the New Zealand Warriors being given permission to travel, Morrison says “no amount of reporting” will change that outcome. It has been received and is being considered.

Updated

Will employers be requiring people to download the app, or will the government require businesses to require employees to download the app, before restrictions are lifted?

Morrison says it cannot be required under law “but we are encouraging it”.

It’s done on the basis of encouragement in the national public health interest and I have to say in the national economic interest. It is our path back to download the CovidSafe app.

Updated

Morrison is also asked about the strained relationship with China.

It is a mutually beneficial partnership. It is not a one-way street ... we will continue to work within that arrangement and pursue that relationship.

Updated

To questions. I think Morrison just suggested he will try out Barre class, which is a joke that has run the length of this lockdown period and proved that we truly are starved for information.

The question was asking for an indication of the kind of restrictions that might be lifted. Morrison says he won’t predict what national cabinet will decide. He says it will also be a matter of figuring out what mitigation measures can be introduced.

'We need to test more people'

Murphy is outlining the plan to ensure enough testing is done to detect any possible second wave of coronavirus. Australia will do cohort testing, identifying particular groups and testing asymptomatic people to ensure the virus isn’t undetected. Those cohorts include aged care workers, healthcare workers and hospital patients. (If they consent, of course.)

Says Murphy:

We need to test more people. If we are going to get on top of those small outbreaks ... we cannot afford to have an outbreak that takes off so that we get a second wave when we reduce restrictions such as a number of other countries have seen. So our testing has to be very good.

He says that the case data shows that most people who transmit the virus do still have symptoms, so anyone with any symptoms should get tested.

The most important thing in testing is for anyone who has respiratory symptoms, a cough or a cold or a sore throat, to get tested ... get tested and don’t go to work.

Updated

Murphy says case numbers in Australia are now so low “that we can examine each case, each cluster, and get really detailed epidemiological information on what’s happening”.

Murphy shows a slide using data given to the government from Apple and Google, showing how many people are on the roads. It has fallen substantially, showing people are obeying stay at home orders.

A quip:

Google does track people. The CovidSafe app does not.

Murphy says Australia has beaten the modelling in terms of the number of new cases of Covid-19 reported.

Pretty convincingly we have flattened the curve.

There are now only two states on the graph showing the effective reproduction number. Last week the ACT and NT had dropped off the graph, because their case numbers were so low.

The case numbers in every other jurisdiction are so small that the models feel that they can’t effectively use the effective reproduction number ... only in NSW and Tasmania are there enough numbers to show an effective reproduction number.

Updated

Brendan Murphy is going through the requirements that need to be in place before restrictions can be eased.

Australia now has enough testing kits and a secure supply line. We have enough masks and a good supply line, and the supply line for other PPE is being restored.

The public health workforce needed to be ready to respond to an outbreak. Murphy says Australia has excelled in that space.

Every state and territory now expanded so much in the very active stage of the outbreak that they are now able to stand down some of the workforce but they are there and ready to be active if we need them again.

Murphy says that the requirement for improved contact tracing was almost there, “accept for the app uptake”.

We need the app uptake to be higher before we can say that that final piece in the jigsaw puzzle of contact tracing is there.

Australia currently has 6,765 cases of Covid-19.

The chief health officer, Brendan Murphy, says we are “still consistently getting less than 20 new cases per day over recent days”.

There have been 93 deaths.

More than 570,000 tests have been done.

Updated

Scott Morrison says Australia is expecting a 30% fall in overseas immigration in the 2019-20 year, on 2018-19 figures. In 2020-21, the forecast is for an 85% fall on 2018-19 figures.

Updated

Industry signs up to aged care code of conduct

The aged care minister, Richard Colbeck, says all the major aged care providers, including Anglicare and BaptistCare, signed up to the new aged care code last night.

It sets out rules and rights for people visiting their loved ones at the end of their life, and people who are used to receiving regular visitation as part of their care, such as dementia patients.

Colbeck says “only 23 residential aged care homes” have had an outbreak of Covid-19 in Australia. (Weird use of “only”.)

Fifteen of those residential aged care centres have now cleared the infection and in eight it is ongoing. Colbeck says most centres had only two or three residents with an infection.

