Covid-19 News Updates

United States President Donald Trump declares national emergency

United States President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency and ordered every state to set up emergency operation centres, effective immediately.

The emergency orders will allow the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to waive applicable rules and regulations to give doctors, hospitals, and healthcare providers maximum flexibility to respond to the virus and care for patients.

To unleash the full power of the Federal Government in this effort, today I am officially declaring a National Emergency. pic.twitter.com/yu2GBcxWD6

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2020

Updated at 8:02am AEDT on 14 March 2020.

NBL and Swimming Australia take decisive action, but NRL opts to wait a week for restrictions

Prime Minister Scott Morrison's advice to avoid gatherings of 500 people or more starting Monday has been followed to the letter by the NRL, with games to proceed as normal this weekend but fans will not be allowed at matches starting next week.

The announcement is in contrast to a decision by Cricket Australia to hold matches this weekend with no fans in attendance.

The National Basketball League (NBL) has also taken a strict approach to its upcoming games.

"After consultation with local, state and federal authorities as well as our clubs, we have made a decision that the remainder of the Hungry Jack's NBL Grand Final Series presented by MG between the Sydney Kings and Perth Wildcats will be closed to the general public," says NBL owner and executive chairman Larry Kestelman.

"The health and well-being of our players, staff, officials and fans is paramount. As a family sport we felt this was the only decision to make.

"We commend the Kings, Wildcats and their ownership groups for supporting this move despite being a difficult commercial decision for all concerned. But they were just as resolute as us in regard to prioritising the welfare of players, staff and everyone else concerned ahead of commercial considerations."

Swimming Australia CEO Leigh Russell has also announced upcoming swimming championships in Perth that were due to take place later next month have been cancelled.

"We understand that there will be significant disappointment for our swimmers who have put in so much time and effort to be in peak condition for this event, but these are unprecedented times and the welfare and safety of our athletes, coaches, staff, technical officials, members and their families is paramount and at the centre of our decision-making," says Swimming Australia CEO Leigh Russell.

"This is a constantly evolving situation and we are already seeing substantial and widespread event cancellations and postponements worldwide.

"We appreciate that there are families that have made or are needing to make travel arrangements to head to Perth, so we wanted to give them as much time as possible to amend these plans if possible and provide certainty."

Updated at 5:59pm AEDT on 13 March 2020.

Peter Dutton diagnosed with Covid-19

The Australian Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton has been diagnosed with coronavirus Covid-19.

In a statement posted to Twitter Dutton announced that he tested positive to Covid-19 after waking up this morning with a temperature and a sore throat.

The Minister is currently in hospital but says he feels fine and will provide an update soon.

Read the statement below:

pic.twitter.com/9XieecxPr3

Peter Dutton (@PeterDutton_MP) March 13, 2020

Elsewhere, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau has also tested positive to the virus. 

Updated at 6:02pm AEDT on 13 March 2020.

Cricket Australia takes steps against Covid-19 contagion

Cricket Australia has cancelled a South African women's team tour of South Africa in response to the Covid-19 health threat, while it is also monitoring the situation regarding future future international matches.

For the Australian men's team, the organisation has taken a leaf out of the Italian Serie A football league's playbook by banning fans from Australia's three-match Gillette One-Day International series against New Zealand.

The trans-Tasman contest will still go ahead as scheduled on March 13 and 15 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, as well as March 20 at Blundstone Arena.

All fans who purchased public tickets are eligible for a full refund and will be contacted directly by Ticketek.

Media with current accreditation will be admitted into the venues and a precautionary perimeter will be established around players and staff during media engagements.

The four remaining games of the Marsh Sheffield Shield will proceed as scheduled, and a decision will be made in due course regarding Australia's three-match Twenty20 International tour of New Zealand, which are set to take place from March 24-29.

"We have taken strong action today in the face of an unprecedented public health issue," says Cricket Australia chief executive Kevin Roberts.

"We believe this is the right decision to minimise the risk of public exposure to the coronavirus, which the World Health Organisation declared a global pandemic on Thursday.

"We understand that these changes to our schedule will impact many, but we hope our community will understand that the public health and safety issues caused by the coronavirus must take priority over sport at this time. This is not an issue specific to cricket."

Updated at 5:40pm AEDT on 13 March 2020.

Sydney Royal Easter Show cancelled

Organisers of one of the country's most longstanding events have heeded the government's advice to avoid mass gatherings of 500 people or more.

As an event that has been running since 1823 and has never been interrupted since the Spanish Flu pandemic in 1919, the 2020 Sydney Royal Easter Show has been cancelled.

The event's organisers said the decision was "distressing and disappointing".

"The safety and well-being of our patrons and visitors is paramount and out of precaution, and in consultation with NSW Health, The Royal Agricultural Society of NSW has decided this is the best course of action," they said.

"We appreciate that the cancellation of the Show is a huge disappointment for our Show community, particularly exhibitors and visitors from rural and regional NSW who love attending the Show to catch up with friends and celebrate with us every year.

"We are implementing a number of measures to deal with ticket and entry fee refunds and will be in contact with ticket holders and exhibitors regarding this process within the next five working days."

Another major event coming up is the Byron Bay Bluefest, due to take place from 9-13 April, but in light of the Prime Minister's statements today organisers are awaiting an "official requirement" from Federal and State authorities on Monday before making a further update.

Updated at 5:18pm AEDT on 13 March 2020.

Coronavirus impacts Ardent Leisure guidance

Dreamworld owner Ardent Leisure (ASX: ARG) has decided to withdraw its FY20 earnings for Main Event, a bowling-based entertainment business operating across 17 states in the US.

On 21 February, the company had lifted the revenue forecast for Main Event by half a percentage point to a range of 1.5-2.5 per cent, however uncertainty around Covid-19 has resulted in the reduction in attendance and revenue at its 43 US centres.

