Australia public events cancellations likely as coronavirus cases grow

[DavidsSling]

AFL games are among the public events under threat if the coronavirus situation worsens. Picture: Steve Bell/Getty

It is a matter of “when” public events and mass gatherings are shut down due to coronavirus — not “if”.

Carey Baptist Grammar has become the first Victorian school to close its doors, announcing last night the Kew and Donvale campuses would not open today.

An adult in the school community had developed symptoms of the virus after being exposed to someone with COVID-19, principal Jonathan Walter informed parents.

Earlier, three new cases were confirmed in the state.

Authorities say shutdowns of major events and gatherings are now inevitable. But Victorian chief health officer Brett Sutton said yesterday the timing had to be right for the move to be effective.

“Make no mistake, we will hit the button on the things that are required for social distancing at the point that they are required,” Dr Sutton said.

“At a point where we have more local transmission than we have imported cases — that it is a definite point to make a review.”

Gill McLachlan is expected to hold talks with AFL clubs. Picture: Stuart McEvoy

The AFL will hold talks with clubs today about potential disruptions.

It comes as the Australian stock market suffered its worst single-day losses in nearly 12 years yesterday, shedding about $137 billion in value.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will today warn the virus could have a bigger impact than the global financial crisis, with cash handouts to some families being considered.

Health authorities are rushing to trace the contacts of a third Australian Defence Force member diagnosed.

The ADF member, a man in his 50s, is understood to the be the father of a student at a Sydney school who also contracted the disease.

Premier Daniel Andrews’ has called a special meeting of his security and emergency management cabinet committee to ramp up the state’s coronavirus preparations this morning.

The state’s total of 15 cases now includes a man in his 50s who returned from the US on February 29, a woman in her 20s who returned from the US on March 6, and a woman in her 50s who returned from Iran on March 6.

Carey Baptist Grammar School closed its doors due to coronavirus. Picture: Stuart McEvoy.

The global COVID-19 death toll had reached 3,825 yesterday evening, with more than 110,000 cases confirmed across 108 nations.

After seeing Victoria’s COVID-19 cases jump 50 per cent in just 48 hours, Victorian and Commonwealth government roll out specialist coronavirus clinics across Melbourne’s suburbs, and eventually regional areas.

Australia’s chief medical officer Brendan Murphy said the clinics would have separate entrances in an effort to keep potential cases away from the general community.

He encouraged returned travellers to seek medical advice and to self-isolate, depending on where they had been.

Professor Murphy outlined measures and protocols the government was now following in a letter provided to GPs on Sunday night.

“It is clear that, with increasing cases of COVID-19, there will be benefit in more

sophisticated strategies to prevent the co-mingling of suspect or proven cases with

other patients in health care settings.

“People who believe that they may have been exposed to or have COVID-19 will be

encouraged to call the national hotline to seek advice.”

Professor Murphy also warned doctors that the risk posed by children in the spread of the virus was still unknown.

“Recent evidence supports the fact that children may be infected, in many cases without being aware of symptoms,” he said.

“The role children play in transmission is unknown.”

Meantime, Victorian schools have been told to can all overseas school excursions, except to New Zealand and Canada following advice from Victoria’s top medical officer.

“This information was communicated immediately and directly to all schools as soon as possible in order to enable any necessary adjustments of plans to be made,” a Victorian Government spokeswoman said.

Dr Sutton said Australia had learned a lesson from Italy which failed to use testing to detect coronavirus spreading person-to-person in the community and enacted a public shut down six to eight weeks too late.

But with more than 700 Victorians being tested each day for suspected COVID-19 cases, Dr Sutton said the state was better placed to detect community transmission and determine when it was time to shut down gatherings.

“The message is pretty clear; there is a time and a place for the cancellation of public gatherings,” Dr Sutton said.

“We really looking to flatten the epidemic kerb: that means getting the timing of cancellations of public gatherings absolutely right.

“We are still learning about this virus, we are still learning about the most effective mass gatherings or public gatherings and social distancing, measures that need to kick off.”

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/v...w/news-story/3281f468bcb9a6c7b4ea882bdde2c69c