Among those who have now been declared Covid-free are Dorothy Henderson Lodge, the first aged care home to have an outbreak. At least six residents of that aged care facility died after testing positive to Covid-19.

Updated

The aged care industry code has been agreed to by the major establishments in the aged care industry in Australia, and also interest groups in the sector.

Morrison says the government is also making a one-off payment of $205m into the aged care sector to help it respond to the coronavirus and comply with the new industry code.

National cabinet has agreed to a set of principles for sport and recreation, which will be released today, and also approved the aged care code.

Updated

Morrison says there are now 3.5m downloads “and there needs to be millions more”.

We need that tool so we can open the economy. So if you haven’t downloaded the app yet, download it.

The app is voluntary, and the government has said it will not make individual participation in activities contingent on having the app on your phone. But it appears that our collective ability to get on with our lives will be tied to the app.

So it’s over to you Australia.

Updated

Decision on lifting restrictions brought forward to next Friday

Morrison says national cabinet has brought forward its decision on whether the baseline restrictions should be lifted to next Friday 8 May.

Australians deserve an early mark for the work that they have done.

National cabinet will meet twice next week to work through the detail.

Morrison says Australia has now met 11 of the 15 conditions set by the AHPPC for lifting restrictions. One of those conditions is downloading the CovidSAFE app.

This is a critical decision for national cabinet when it comes to making decisions next Friday about how conditions can be eased.

Updated

Morrison says that 1.5 million Australians are now on jobseeker and 900,000 claims have been processed in six weeks.

This bears out the Treasury estimate that unemployment will rise to 10% and perhaps beyond.

Updated

Scott Morrison says Australia has had “some real success on the health front” in dealing with Covid-19. There are about 1,000 active cases in Australia at the moment.

But the coronavirus is “not the only curve we need to flatten”. He says we need to restart the economy, and get businesses open.

We need to restart our economy, we need to restart our society. We can’t keep Australia under the doona.

Updated

The prime minister has just started speaking in Canberra, joined by the ministers for aged care and sport.

Updated

The national cabinet meeting was due to discuss a possible code of conduct for aged care homes responding to coronavirus, linked in part to the situation at Newmarch House in western Sydney.

The meeting will also have considered advice from the AHPPC on reopening sport and recreation activities.

Updated

PM to hold press conference at 2pm

Scott Morrison’s office has just issued an alert saying he will address the media at 2pm following the national cabinet meeting today.

We understand national cabinet has been discussing the possible easing of baseline restrictions, and the meeting ran longer than usual, so this could be quite an interesting update.

Updated

The Western Australian premier, Mark McGowan, is due to give an update at 2pm Perth time today, which is 4pm on the east coast.

So, working backwards, we can expect an update from the prime minister on today’s national cabinet meeting some time between now and 4pm.

Updated

I’m going to leave you for the day. Thanks for reading. Calla Wahlquist will take over from here.

A teenage girl has been charged after allegedly spitting in a Sydney railway station staffer’s face and saying “I have Covid” before the man and his co-worker were allegedly punched by her friend.

The 17-year-old girl tried to enter the Blacktown station on 23 April while smoking a cigarette before a male staffer approached to say smoking wasn’t allowed, NSW police said in a statement on Friday, according to AAP.

She allegedly spat on the 56-year-old man’s face and said: “I have Covid.”

A 16-year-old teenage boy, who is known to the girl, then ran over and coughed and spat in the staff member’s face, police said.

A 53-year-old female Sydney Trains employee intervened and was allegedly punched in the head.

The two teenagers then fled the scene, police said.

They were arrested at a home in Pendle Hill on Thursday and the girl was charged with smoking in a public area and not complying with a Covid-19 direction on spitting and coughing.

The boy was charged with two counts of common assault and not complying with the Covid-19 direction on spitting and coughing.

They were both granted bail to appear at a children’s court on 14 July.

Updated

Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson has issued a statement while national cabinet is on.

She said:

Over the past two weeks state and territory governments have increasingly recognised and understood the difficulties international students are facing due to impacts from the Covid-19 global pandemic.

Through no fault of their own, many of the more than 310,000 higher education students living and studying in Australia have lost their part-time jobs.

