As the day unfolded: Scott Morrison shuts down pubs, gyms and restaurants for six months as COVID-19 cases surpass 335,000 worldwide

Thanks for following along today. Here's what you need to know:

• There are now 1715 cases in Australia
• Around the world, there are now roughly 336,000 cases, and nearly 15,000 deaths.
• The Senate announced this evening that those on Youth Allowance, Austudy and Abstudy will also be included in the government's supplement package
• The NRL has finally announced that it is suspending the season
• All services deemed non-essential - including pubs, clubs, gyms, cinemas and entertainment venues - shut their doors at midday

We'll continue to provide you live coverage of the pandemic tonight and into Tuesday in a new blog, which you can read here.

Mainland China has reported a drop in its daily tally of new coronavirus cases, reversing four straight days of increases, as the capital, Beijing, ramped up measures to contain the number of infections arriving from abroad.

China had 39 new confirmed cases on Sunday, the National Health Commission said, down from 46 a day earlier. All the new ones involved travellers arriving from abroad, many of them Chinese students returning home.

Beijing stepped up measures to contain imported infections, diverting all arriving international flights from Monday to other cities, including Shanghai and as far west as Xian, where passengers will undergo virus screening.

Foreigners who miss international connections as a result of the measure would have to leave China, an immigration official said at the health commission's daily briefing, adding that foreign visitors should "think carefully" before choosing Beijing as a transit point.

AP

The Games are over for this year as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) prepares to announce an extraordinary postponement that will ensure Tokyo 2020 becomes Tokyo 2021.

Amid growing pressure from athletes, sports and Olympic committees, some of which were threatening a boycott should the July Games have gone ahead in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the IOC will announce a postponement that will add to the $22 billion figure it has already cost Japan to stage the event.

Things moved rapidly on Monday. The Canadian Olympic Committee announced it would refuse to send athletes should the July 24 start date remain in place, before the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) told its athletes that it was now untenable to safely assemble a team amid health risks, travel bans and huge disruptions to training.

Read the full story here

The NSW teachers' union will demand further school closures if strict staff safety measures are not met by Tuesday, while parents say they are confused and anxious about how to respond to "mixed messages" about whether to send students to school.

It came as a leading public health expert called for students still at school to have their temperature checked three times a day, and for teachers to be given priority for COVID-19 testing.

After flagging a school shutdown for all but the children of essential workers on Sunday, the NSW government softened its stance on Monday and said while parents would be encouraged to keep their children home, no student would be turned away from school.

Read the full story here

For millions of Australians, rugby league is a beloved fixture of everyday life. In the off-season, fans discuss player signings, the chances for the year ahead. The season starts with great anticipation and each game is eagerly anticipated and scrutinized. Notwithstanding some dubious off-field behaviour, players are idols and role models for thousands of young people.

The standing in which the NRL and its players are held by its fans should have been the overriding factor for the NRL when considering whether their season should continue in face of the coronavirus outbreak. On Monday afternoon, the NRL finally succumbed to the inevitable and suspended its season. It will be a sign to all fans how seriously this pandemic should be taken.

Despite the shutting down of restaurants, casinos and the AFL postponing games until at least the end of May, the NRL had held on until the last possible moment, still intent on playing through the coronavirus epidemic. Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys had said it was important to keep people’s spirits up. “You have got to have some things to make life a little more normal,” he said.

Read the full piece here

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has just told the Senate that people on Youth Allowance, Austudy or Abstudy will now be included in the supplement package, giving them an additional $550 per fortnight.

This follows the earlier announcement that the unemployed will get a $750 payment from March 31, and on April 27 a $550 a fortnight supplement is available for those on the Jobseeker payment.

For nearly 50 years, the Biennale of Sydney has presented some of the most dynamic contemporary art from around the globe in iconic venues across Sydney - but are switching to a digital format from Tuesday onwards.

"The COVID-19 pandemic and potential impact on the safety of our visitors, artists, staff and wider community remains our top priority," a statement from the Biennale read.

"We will continue to adapt and innovate in the face of this global crisis. Our doors close across Sydney, and they will open online – for everyone, everywhere across the world."

The Biennale will work with Google to create a virtual exhibit with live content, virtual walk-throughs, podcasts, interactive Q&As, curated tours and artist takeovers.

"We look forward to welcoming you back to the physical exhibition when our government authorities deem it safe to reopen."