LATEST NEWS ABOUT COVID-19:
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NUMBERS
* A total of 6645 Australians have caught the virus, with 4291 recovered.
* Australian deaths: 71 (30 in NSW, 15 in Vic, four in Qld, seven in WA, eight in Tas, three in ACT, four in SA). 21 were passengers on the Ruby Princess. Queensland toll excludes two Queenslanders who died in other states.
* Nearly 850,000 Australians are likely to remain out of work for years, says RBA governor Philip Lowe.
* NSW Police have issued 95 court notices and 736 on-the-spot fines for breaching restrictions since March 17.
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MEASURES
* Some elective surgeries will resume after the Anzac Day long weekend including IVF, dental and eye procedures, children's surgeries, joint replacements, endoscopy and colonoscopies.
* A federal government app to track people who have been in contact with a coronavirus case will be available in the next couple of weeks with the Commonwealth promising it would have no access to the data.
* Aged care homes have been warned to not ban residents from seeing visitors or carers with advice being to allow two visitors a day for brief catch ups.
* NSW school students will have one face-to-face learning day a week starting from May 11 and building up to a full-time return in late July. SA schools return to normal next Monday, WA will reopen for term two on April 29, with year 11 and 12 students strongly encouraged to attend in person, while NT students are now expected to attend school.
* 100 million surgical masks will be distributed to frontline workers during the next six weeks, following a recent shipment of 58 million.
* 3.5 million extra doses of the flu vaccine will be made available.
* The Queensland government has offered $200 million to help rescue Virgin Australia.
* About $339.5 billion - 17 per cent of the national economy - in combined efforts have been announced by Australian governments and the Reserve Bank so far.
* The federal government has flagged tax cuts and aggressive deregulation as part of a pro-business road to economic recovery.
* All Australians must continue practising social distancing and stay at home unless going out for essentials or exercise.
* Australians returning home from overseas must be quarantined for two weeks in hotels or other accommodation before being allowed home.
* Australians, excluding aid workers and compassionate cases, are banned from international travel.
* 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/delivery in most states.
* Closed: gyms, indoor sports venues, pubs, cinemas, nightclubs, casinos, places of worship, theme parks, auction houses, food courts in shopping centres, beauty therapy, tanning, waxing, nail salons, spas and tattoo parlours, galleries, museums, libraries, youth centres, community halls, clubs, RSL clubs, swimming pools, amusement parks, arcades, indoor and outdoor play centres, social sports that involve large groups, outdoor and indoor markets, outdoor playgrounds, outdoor gyms, skate parks.
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KEY QUOTE
* "These are all very large numbers and ones that were inconceivable just a few months ago. They speak to the immense challenge faced by our society to contain the virus." - Reserve Bank of Australia governor Philip Lowe. The central bank forecast the economy will contract by 10 per cent over the first half of 2020 as unemployment rises by the same figure.
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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
* The federal government has reaffirmed its choice not to rescue Virgin Australia, which went into voluntary administration on Tuesday crippled by debt but vowing to survive the virus.
* Ruby Princess crew members have disembarked the vessel to fly home before the cruise ship's expected departure from NSW on Thursday.
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SPORT
* Professional rugby players have agreed to take a 60 per cent pay cut.
* Cricket Australia has already taken a $20 million hit with hundreds of millions predicted to be at risk should the T20 World Cup not go ahead in Australia later this year.
* The AFL, NRL, A-League, Super Rugby and Super Netball competitions have also been postponed.
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ECONOMICS
* Australian stocks have tumbled for a second day as price of oil dropped to its lowest level since 1999. The S&P/ASX200 fell 2.46 per cent to 5,221.3 while the All Ordinaries index slid 2.45 per cent to 5,353.
* RBA governor Philip Lowe expects GDP to fall by around 10 per cent in the first half of 2020, mostly in the June quarter.
* Jobs for young Australians dropped 9.9 per cent between March 14 and April 4, with food and accommodation services shedding a quarter of workers.
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GLOBAL CORONAVIRUS
* Cases: at least 2,482,556
* Deaths: at least 170,482
* Recovered: at least 652,480
*Source: State and federal government updates and Johns Hopkins website as at 1730 AEST
Australian Associated Press