They are not eligible for the same support local students can get through jobkeeper and jobseeker.

To date, the Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australian, Tasmanian, Victoria and Western Australian governments have announced assistance packages for international students. Some support has also been offered at the Federal level.

Jackson said a “nationally consistent approach to this challenge is vital”.

Universities Australia is ready to work with all governments on developing sustainable, ongoing assistance that international students will require beyond the short-term.

Updated

Ratings agency S&P has downgraded stricken airline Virgin to D, the lowest grade possible, after the company’s administrators got payments on its planes frozen for a month and applied for protection from its US creditors.

As Guardian Australia reported, the administrators – partners at Deloitte – have asked a court in the US to protect them from claims there by American creditors owed billions of dollars and prevent four planes that are being repaired in Nashville from being seized. D – for default – is the lowest credit rating S&P can hand out.

The agency said in a note:

We expect that unsecured lenders will be forced to accept less value for amounts owing under the terms of the existing unsecured debt facilities as part of the anticipated debt restructuring and recapitalisation process.

As Guardian Australia has reported, unsecured lenders who took a punt on Virgin in return for high interest rates are likely to take a hefty haircut. Estimates of what they’ll get vary from a pessimistic 7c in the dollar to a rather optimistic 65c.

Updated

Well done, Canberra.

No new ACT cases, the Capital is still (known cases) coronavirus free

— Thomas O'Brien (@TJ__OBrien) May 1, 2020

Taiwan has been widely praised for its response to Covid-19 but is locked out of World Health Organisation discussions about the pandemic.

Australia’s decision to support the island being granted observer status comes amid an already strained relationship with China over the Morrison government’s call for an inquiry into the cause of the virus.

A sensible move that will be of global public health benefit. Taiwan's response to the COVID19 pandemic is one we can all learn from - they should have a seat at the table. https://t.co/BS6jSHD8M8

— Dave Sharma (@DaveSharma) May 1, 2020

Updated

The government is yet to announce the Warriors have been granted an exemption, although clearly someone is briefing that it is going to happen.

The Australian Border Force Commissioner is the one responsible for deciding whether the NZ Warriors can fly to Australia. No exemption has been granted YET @abcnews @politicsabc #NRL #COVID19 #auspol

— Stephanie Borys (@StephieBorys) May 1, 2020

No doubt it will raise eyebrows among others who have been denied entry.

This woman from New Zealand cant get an exemption to enter Australia to nurse & visit her dying sister.

The entire NZ Rugby League team has been granted an exemption to play football.

Peter Dutton & Australia really have their priorities in order.#Auspol cc @NZWarriors pic.twitter.com/lp0o4UBzTI

— 💧 Sleeping Giants Oz 📣 (@slpng_giants_oz) April 30, 2020

Updated

NZ Warriors to travel to Australia for NRL resumption

From AAP:

The Warriors have agreed to travel to Australia for the resumption of NRL training next week after seeking clarity from rugby league’s bosses.

Peter V’landys spoke with Warriors officials on Friday morning, with the team expected to be headed to Tamworth once they gain approval from Australian border authorities.

“The Warriors just wanted clarity on a few things and now they have got that they are fully supportive,” V’landys told AAP.

Updated

We are awaiting a press conference after today’s national cabinet meeting, which is happening right now.

It is expected there will be news on a roadmap to resume professional and local sport, as well as changes to aged care visiting rules.

I might kick off by pointing you to this interesting piece by ANU anthropologist Michael Rose.

Rose says that if there is a Australia-NZ travel bubble during the pandemic, as been floated, then it should include our Pacific neighbours, too.

Hi everyone, Luke Henriques-Gomes here, taking over my Naaman Zhou. Thanks to Naaman for his efforts this morning.

PM calls Twiggy Forrest’s comments on coronavirus origin 'nonsense'

Scott Morrison has described some of mining billionaire Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest’s comments as “nonsense” on 2GB radio today.

The mining magnate had said, on a podcast by the West Australian newspaper a month ago, that the virus could have originated in a country other than China.

“It just might be Australia, it just might be Britain, it just might be China,” he said on 2 April.