The impact of the outbreak is also now expected to continue for longer than initially anticipated.

"Both Main Event and Theme Parks are pursuing a range of mitigating actions in response to the downturn in guest attendance," the company said.

"These include adjusting operating costs, deferring non-essential capital investment, and reviewing other non-critical business activities and discretionary expenses. The Theme Parks division will continue to focus marketing efforts on the domestic market in the short to medium term."

The company says the uncertain nature and duration of COVID-19 means it is not possible to provide any further meaningful guidance on the impact to the group's earnings for the rest of FY20.

"The Group will continue to monitor the preventative actions taken by governmental and regulatory bodies closely in markets that we operate in and their potential impact on the business in this rapidly evolving situation," the company says.

Updated at 4:57pm AEDT on 13 March 2020.

All Australians need to reconsider overseas travel

The Government's Smart Traveller page has advised all Australians to reconsider the need for any non-essential travel, regardless of their destination, age or health.

This represents an upgrade to Level 3 Travel Advice.

"This is a global advisory in light of the widespread nature of the COVID-19 outbreak and the significant measures in place to curb it," the page advises.

"Individual country advisories may not yet display a 'reconsider' advice level. You should nevertheless reconsider your need to travel to all destinations.

"These country pages will be updated and remain an essential of source of information on country-specific risks and contact information."

Smart Traveller also says Australians who are overseas and can't or don't want to return to Australia should follow the advice of local authorities.

The advice was made for two principal reasons:

1. You may be more exposed to contracting COVID-19 while travelling overseas. You may come in contact with more people than usual, including during long-haul flights and in crowded airports. Health care systems in some countries will come under strain and may not be as well-equipped as Australia's. If you're sick, you may not have your normal support networks.
2. Overseas travel has become more complex and unpredictable. Many countries are introducing entry or movement restrictions. These are changing often and quickly. Your travel plans may be disrupted. You may be placed in quarantine or denied entry to some countries, and you may need to self-quarantine on return to Australia. Think about what this might mean for your health, and your family, work or study responsibilities.

Contact your airline, travel agent or insurance company to discuss your travel plans and options for cancelling or postponing current bookings, or to arrange flights back to Australia.

Adelaide Airport has also just released its passenger numbers for February, and international travellers have been on the decline.

International passenger numbers through Adelaide Airport reduced by approximately 11 per cent in the month of February, and the Airport says the level of reduction has accelerated further into March.

Domestic passenger numbers reduced 0.5 per cent in February but further reductions have been forecast by Virgin and Qantas.

Updated at 4pm AEDT on 13 March.

Government advised to ban mass gatherings

The Federal Government has reportedly been advised by the country's chief medical officer that mass gatherings of more than 500 people should be cancelled.

The country's leaders are currently considering that advice and a decision is yet to be made regarding a potential ban.

If enacted, mass gatherings like sporting events, concerts, and festivals could be completely shut down as Australia attempts to contain the spread of Covid-19.

Updated at 12.59pm AEDT on 13 March 2020.

Download Festival Australia cancelled

Music festival Download has made the decision to cancel the event one week out from the Melbourne leg.

The organisers have made the "reluctant" decision to cancel the festival after headliner My Chemical Romance pulled out today.

"Given that this announcement has come barely 8 days prior to Download Australia we will not be able to secure an alternative headliner as there is insufficient time to secure visas and arrange the other relevant logistics that are required prior to the festival," says Download.

"As we are unable to deliver a complete line-up to meet the standard that Download fans both expect and deserve, we have very reluctantly made the decision to cancel Download Australia 2020."

Promoters are working with both My Chemical Romance and co-headliner Deftones to schedule separate shows in Australia in 2020.

All ticket purchasers will receive a full refund including booking and payment processing fees.

My Chemical Romance also released a statement regarding the band's decision to pull out from its Australian and New Zealand tour. Read the statement below:

"To our dearest friends

It is with heavy hearts that we have decided to postpone our performances in Australia and New Zealand. We felt this was the right decision for our fans, our band, our crew, and our families given the current global situation. We apologize to our fans, but please know that we didn't come to this decision lightly. Thank you for your understanding and we look forward to being with you all again as soon as we can.  In the meantime, please be good to each other."  My Chemical Romance

Updated 10:53am AEDT on 13 March 2020.

Flight Centre guidance withdrawn, 100 stores to close

Flight Centre (ASX: FLT) shares were down 11 per cent at the time of writing after the travel agency suspended guidance due to coronavirus uncertainty.

The company had previously forecast underlying profit before tax (PBT) between $240-$300 million.

Although total transaction value (TTV) is in line with trends for the half, the virus's spread and the subsequent increase in travel restrictions have made it more difficult to predict the full-year impact or a timeframe for recovery.

The announcements coincided with Flight Centre's (ASX: FLT) decision to close 100 underperforming stores, with plans to transfer transactions and staff to other shops while investing in new models.

Managing director Graham Turner says Flight Centre will draw on its experiences with SARS in 2003 and during the Global Financial Crisis in 2009 by seeking to stimulate demand, while also implementing sensible cost reduction strategies to maintain its balance sheet strength.

"While people are still booking travel in February, our TTV actually increased slightly globally compared to the same month last year we are now seeing significant softening and expect this to continue into April at least," says Turner.

"Within this uncertain environment, our priorities are to reduce costs, while also ensuring that we and our people are ready to capitalise when the steep discounting that is underway across most travel categories starts to gain traction and as the trading cycle rebounds.

"As we saw with both SARS and the GFC in Australia, the rebound can be relatively fast and strong after a fairly significant downturn in international travel."

Updated 10:50am AEDT on 13 March 2020