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As the day unfolded: Two more Ruby Princess passengers die in NSW as national death toll hits 61

If you suspect you or a family member has coronavirus you should call (not visit) your GP or ring the national Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.

Matt Bungard, Michaela Whitbourn and Latika Bourke

Updated April 13, 2020 — 10:00pm,first published April 13, 2020 — 12:20am

Summary

The global death toll from coronavirus has passed 114,000. There are more than 1.8 million known cases of infection but more than 430,000 people have recovered, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally.
The Australian death toll from coronavirus increased overnight by two people and is now 61, Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy said on Monday.
NSW Health Minister Hazzard and federal Sports Minister Richard Colbeck have questioned the NRL's plan to kick off a modified season on May 28.
The United States has become the first country to record more than 20,000 deaths.
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has said the growth in new cases of coronavirus in Australia is now below 2 per cent per day and "now is the time to stay the course" with social distancing and home isolation measures.

10.00pm on Apr 13, 2020

We are closing the blog for the evening

Thanks for following along today. Here are today's main developments:

Former treasurer Wayne Swan has said that Josh Frydenberg's stimulus package has his "total support".
The number of global cases is in excess of 1.8 million
A Ruby Princess crew member serving food in the galley is the likely source of the coronavirus outbreak that spread through the embattled cruise ship, infecting as many as 700 people.
The Victorian state government has thrown nearly $1 billion a week at its COVID-19 response since the crisis deepened in mid-March.
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller says the NRL still faces "work health and safety" hurdles before the season can resume as the code says it can be flexible with the May 28 start date.
US President Donald Trump retweeted a call to fire his top infectious disease specialist Anthony Fauci Sunday evening.
Police issued more than $300,000 in fines relating to COVID-19 over the Easter long weekend in New South Wales.

We'll continue our live coverage of the pandemic overnight and into Tuesday in a new blog, which you can read here. Good night.

9.45pm on Apr 13, 2020

Philippines eases ban on nurses seeking to leave for jobs abroad

The Philippines is easing a ban on overseas deployment of health workers, allowing those with existing contracts abroad to leave, according to Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin.

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"Future applications frozen until further notice," Locsin said Monday on his official Twitter account.

The Philippines, which sends thousands of medical practitioners to work overseas, earlier barred doctors, nurses and other health workers from leaving for overseas work to reinforce its healthcare system amid the novel coronavirus outbreak.

9.35pm on Apr 13, 2020

Couple fined for posting holiday photos on Facebook - from last year

By Nicole Precel

Victoria Police has withdrawn two $1652 fines given to a couple who uploaded holiday snaps from Lakes Entrance on Facebook that were taken last year.

Traralgon woman Jaz Mott was fined after she posted photos on social media that were taken in June last year.

"I was shocked and a bit confused," Traralgon woman Jaz Mott said.

Mrs Mott posted the pictures taken in June last year on her social media on April 5. Five days later, she and her husband were each fined $1652 for breaching COVID-19 restrictions.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the incident was reviewed and fine withdrawn.

"On occasion, errors will be made however that is why a review process exists to ensure instances such as these are identified and rectified," she said.

"Police are not specifically monitoring social media accounts to identify breaches of the Chief Health Officer directives."

In general, police will investigate the circumstances surrounding individual potential breaches reported by the public, she said.

Victoria Police is encouraging the public to report any breaches to the stay-at-home laws by calling 131 444 or going online.

9.15pm on Apr 13, 2020

Australia in frame to host quickfire Rugby Championship

By Sam Phillips

Coronavirus may have killed off this year's Super Rugby competition but a quickfire Rugby Championship is still on the table.

When will the Wallabies play again? Australian rugby is in a fight for survival as the coronavirus pandemic bites. Getty Images

The Herald has learned Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina have prioritised playing some form of Test football in the southern hemisphere this year over the resumption of Super Rugby.

The format of the tournament is a puzzle SANZAAR is currently trying to piece together, as the organisation works through a range of options to ensure there is some international rugby played in the southern hemisphere this year.

Read the full story here

8.54pm on Apr 13, 2020

Trump retweets call to fire Dr Anthony Fauci

President Donald Trump retweeted a call to fire his top infectious disease specialist Anthony Fauci Sunday evening, amid mounting criticism of the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic.

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The call from a former Republican congressional candidate, using the hashtag "FireFauci," followed an interview with National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases chief Fauci on CNN's State of the Union, in which he said a stronger early response by the administration to the outbreak "could have saved lives," but also characterised the decision to implement social distancing guidelines as "complicated".

Read the full story here

8.42pm on Apr 13, 2020

The only five exercises you need to stay fit at home

By Stephen Brook

In these self-isolating times, I have gone back to the future for my workouts, replacing my four times a week gym therapy with just five calisthenics exercises developed by the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Stephen Brook has gone back to basics with his fitness regime in self-isolation.Louie Douvis

Dubbed the 5BX program, it involves five basic exercises, takes just 11 minutes and needs absolutely no equipment. The program, launched in the 1950s, has also been credited with starting the fitness boom after it sold 25 million copies. Now, as we emerge from our chocolate egg comas, it offers a gentle way to kickstart our fitness routines.

Celebrity devotees include Helen Mirren and generations of British royals. I first came across it on my parent’s bookshelf when I was a kid. As someone who wouldn’t be seen dead in a gym, it suited me then, and now as someone who can’t do without gym, it suits me now.