Today, Morrison was asked about these comments on radio after Forrest brought China’s Victorian consul general to a government press conference yesterday. The prime minister said:

That’s obviously nonsense. I don’t think anybody is in any fantasyland about where it started – it started in China.

It started in China. That is not a statement of accusation or criticism, it’s just a statement of fact.

Yesterday, Forrest invited consul general Long Zhou to a presser with the health minister, Greg Hunt, without Hunt’s knowledge.

The mining magnate then told commentators to “take a chill pill” over the uproar.

He described it as “the biggest non-story ever”.

I’m the most Australian person I know. Take a chill pill.

Updated

The Australian Bureau of Statistics has released new data on the impact of Covid-19 on household finances, finding that nearly half (45%) of Australians aged over 18 years have been impacted.

The results are:

  • A third of Australians (31%) reported that their household finances had worsened over this period, while one in seven (14%) reported an improvement.
  • The majority of Australians (81%) said their household could raise $2,000 for something important within a week, lower than the 84% reported in 2014.
  • One in 13 Australians (7.5%) said their household lacked the money to pay one or more bills on time, and one in 10 (10%) had to draw on accumulated savings to support basic living expenses.

It seems the Covid-19 economic supports might be part of the reason people are mostly still able to pay their bills:

  • A quarter of Australians aged 18 years and over (28%) said they received the first one-off $750 economic support payment, announced by the commonwealth government in March.
  • Those aged 65 years and over were more likely than those aged 18 to 64 to have received the first one-off $750 economic support payment (60% compared with 19%).

Updated

The Queensland Coalition MP Andrew Laming has asked people to “call the police” on teachers if they do not let their children attend school.

Laming, the federal MP for Bowman in Brisbane, posted the message in a video on Facebook yesterday.

He said vulnerable students from poorer families were falling behind, AAP reports.

Please, pick up your enrolment forms, hold them above your head, march into school, drop your kids off, and if they try and prevent those kids from going to school, call the police.

This is witchcraft. We are back in the Middle Ages with these unions.

In Queensland, schools are currently open but only for the children of essential workers and vulnerable families. The government will re-evaluate that on 15 May.

Queensland’s state education minister, Grace Grace, said Laming’s statements were “a little bit idiotic”. She told AAP:

This is from someone who I’m starting to think is acting a little bit idiotic and it is quite ridiculous. Every single school in Australia and around the world is impacted by this pandemic.

So these outrageous claims, calling unnecessary anxiety and causing stress amongst our principals and teachers, are simply ridiculous.

Updated

Labor leader Anthony Albanese has said that the home affairs minister, Peter Dutton, should concentrate on his job and “what went wrong with the Ruby Princess” before he criticises Victoria’s deputy chief medical officer.

Dutton – and many state and federal Liberal MPs – called for the deputy CMO’s resignation today, after she made a tweet comparing Covid-19 to the arrival of James Cook.

But Albanese told reporters “I’m not getting into that”.

People engaged in the health sector have a job to do at the moment protecting us on health issues.

Peter Dutton has a job to do as well. He’s in charge of our borders and maybe he should concentrate on what went wrong with Ruby Princess before he goes outside those parameters.

Updated

This does not mean the Labor preselection to replace retiring MP Mike Kelly has been completed, but Albanese says he “would expect that Kristy will receive strong support”.

We will have a candidate by Monday afternoon. Nominations close at 12 o’clock on Monday, people are entitled to put their names forward. But I think that it’s very clear to me the best candidate is Kristy McBain.

Albanese said earlier: “She is a strong and articulate person. She is someone who has been on the ground when the people of Eden-Monaro have needed people to be present.”

Opposition Leader @AlboMP with his preferred Labor Candidate for Eden Monaro - Bega Valley Shire Mayor @KristyMcBain #auspol @SBSNews pic.twitter.com/ah7SY9pdfv

— Brett Mason (@BrettMasonNews) May 1, 2020

Updated

Labor leader Anthony Albanese has just announced his preferred candidate for the Eden-Monaro byelection.

Kristy McBain, the mayor of Bega Valley Shire, is his pick, and both are giving a presser right now. McBain says:

I did not set out seeking this position but I want to take it on. I wanted to take it on for a couple of reasons. I am local, I am from the community and I have worked for the community for a number of years now.

