Australian states on Tuesday tightened restrictions on movement as authorities struggle to contain a fresh outbreak of Coronavirus in the country’s southeast that is starting to spill into other areas.
With growing fears of a second coronavirus wave nationally, two states extended border restrictions and Australia’s most populous state imposed limits on the number of people allowed in large pubs.
The Federal Government is considering bringing forward planned income tax cuts forward as part of Coronavirus economic response..
Mr Frydenberg said further income support would be made available after the September deadline for JobKeeper and JobSeeker. Major banks had agreed to extend the period under which loans could be deferred by people facing financial hardship due to COVID-19.
Greater Melbourne and Mitchell Shire will go into lockdown for six weeks, to deal with a surge in coronavirus cases in the state.
Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical and the Institute of Microbiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences get approval to begin human testing for potential coronavirus vaccine from the National Medical Products Administration to launch clinical trials.
Chinese researchers and companies are testing six experimental shots in humans and more than a dozen vaccines are in different stages of clinical trials globally.
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet will reveal the New South Wales economy is expected to contract by 10 percent this financial year.
Earlier this month figures from the Bureau of Statistics showed the NSW economy shrank by 1.5 percent in the March quarter and at that time the Government warned there would be further severe economic consequences.
Thousands of people are expected at the marches to protest against police brutality and show support for Indigenous Australians.
But authorities are concerned social distancing will be breached and marchers could become infected with COVID-19.
Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has urged people not to attend the Melbourne demonstration. Up to 20,000 people are expected at the march in Melbourne.
“We are concerned about the potential for a second wave of Coronavirus,” Ms. Mikakos said, urging protesters to contact their MPs instead.