Read the full story here

8.33pm on Apr 13, 2020

Unions divided on coronavirus retail closures

By Nick Bonyhady and Rachael Dexter

Two unions representing workers in Australia's retail industry are at odds over whether non-essential stores should keep their doors open amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Some staff at JB Hi-Fi say they feel unsafe because of COVID-19 while others are happy to be earning an income.Justin McManus

The stoush highlights debate within unions and businesses over how to balance the economic and health consequences of the virus.

More than 850 JB Hi-Fi employees have signed a petition circulated by the Retail and Fast Food Workers' Union (RAFFWU) calling for the electronics retailer to close its stores to protect staff from the virus and continue paying them while they are stood down.

Read the full story here

8.16pm on Apr 13, 2020

Great-grandmother with 'so much love to give' a COVID-19 victim

By Nicole Precel

An 82-year-old great-grandmother is one of the latest Victorian victims of COVID-19.

Adored by her 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, Marion Scott last Tuesday became the 12th Victorian to die of coronavirus.

Great-grandmother Marion Scott created a 'loving family environment'.

Her daughter, Marlene Stevenson, said her mum was very much loved.

"Mum wasn't number 12, mum was our mum, grandmother, great-grandmother and her name was Marion," Mrs Stevenson said.

There have been 6359 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Australia and 61 deaths. As of Monday night, Victoria recorded 1281 cases and 14 deaths.

8.08pm on Apr 13, 2020

Spain loosens coronavirus lockdown but death toll races past 17,000

Spain, one of the countries worst hit by the global coronavirus epidemic, on Monday started to ease tough lockdown restrictions that have kept people confined to their homes for more than a month and put a brake on economic activity.

Spain's cumulative death toll from the coronavirus rose to 17,489 on Monday, up 517 from 16,972 on Sunday, the Health Ministry said. Confirmed cases totalled 169,496, up from 166,019 the previous day.

However, in a sign that the situation was taking a turn for the better, some businesses, including construction and manufacturing, were allowed to reopen.

But most of the population are still confined to their homes, and shops, bars and public spaces will remain closed until at least April 26.

People at main transport hubs were handed face masks as they went to work on Monday morning.

The health of workers must be guaranteed. If this is minimally affected, the activity cannot restart," Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told Cadena Ser radio station.

Lockdown restrictions have helped slow a spiralling death rate that reached its peak in early April, but they have tested the resolve of people cooped up inside their homes.

Only a few commuters came in and out of the main entrance of Madrid's usually bustling Atocha train station on Monday morning. Road traffic was light too, with mainly public buses passing by.

Police handed out millions of masks early in the morning across regions that are not observing a public holiday.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Sunday the decision to restart some sectors of the economy was taken after consulting a committee of scientific experts. Any further winding down would depend on gains made against the virus, he said.

"We are still far from victory, from the moment when we can pick up our normal lives again, but we have made the first decisive steps in the path towards victory," Sanchez said.

However, some regional leaders criticised the moves, fearing a resurgence of the outbreak.

One company reopening, Burgos-based industrial group Nicolas Correa, said it would take measures to prioritise the health of its staff.

"We will continue to work in shifts, with staggered entries and exits to avoid concentrations of staff," it said, adding that all workers would be provided with protective equipment.

European Central Bank Vice-President Luis de Guindos said Spain's reliance on tourism would likely leave it exposed to a worse recession than the rest of Europe.

The coronavirus is weighing heavily on the Spanish economy, with some 900,000 jobs lost since mid-March.

"We're talking about the worst economic situation since the (1936-39 Spanish) Civil War," the former Spanish economy minister said in Sunday's La Vanguardia newspaper.

Traditional festivals have also been disrupted by the epidemic.

Reuters

7.49pm on Apr 13, 2020

Russian virus cases up by 16 per cent

Moscow: Russia's identified coronavirus caseload has jumped by a domestic record of more than 2500 cases, a 16 per cent increase from the previous day, to reach a total of more than 18,300.

Almost two-thirds of those cases, about 11,500, have been in the capital and largest city, Moscow, which this week tightened lockdown measures with mandatory passes for travelling around the city.

Another more than 140,000 people throughout the country were under medical observation on Monday morning on suspicion that they could have contracted the novel coronavirus, a federal monitoring service reported.

Russia's identified caseload has sharply risen over the past two weeks, increasing more than 560 per cent from April 1, with federal officials expecting a further rise for the rest of this month.

Russia has recorded almost 150 deaths associated with the virus, relatively low for a large European country amid the pandemic, as officials impose restrictions to contain the spread of the virus.

Most regions throughout Russia have followed Moscow's lead in imposing lockdown quarantine measures, with residents advised to leave their homes only when absolutely necessary.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week that there is "no other choice" than self-isolation to prevent the spread of the disease.

The president has been working remotely, his spokesman announced earlier this month, after a doctor with whom Putin had recently shaken hands tested positive for the virus.

As the day unfolded: Two more Ruby Princess passengers die in NSW as national death toll hits 61

Summary

We are closing the blog for the evening

Philippines eases ban on nurses seeking to leave for jobs abroad

Couple fined for posting holiday photos on Facebook - from last year

Australia in frame to host quickfire Rugby Championship

Trump retweets call to fire Dr Anthony Fauci

The only five exercises you need to stay fit at home

Unions divided on coronavirus retail closures

Great-grandmother with 'so much love to give' a COVID-19 victim

Spain loosens coronavirus lockdown but death toll races past 17,000

Russian virus cases up by 16 per cent

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