I don’t want my community to be left behind and at the moment, my community is being left behind. They are being forgotten

My community has had three bushfires in two years. The whole of Eden-Monaro is drought-declared, or should be drought-declared, but it’s not. We are now in Covid-19, and with these three disasters happening concurrently, we do not and are not receiving the support that we need.

Updated

Channel Nine reports that the New Zealand Warriors have been given special permission to enter the country for the resumption of the NRL season.

The national cabinet has allowed Tamworth Airport to receive one flight – on Sunday at 4pm – carrying the Kiwi team.

The team will have to quarantine for 14 days before they can play. The NRL is scheduled to start on 28 May.

#BREAKING: The National Cabinet has approved for the Tamworth airport to open internationally on May 4th for a single flight carrying the New Zealand Warriors into Australia to begin the NRL season. @breenie9 #9News
Read more: https://t.co/Fi3hZWVOKP pic.twitter.com/UzgQhENUZa

— Nine News Sydney (@9NewsSyd) May 1, 2020

Updated

Some international freight flights will resume out of South Australia, AAP reports.

Services out of Adelaide airport are set to resume, with Singapore Airlines planning to use passenger aircraft to carry 40 tonnes of cargo on 6 May and 13 May.

The state’s trade minister, David Ridgway, said it would be a big relief for South Australian exporters.

In many cases, exporters have had to ship their produce by road to the eastern states to fly out from there, at a considerable cost, and that’s if they were able to even access those outbound flights.

Updated

And another exclusive – this time from Chris Knaus and Ben Smee.

The Australian government entered a contract to buy 500,000 Covid-19 test kits from a company headed by a convicted rapist which had no experience in medical diagnostics, failed to deliver shipments at a critical point in the pandemic and is now under investigation by the medical regulator.

The company, Promedical, told the Australian government it could supply huge quantities of test kits, but they have not yet arrived and Promedical have not been paid.

Promedical’s chief executive, Neran De Silva, was convicted of rape in 2018 and was a one-time business associate of the government services minister, Stuart Robert, through a cryotherapy treatment business.

Before Guardian Australia’s revelations, Promedical was given positive media coverage by the Today Show, the Daily Telegraph, the Daily Mail and Sky News and described as “revolutionary” and “amazing”.

Updated

Exclusive: Five Australian hospitals to receive experimental drug remdesivir

My colleague Melissa Davey has the exclusive story that negotiations are underway to supply five Australian hospitals with the experimental coronavirus drug remdesivir:

The US pharmaceutical company Gilead is finalising the location of five hospitals in Australia to receive the highly sought-after experimental Covid-19 drug remdesivir.

The only confirmed location is St Vincent’s hospital in Sydney ... A NSW Health spokeswoman confirmed the health department “has been engaging with Gilead on gaining access to the drug for Covid-19 patients”.

The news comes as the doctor informing the Covid-19 response in the White House, the immunologist Dr Anthony Fauci, promoted preliminary findings from a joint Gilead and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases study that suggested remdesivir could improve recovery time of patients. His comments have revived global hope in the drug, with no treatments now available for the virus.

But experts have warned that the study findings are unpublished and preliminary.

Read the full story:

Updated

PM @ScottMorrisonMP chairing this morning's National Cabinet meeting from Canberra #auspol @SBSNews pic.twitter.com/2gke9zS4Bs

— Brett Mason (@BrettMasonNews) May 1, 2020

National cabinet will meet today and is expected to discuss bringing back sport (both elite and local) as well as easing additional restrictions to aged care homes.

Many care facilities have instituted enhanced rules, beyond what is legally required.

AAP reports that “the principles for sport and recreation are set to be a headline issue” at today’s meeting.

National cabinet will consider advice from the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee about elite and community activities.

Expanded testing is considered a key goal to trigger lifting restrictions at a national level.

Leaders will also be given an update on mental health measures with a plan under consideration to better coordinate services.

National cabinet will discuss an industry code for aged care, as governments move to ensure people are not isolated beyond the rules.

