The Australian death toll from coronavirus has risen to seven after an 81-year-old woman died in hospital last night, following a record surge in new cases.
Meanwhile, bars, cafes and restaurants are bracing for new restrictions on indoor gatherings after the most dramatic day of the outbreak so far, when the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison yesterday announced the country would be closing its borders and Tasmania effectively shut itself off from the rest of the country.
It came as new restrictions were placed on medicine purchases, the Aussie dollar fell to a 17-year low of 55 US cents, the RBA announced an emergency rate cut and national carrier Qantas stood down 20,000 employees amid what CEO Alan Joyce described as a crisis "worse than the GFC".
Australia now has 756 confirmed cases of Covid-19, with 353 in New South Wales, 150 in Victoria, 144 in Queensland, 42 in South Australia, 52 in Western Australia, 10 in Tasmania, four in the Australian Capital Territory and one in the Northern Territory.
