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As the day unfolded: Scott Morrison announces COVID-19 restrictions to be considered next Friday, NSW social distancing rules partially relaxed as Australian death toll stands at 93

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, Mary Ward and Latika Bourke

Updated May 1, 2020 — 10:00pm,first published May 1, 2020 — 12:16am

Summary

The global death toll from coronavirus has passed 233,000. There are more than 3.2 million known cases of infection but more than 1 million people have recovered, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally
In Australia, the death toll stands at 93 after the death of another resident at Newmarch House was announced this morning. There have been 6752 cases of coronavirus since the start of the outbreak and 5714 have recovered
A total of 30 million Americans have been thrown out of work in six weeks. There have been more than 63,000 deaths in the US, with 26,000 new infections reported on Thursday
The first relaxation of NSW's social distancing laws has come into force, with groups of two adults now allowed to visit another household. Rules have also been relaxed in the Northern Territory this morning, where outdoor gatherings such as non-contact sport, weddings and funerals are allowed to occur
The national cabinet will make a decision on relaxing national restrictions next Friday, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison saying "Australians have earned an early mark"

10.00pm on May 1, 2020

We are closing the blog for the evening

Thanks for joining us. Here's what you may have missed from today:

After another death at Anglicare's Newmarch House in western Sydney, the country's death toll is now 93. There are 6767 cases around Australia.
The number of global cases is now more than 3.2 million, with more than a million recovered and 233,000 deaths.
Australians are being promised a decision to ease curbs on sport, business and social activity within one week on the key condition that more people download the federal government's coronavirus tracing app.
NRL star Nathan Cleary may face stiffer sanctions from the NRL following his social media exploits during the coronavirus crisis, while the AFL believes it is on target for a late June return, and the A-League has cleared a major hurdle for the resumption of the season after Football Federation Australia belatedly received its full quarterly payment from Fox Sports.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian wants residents to exercise caution as they take advantage of easing restrictions on social contact, with nine new COVID-19 cases across NSW and another death at Newmarch House.
A Victorian man has failed in his plea to be released from prison over fears he could become infected with the deadly coronavirus - but the Department of Justice and Community Safety has been ordered to conduct a risk assessment of Port Phillip Prison.
A move by Swiss authorities to allow children to hug their grandparents will act as a test case for the rest of the world on whether physical contact between the young and the old is safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, Australian experts say.
Queenslanders are taking part in a state-wide public health experiment from this weekend, to see whether a small easing of coronavirus-related movement restrictions results in an increase of cases.
Confusion over the personal tax implications of the $130 billion JobKeeper scheme has left some workers worried they will see far less than the $1500-a-fortnight wage subsidy promised by the government in their bank accounts.

We will be continuing our coverage of the health crisis overnight and into Saturday in a new blog, which you can read here.

Matt Bungard signing off.

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9.43pm on May 1, 2020

Philippines eases virus restrictions

Manila: The Philippines has begun to ease coronavirus restrictions, even as the number of infections and deaths continues to rise, nearly two months since a lockdown was imposed on the most populous island.

The government placed areas with few cases of COVID-19 under a more relaxed form of quarantine starting from Friday, allowing work, public transportation and commercial establishments, including shopping malls, to resume operations at a reduced capacity.

The so-called general community quarantine still requires people to maintain physical distancing, wear face masks when outside their homes, and practice strict hand hygiene, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said.

"People can go out of their homes but only for essential or work-related activities," he said. "Leisurely trips are still not allowed."

The capital of Manila, as well as 15 provinces and three cities around the country, are under stricter lockdown until May 15.

The lockdown or "enhanced community quarantine" was first imposed in mid-March over the entire island of Luzon, where Manila is located and which is home to about 57 million people, or half of the Philippines' population.

Under the lockdown, only one person per household is allowed to leave their homes to buy supplies, while public transport and work are suspended. Shopping centres are still closed.

The Department of Health on Friday reported 284 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Philippines, bringing the national tally to 8772. The death toll from the highly infectious disease rose to 579, with 11 new deaths.

9.29pm on May 1, 2020

Seven charged, 14 fined in latest public health act breaches

NSW Police have charged another seven people with various offences, as well as issuing 14 fines of $1000 each for disobeying lockdown rules on yesterday.

Among them was a 49-year-old woman who was charged with resisting arrest and assaulting an officer, allegedly spitting and becoming aggressive towards police.

Just after noon yesterday, officers were called to a unit in Wentworthville to speak to the woman about medical treatment.

In nearby Heckenberg an hour later, officers spoke to four occupants of a car during a random breath test, before searching the vehicle.

During the search, police seized cannabis, methylamphetamine, and prescription medication.
On one of the occupants, a 42-year-old woman, police located methylamphetamine and heroin.

She was arrested and taken to Liverpool police station where she was charged with violated the public health act as well as 12 drug-related offences.

Both women were refused bail to appear in court earlier today.

9.02pm on May 1, 2020

IAG's Spanish airlines secure $1.1 bln of state-backed loans

International Consolidated Airlines Group's (IAG) Spanish airlines Iberia and Vueling have secured €1 billion ($1.7 billion) of government-backed loans to cope with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, IAG said on Friday.