Updated

Peter Gutwein adds that he is “looking at” easing restrictions across the entire state:

I think it’s fair to say that we are starting to get on top of this and I think that over time, we will gradually be able to look at restrictions being lifted. But we will need to step into that carefully and cautiously, always with an eye to the fact that we have an older and more vulnerable population.

Updated

Tasmania will lift its strict north-west lockdown on Monday

Tasmania’s premier, Peter Gutwein, has just announced that the additional restrictions imposed on the state’s north-west will be lifted by Monday.

Additional restrictions had been placed on the region due to a coronavirus cluster among health workers, which was traced to the Ruby Princess cruise ship.

Up to 5,000 people who were healthcare workers and their families were placed under quarantine, and non-essential businesses and shops were banned.

But on Friday Gutwein said these severe restrictions will be lifted, though the entire state would continue to have its existing restrictions.

“We are confident that those additional restrictions, placed on the north-west on Sunday almost three weeks ago, the 12 April, will be able to lift,” he said.

“Meaning on Monday the fourth of May, the businesses and services which were impacted by those additional restrictions can reopen, and the workers and staff will be able to return to work.

“It’s important to note this will only be the lifting of the additional restrictions. The statewide restrictions in place in terms of personal movement, the operation of certain businesses, will still apply.”

The north-west outbreak has been linked to 11 deaths so far.

Updated

There are now less than 80 active cases in Queensland, with 11 people in hospital and four people in intensive care. There are still 2,700 Queenslanders in quarantine.

It has now been 93 days since the state’s first case.

Asked when Queensland could be declared “Covid-free”, Jeannette Young said it would take weeks.

“For Queensland to be Covid-free, we would have to have no active cases and we probably have to wait for two incubation periods to be sure.”

Updated

Queensland records zero new cases

Queensland’s health minister, Stephen Miles, has announced there have been no new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours as the state gears up to ease restrictions at the weekend.

That means there have only been eight cases in the state this week.

But Miles warned Queenslanders to still keep a 1.5-metre distance from other people, and not to become complacent.

“Our message today is, this weekend, as we ease those restrictions, let’s not mess it up,” he said. “Let’s keep it up. Let’s keep getting the zero results.”

The state’s chief health officer, Dr Jeannette Young, said Queensland could then see more restrictions lifted in future.

But that will depend on the weekend.

“We’ll immediately get feedback about what people have done,” she said. “If we see large gatherings in places, that would concern us greatly and we’ll have to rethink.”

But she says there was no reason for transmission to increase under the new rules, because people were supposed to only be primarily with their household.

Updated

In the past 24 hours, Victoria police have issued 74 fines and conducted 651 spot checks.

They fined four people drinking alcohol in a shopping centre carpark and 10 people who gathered at a private residence for a birthday party.

Police have now conducted a total of 33,556 spot checks since 21 March.

Updated

Here is the precise wording of the amendment to the NSW public health order that has allowed today’s relaxation of restrictions.

The new NSW public health order about having two visitors over is worded a lot more stringently than the Premier’s comments suggested. Don’t be surprised if people still end up fined for visiting each other (not you white people, you’ll be fine). pic.twitter.com/C1wyH8vCur

— Osman Faruqi (@oz_f) April 30, 2020

A spokesperson from Gladys Berejiklian’s office told Guardian Australia that visiting friends would be considered beneficial for mental health and would, therefore, constitute “care”.

Previously, the deputy premier, John Barilaro, also said you can “can visit family & friends for any reason”.

But, as always with enforcement, this can depend on the discretion of police, their interpretation of the law and what you precisely are doing.

Today the NSW Government is relaxing the ability for people to visit family & friends. As of Friday, 2 Adults & their children can visit family & friends for any reason. Aussies have done the right thing & a great job to stop the spread, today we say thank you. #stopthespread pic.twitter.com/gYf5pf69ED

— John Barilaro MP (@JohnBarilaroMP) April 27, 2020

Updated

Daniel Andrews is speaking now.

The Victorian premier says the state will consider “options we will have to potentially ease [restrictions]” in the lead-up to 11 May.

But he asks people to continue staying at home for now, even as other states ease restrictions, because Victoria has had a higher rate of community transmission than other states:

We have come too far, we have achieved too much for us to give that back, for us to fritter that hard work away.

