Australian international arrivals self-isolate coronavirus prevention for 14 days as Prime Minister Scott Morrison seeks to contain infection and death rates & other measures.
Drastic times come for drastic measures in the face of amplified public hysteria concern…
Australia’s prime minister on Sunday announced new rules with respect to the nation’s bid to contain the pandemic novel coronavirus which is sweeping the world.
The measure which will come into force from midnight local time, mandates all international arrivals into Australia to 14 days self-isolation. The mandate reports 9news.com.au will apply to both Australian citizens and permanent residents returning home as well as foreign visitors.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison also announced all cruise ships are to be banned from docking in Australian ports for at least 30 days.
The drastic measures come as the number of confirmed cases in Australia climbs to almost 300. As of Sunday night Australian time, three people have died from the illness.
‘This is very important. What we have seen in recent weeks is more countries having issues with the virus and that means that the source of some of those transitions are coming – transmissions are coming from those countries,’ Morrison said.
The forced isolation for international comes after New Zealand imposed the same restrictions 24 hours earlier.
Penalties for not self-isolating will be determined by states and territories.
Mystery disease, mystery cause, mystery way to completely stop disease- digging in the dark for solutions:
‘We know that the virus cannot be absolutely stop. Of course not, no one can do that. But we can slow the spread. And we anticipate that will be our task over the next six months,’ reiterated Scott Morrison.
New Aussie mandates also launched:
Social distancing measures are also now required Scott Morrison said.
From Monday, gatherings of more than 500 people have been banned.
Limitations on large gatherings in enclosed areas such as theaters are expected to be made later in the week.
Morrison said the measures were to restrict social interactions and lower the risk of widespread outbreak.
‘There will be no more handshakes…which was something that was not needed a few weeks ago. It is a precautionary step,’ he said.
‘There will be further intrusions and there will be further restrictions on peoples movements.’
Mr Morrison said the measures were to slow the spread of the deadly illness over the next six month to ease the pressure on the health system.
Mr Morrison insisted schools will remain open the dailymail reports.
‘When you take children out of schools and put them back in the broader community, the ability for them to potentially engage with others increases the risk.’
The heightened measures follow other nations travel bans already put in place, including that of mainland China, Iran, South Korea and Italy – along with President Donald Trump’s move to ban all European nations and as of midnight Monday, the UK nationals from entering the US- as that nation – which continues to see an escalation of contractions — prepares for the worse.
Why aren’t we stopping all overseas flights into Oz? Because Scott Morrison is more worried about the economy the saving human lives. https://t.co/VAifpIdzQY
— 💧🔥🐨😷 💛Bethany Williams (@BethanyinCBR) March 15, 2020
Australia seeking to match tough protocol in continued isolation policy:
Australia’s ‘drastic’ move has been hailed by infectious diseases experts, who say it will be critical in slowing the virus’s spread and help prevent overloading hospital intensive care units. While others demand the banning of all flights into Australia all together.
The pandemic has seen the world grind to a halt as fear and uncertainty grips the globe.
Italy became the first country in Europe last week to impose a lockdown to combat the spreading Covid-19 illness as more than 17,000 people are infected.
The Mediterranean country’s death toll hit over 1,200 – making Italy the worst-hit country outside of China, where the disease first incubated.
Under current lockdown rules, shops – except pharmacies, supermarkets, and newsagents – are to remain closed at all times.
Schools and universities, which closed on March 4, are expected to remain shut until April 3.
Spain and France are also now on lockdown to stop the spread.
NEW: our most substantial update yet of the coronavirus case trajectory tracker
• Now showing China’s early trajectory for extra context
• Australia, Canada and 3 other countries added
• Rapid rise in cases in SpainFollow our live version here: https://t.co/VcSZISFxzF pic.twitter.com/5ihJN5OOJC
— John Burn-Murdoch (@jburnmurdoch) March 14, 2020
National panic matching international panic and concern:
The virus has already caused wide-spread panic in Australia with shoppers stripping supermarket shelves of toilet paper and other essential items.
People have also been queuing for hours to be tested for the deadly virus.
The queue outside a test centre at Royal Melbourne Hospital ran for half a block on Tuesday evening, with scores of possible patients wearing face masks as they waited for a doctor’s examination.
Some schools and workplaces have closed their doors amid coronavirus scares.
Globally, the infection has spread to more than 150,000 people across 112 countries, and killed at least 5,500 people as planet Earth literally awaits the nadir of the virus to take hold.
“We’ve only got 2000 intensive care beds in Australia. You could have 20,000 people needing intensive care.”
RN Health Report’s @normanswan says even if not at risk of #coronavirus, we should all take individual action – to preserve our community’s safety. #TheDrum #COVID19Aus pic.twitter.com/5RmJA4u7zi
— ABC The Drum (@ABCthedrum) March 14, 2020
