LATEST NEWS ABOUT COVID-19:
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NUMBERS
* More than 6500 Australians have caught the virus and about 58 per cent of them have recovered.
* Australian deaths: 65 (26 in NSW, 14 in Vic, four in Qld, seven in WA, seven in Tas, three in ACT, four in SA). 19 were passengers on the Ruby Princess.
* 29 people connected to Anglicare's Newmarch House in NSW have tested positive after a worker attended the facility for six days with a sore throat.
* Queensland did half of all 4884 virus tests carried out nationwide during the past 24 hours.
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MEASURES
* Strict economic coronavirus restrictions will remain in place for at least the next four weeks until health benchmarks are met.
* Qantas and Virgin will receive at least $165 million in government support to keep flying critical domestic routes.
* South Australia will introduce a new rapid coronavirus test which delivers results within an hour and can test up to 300 people a week.
* The federal government has set up a $500 million loan fund to help struggling exporters under pressure from the coronavirus pandemic.
* The federal government will roll out 83 new mobile coronavirus testing sites across Australia's remote indigenous communities, outfitted with fast-detection kits.
* The Tasmanian government are placing road blocks and police check points to limit unnecessary travel to the northwest of the state after emergency departments were re-opened on Friday at two hospitals in Burnie.
* More Qantas flights could be arranged to bring home Australians in India and the Philippines, at their own expense, while 220 remain stranded in Lebanon.
* The Victorian government has announced a $500 million relief package to help tenants struggling to pay rent due to the coronavirus and a ban on them being evicted.
* The federal government has committed $320 billion, or 16.4 per cent of gross domestic product, to combat the virus' health and economic effects.
* A $130 billion JobKeeper scheme will provide coronavirus-affected businesses $1500 a fortnight to pass onto employees over six months.
* The NBN will use a $150 million relief fund to help internet providers offer financially-stricken families and businesses assistance to stay connected during and after the coronavirus pandemic.
* 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
* "This thing is going to hit us like a truck" - Prime Minister Scott Morrison on the economic fallout of COVID-19.
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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
* Federal parliament is set to resume sitting in May for a week-long trial, although likely to still practise social distancing.
* More than 5600 people will be sent online questionnaires by NSW Police on what they saw and heard onboard the ill-fated Ruby Princess cruise, to help with investigations.
* WA schools will reopen for term two at the end of April but parents won't be obliged to send their children.
* Referrals to psychologists have fallen since the outbreak began.
* Prime Minister Scott Morrison has ruled out introducing a coronavirus tax to help repair the national budget after the pandemic.
* A mobile phone tracking app to help with contact tracing could become compulsory if not enough Australians voluntarily download the software.
* Passengers on Qantas flight QF520 from Sydney to Brisbane on Monday have been directed to self-quarantine after a passenger on the flight was infectious with the coronavirus.
* Virgin has announced a further seven-day trading halt to continue talks on financial aid but did not say who discussions were with.
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SPORT
* The Buenos Aires statue of Argentinian soccer great Diego Maradona is now sporting a face mask to encourage fans to follow suit.
* The NRL plans to restart its competition on May 28, but Sport Minister Richard Colbeck says the date is probably "a bit ambitious".
* The AFL, NRL, A-League, Super Rugby and Super Netball competitions are postponed.
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ECONOMICS
* The Australian sharemarket finished the week on a high, clawing back losses to be just 0.6 points shy of its one-month closing record set earlier in the week.
* The head of the IMF predicts the virus will trigger the worst global economic downturn since the 1930s Great Depression, with only partial recovery in 2021.
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GLOBAL CORONAVIRUS
* Cases: at least 2,183,964
* Deaths: at least 146,881
* Recovered: at least 552,823
*Source: State and federal government updates and worldometers website at 1730 AEST
Australian Associated Press