I know it is easy to think that well, with such low case numbers maybe the worst has passed, maybe this is over, I just want to remind every Victorian this is very, very fragile, we saw a spike in numbers just a couple of days ago, we have had outbreaks in lots of different settings.

We have also had significant community transmission in Victoria as well. About 10% of our cases we can’t track them back to an overseas traveller. Not every state is like that. Some states have no community transmission at all.

He also calls on Victorians to get tested for “mildest symptoms” and says the state has ramped up testing:

The more tests we can get done in the lead-up to 11 May, the more options we will have to potentially ease some of the rules that I know are frustrating.

Updated

NSW urges testing for 'mildest symptoms' before weekend

NSW has recorded nine new coronavirus cases overnight.

Gladys Berejiklian said this morning that the state had conducted more than 7,000 tests in the past 24 hours, with nine positive results.

And the premier urged people with symptoms to get tested today, before the weekend’s expected flurry of activity once restrictions ease in the state.

“Please come forward even if you have the mildest symptoms,” she said. “You don’t need to wait until Monday. You could be unintentionally passing on the disease without knowing you have it.”

NSW’s chief health officer, Dr Kerry Chant, said three of the nine new cases were residents at Anglicare’s Newmarch House aged care home, four were community transmission cases and one was under investigation.

She also confirmed that the resident who died at Newmarch House yesterday was a 74-year-old man.

Updated

The Australian stock market is set to open lower today after what has been a record month of growth.

After the sharp falls at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the past month was the best April for the stock market since 1988.

But after a 2.4% rise yesterday it is expected to fall today, according to AAP.

The SPI 200 futures contract was down 123 points, or 2.22%, to 5,417.0 points at 8am.

In the US, unemployment claims topped 30m and Amazon and American Airlines’ earnings disappointed traders.

In Australia, property price data for April is due to be published today.

Updated

In some brief US news, President Donald Trump has just claimed, about 30 minutes ago, that he has seen evidence that Covid-19 was created in a lab.

When asked if he had seen evidence that gives him a “high degree of confidence” that it originated in a lab in Wuhan, he said: “Yes, I have”.

This is a direct contradiction of America’s own national intelligence community, and scientists.

The director of national intelligence said: “The intelligence community also concurs with the wide scientific consensus that the Covid-19 virus was not manmade or genetically modified.”

Australia’s intelligence community has said similar.

In today’s briefing, Trump appeared to discredit his own director of national intelligence when asked about it.

JOHN ROBERTS: The Director of National Intelligence put out a statement saying they think the coronavirus was naturally occurring

TRUMP: Who?

R: It was a statement from the DNI office

TRUMP: Oh, he would know that, huh?

R: That would be your Director of National Intelligence pic.twitter.com/ihBTp9HxVe

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 30, 2020

Updated

A bit more detail on those relaxed restrictions coming in today and tomorrow.

In Queensland, from Saturday:

  • You will be allowed to go for picnics and non-essential drives, and national parks will reopen, but you are not allowed to travel more than 50km from your home.
  • You can shop for non-essential items.
  • The “two-person person rule” is still in effect, meaning that you can only be joined by one other person who isn’t in your household – and still keep physically distant. Previously, Annastacia Palaszczuk said people inside a home were allowed two additional guests.
  • The Queensland border remains closed unless you are a resident or essential worker.

In NSW, from today:

  • Two adults and the children in their care are allowed to visit another person’s home, for any reason.
  • You still have to comply with physical distancing – which means keeping apart, avoiding unnecessary contact and not crowding small spaces.
  • There are no limits on how many guests someone is allowed a day as long as there are no more than two adults at a time.

In WA, since Monday:

  • Gathering limits increased from two people to 10.
  • People are allowed to leave home for recreational activities including picnics, fishing, boating and camping.
  • Maximum number of people at a wedding raised from five to 10.
  • Border restrictions remain in place.

Updated

Five ADF personnel test positive

Five Australian defence force personnel have tested positive for Covid-19 after contracting it in the Middle East.

The five people are asymptomatic and arrived back in Australia this morning, AAP reports. They were were tested after a number of local contractors became infected with the virus.