Iberia, Spain's flagship airline, has borrowed €750 million ($1.28 billion) and Vueling, a low-cost carrier, €260 million ($443 million), IAG's Chief Financial Officer Stephen Gunning said in a statement.

The five-year loans will be channelled via a syndication of banks, he added.

"The agreement is part of the legal framework established by the Spanish government to mitigate the COVID-19 economic impact," Gunning said.

Europe's airlines have been forced to ground most of their planes as travel restrictions have been introduced across the region to tackle the pandemic.

IAG's competitors, such as Franco-Dutch Air France-KLM and Germany's Lufthansa, have secured billions of euros in government rescue packages.

IAG, long a critic of state support for airlines, has so far not sought a government rescue, but has announced thousands of job cuts at its main British Airways business and also said it would take up government furlough and loan schemes.

Reuters

8.43pm on May 1, 2020

Cleary risks more punishment over breach

Penrith playmaker Nathan Cleary could face stiffer sanctions from the the NRL following his social media exploits during the coronavirus crisis.

Cleary was fined $4000 by the NRL on Tuesday after images of him with a group of women at his house emerged - in apparent contravention of social distancing measures.

After that penalty was imposed two videos of Cleary dancing with up to five women were uploaded to social media platform TikTok.

The NRL issued a brief statement on Friday night confirming Cleary has been served with an amended breach notice, which likely relates to the videos.

Cleary received "an amended breach notice after additional information surfaced about a matter at his home which it is alleged has brought the game into disrepute," the statement said.

He has five days to respond before any penalty is finalised.

The 22-year-old originally had 60 per cent of a $10,000 fine and a one-game ban suspended by the NRL.

Police opted to take no action against the NSW State of Origin representative.

Cleary's actions have been widely condemned with NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro claiming the initial penalty should have been more severe.

"The issue with Cleary is that he has lied and said it was only a small interaction. But in the end, the TikTok social media platform shows it was more to that," Barilaro said.

"In my mind, when you get caught out and apologise, you deserve a break. But not when you mislead the public and the NRL.

"I think now, Cleary, should be the end of his season."

AAP

8.29pm on May 1, 2020

One in 10 depressed: Coronavirus taking a mental toll, ABS survey finds

By Jennifer Duke and Shane Wright

One in 10 working-age Australians have felt depressed during the coronavirus shutdown with women particularly vulnerable to misery, while widespread restrictions continue to hit the economy.

Four out of 10 people nationally felt restless or fidgety at least some of the time in the month to mid-April, the Australian Bureau of Statistics' latest survey of households released on Friday shows. A similar survey in 2017/18 found 24 per cent felt this way at the time.

Proportion of people over 18 who reported feelings that the pandemic impacted on their wellbeing at least some of the time.ABS

About a third of the population felt nervous some of the time from mid-March to mid-April, up from 20 per cent in the previous survey.

However, the negative feelings were worst among women and working age Australians aged 18 to 64. One in 10 women reported being so depressed they could not be cheered up, compared to one in 20 men, and a third of women found everything was an effort compared to 22 per cent of men.

Read the full story here

8.05pm on May 1, 2020

Iran death toll from coronavirus rises to 6091

Iran's death toll from the outbreak of the new coronavirus increased by 63 in the past 24 hours to 6091, Health Ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur said in a statement on state TV on Friday.

The total number of diagnosed cases of the new coronavirus in the Islamic Republic, one of the Middle Eastern countries hardest hit by the outbreak, has reached 95,646, including 2899 in critical condition, he added.

Reuters

7.43pm on May 1, 2020

Gallery: Living with Coronavirus

The Sydney Morning Herald photographers continue to capture Sydney's mood as eastern suburb beaches reopen, lockdown rules in NSW ease and people adjust to self-isolation a month away from winter.

7.30pm on May 1, 2020

Spain's coronavirus death toll climbs to 24,824

Spain's coronavirus death toll rose to 24,824 on Friday as 281 more people died from causes related to the disease overnight, the health ministry said.

The number of new coronavirus cases diagnosed in the country rose to a total 215,216 on Friday from 213,435 the day before, the ministry said on its website.

The previous day's death toll was 268.

7.14pm on May 1, 2020

The money or our sovereignty: China leaves us no choice

By Peter Hartcher

The founder of the Russian Communist Party, Vladimir Ilich Lenin, is credited with the saying that "the capitalists will sell us the rope with which to hang them". Or, updating for contemporary Australia, the Chinese Communist Party might say that "the capitalists will sell us the iron ore with which we shackle them".

Australia has arrived at its moment of truth. It is now presented with the explicit choice between sovereignty and money. It arrived this week when the Chinese Communist Party publicly threatened Australia with trade boycotts for proposing an international inquiry into the global pandemic.

It's business as usual for Beijing to preach mutual respect and non-interference while intimidating countries to get its way.

"The economic coercion looks pretty standard, comparable to what China has done in South East Asia and Europe," observes an expert on the subject, Zack Cooper of the American Enterprise Institute in Washington.