Four returned to Australia on Friday morning on a routine defence force flight and were taken to Royal Darwin hospital for assessment.

The fifth, who had completed deployment, previously returned to Australia and is in mandatory isolation in Brisbane.

The Australian defence force says it decided to test personnel “after being notified that a number of locally engaged contractors had tested positive”.

“Defence will take all necessary measures in consultation with our coalition partners, relevant host nations and Australian federal, state and territory governments to ensure ADF personnel receive the treatment and care required,” it said on Friday.

Updated

13th resident dies at Newmarch House aged care home

Another resident of Anglicare’s Newmarch House in western Sydney has died.

Anglicare said the resident died yesterday afternoon, bringing the total number of Covid-19 deaths at the aged care home to 13.

Yesterday the operator announced that three more residents had tested positive. There are now at least 37 who have contracted the virus, and 22 staff members.

“This is a time of great grief for the family and we want to extend our deepest sympathies,” Anglicare said this morning.

Updated

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic in Australia this Friday.

Restrictions in NSW ease today – with two adults (and any dependent children) now allowed to visit another person’s house for any reason. Restrictions will also ease in Queensland from Saturday, though travel will be restricted to within 50km.

A flight from India will also arrive in WA today, bringing more than 100 Australians back.

Overnight, around the world:

  • Russia’s prime minister has been diagnosed with coronavirus. Mikhail Mishustin was supposed to be leading the country’s response to the pandemic but has said he will now self-isolate.
  • Germany will ease restrictions, opening museums, galleries, zoos and playgrounds and allow religious services to resume.
  • Brazil announced a record number of new cases in 24 hours (7,218). The death toll rose by 435 to 5,901.

Updated

Contributors

Ben Doherty, Calla Wahlquist, Luke Henriques-Gomes and Naaman Zhou

The GuardianTramp

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05, Oct, 2020 @8:14 AM

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Victoria reports five deaths and 15 new cases as NSW records six – as it happened
Premier Daniel Andrews hints restrictions will be eased in Melbourne on Sunday as NSW strives to boost testing. This blog is now closed

Luke Henriques-Gomes and Amy Remeikis

23, Sep, 2020 @8:56 AM

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Australia records its highest overnight coronavirus death toll as aged care continues to struggle – as it happened
NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian strongly encourages mask-wearing as Victoria’s hotel quarantine system goes under the microscope. This blog is now closed

Michael McGowan (now) and Amy Remeikis (earlier)

12, Aug, 2020 @8:36 AM

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Victoria reports 28 new cases and NSW two as Queensland relaxes border restrictions – as it happened
Northern NSW included in Queensland border zone and Victoria’s health department boss fronts hotel quarantine inquiry. This blog is now closed

Luke Henriques-Gomes and Amy Remeikis

22, Sep, 2020 @8:39 AM

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Coalition criticises Victorian government's handling of pandemic – as it happened
Josh Frydenberg says Daniel Andrews’ government has ‘a lot of questions to answer’ over its Covid-19 response, as NSW reports three new cases. This blog is now closed

Josh Taylor and Amy Remeikis

25, Aug, 2020 @8:42 AM

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Victoria reports 51 new cases and seven deaths as NSW records seven cases – as it happened
Greg Hunt says Melbourne curfew should be lifted if ‘there is no medical basis’ for it as two more Sydney healthcare workers test positive

Calla Wahlquist and Amy Remeikis

10, Sep, 2020 @9:06 AM

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PM announces reopening plan as protesters in Melbourne pepper-sprayed – as it happened
Scott Morrison aims to get 26,000 Australians stuck overseas home by Christmas, as anti-lockdown protest in Melbourne attracts crowd of about 300 protesters. This blog is now closed

Mostafa Rachwani (now) and Josh Taylor (earlier)

23, Oct, 2020 @8:57 AM

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Police force BLM protesters to move on from Sydney's town hall – as it happened
Organisers of Black Lives Matter protest had begun shouting, ‘It’s over. Go home’. This blog is closed

Lisa Cox (now) and Amy Remeikis (earlier)

12, Jun, 2020 @9:47 AM