Three new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Western Australia, with one still active.

Health Minister Roger Cook says two are historical cases related to cruise ships while the third is a 43-year-old Romanian technical engineer who flew in on an Emirates flight as part of a maritime crew swap-over.

Cook says the man is the 20th case identified from a July 1 flight from Dubai.

“It does give you some cause for concern about what happened on that particular flight,” he told reporters.

“What I’m comforted by is the strong quarantining arrangements we have for people coming in on international flights, so I’m not worried about the public health risk.”

‘Hard’ border

He said the importance of the state’s “hard” border was highlighted by a 45-year-old West Australian man who flew in from Victoria and was one of Friday’s two confirmed cases, combined with a Victorian fly-in fly-out worker who allegedly flaunted quarantine rules and flew directly to a Pilbara mine site earlier this month.

WA is now immediately testing the few workers granted an exemption to travel to the state from NSW and Victoria, as soon as they land.

And from 11.59pm on Sunday, the criteria for exemptions for people from NSW is being tightened to match those for Victoria.

Only certain senior government officials, certain active military personnel, a federal MP or their staff, people carrying out functions under commonwealth laws, anyone requested by the chief health officer and transport, freight and logistics workers will be allowed to enter WA.

Cook said the state government understood the measures were inconvenient and distressing for some West Australians who wanted to return home but could not.

“We understand these are tough decisions and we don’t take them lightly,” he said.

“It is judged on a case-by-case basis.

“We understand that these tight arrangements will capture people who would otherwise, you would think, have a reasonable case to enter the state.”

Strict regime

On the FIFO worker, who reportedly tested negative after not honestly answering his employer’s questionnaire, Cook said the resources industry was doing a great job running a strict regime.

“We’ll obviously have to remonstrate and make sure that we don’t have that situation again, particularly with this worker,” he said.

“But obviously the fact that he was caught and we were able to intercept him before he became a danger to any of his colleagues is a testament to the systems that we have in place.”

Reiterating it was inevitable WA would experience a second wave, Cook said he was comfortable with 30,000 spectators attending the AFL western derby on Sunday as there was room for distancing.

The Department of Health has reported one new case of COVID-19 overnight, and two historical cases, bringing the State’s total to 651.

The new case is an overseas traveller in hotel quarantine.

The two historical cases were based on serology testing and linked to cruise ship travel. Each of these cases spent 14 days in quarantine and were cleared in April.

There are now 25 active COVID-19 cases in Western Australia – all in hotel quarantine.

To date, 617 people have recovered from the virus in WA.

Yesterday 640 people presented to WA COVID-19 clinics – 617 were assessed and 611 were swabbed.

Visit WA Health’s HealthyWA website for the latest information on COVID-19.

Note: Updated testing numbers will be made available on Monday.

The Department of Health has reported three new active cases of COVID-19 overnight, bringing the State’s total to 630.

The new cases are returned overseas travellers currently in hotel quarantine. Two are returning Western Australians and one is from interstate.

There are now 19 active COVID-19 cases in Western Australia – all in hotel quarantine.

To date, 602 people have recovered from the virus in WA.

Yesterday 488 people presented to WA COVID-19 clinics – 462 were assessed and 459 were swabbed.

To date there have been 204,929 COVID-19 tests performed in WA. Of those tested, 35,599 were from regional WA.

Visit WA Health’s HealthyWA for the latest information on COVID-19. 

Fremantle faces a ticketing juggling act after it was announced the crowd for next week’s clash with West Coast at Optus Stadium will be restricted to 30,000.

The western derby was set to become a 60,000-seat sellout after the West Australian state government announced it would further ease coronavirus restrictions on July 18 - the day before the game.

But those plans have since been scrapped due to the worsening situation in Victoria.

It means WA will remain in phase four of restrictions - allowing only half the stadium to be full.

It’s believed about 40,000 tickets had already been sold before ticket sales were put on hold earlier this week.

It means about 10,000 people who already bought tickets will no longer be able to attend, given the capacity will now be capped at 30,000.

Fremantle, who are the home team, are yet to announce how they plan to allocate tickets for the match.

“As I said when we first announced phase five, we would only introduce it under the watchful eye of our health experts,” WA Premier Mark McGowan said.

“Today we were provided with the latest health advice and that health advice is clear.

“Given the number of people in hotel quarantine and the situation in Victoria worsening, there is an increased risk of the virus spreading (here in WA).

“I realise it won’t be popular with some people and I understand in particular with the Eagles/Dockers game there will be some problems.

“It will have to be managed by the football clubs and we will work with them to manage it as best as they can.

“This is a small price to pay to put in place precautions to protect our citizens.”

The McGowan government has announced strict new regulations preventing arrivals into the state from Victoria.

From midnight Thursday, no-one will be allowed into WA if they have been in Victoria in the past 14 days.

Exemptions will be reduced significantly, meaning only transport, freight, logistics and other essential services approved by the Chief Health Officer will be allowed to enter WA.

WA Police will perform border checks under the state of emergency declaration.

“People arriving from Victoria or who have travelled from Victoria … are under a much stricter regime even though 98 per cent of all arrivals (from the east) into WA have already stopped,” WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said on Thursday.

“Persons who have been allowed into WA including from Victoria have been very tight for quite some months, from midnight tonight it will be much tighter.”

All arrivals into WA from Victoria will have to undergo mandatory COVID-19 testing and could face fines of up to $5000 if they refuse.

“Everyone permitted to enter will be served with notice if they have been in Victoria within the last 14 days and will need to take a COVID test on day 11 while in WA or when symptoms develop,” Health Minister Roger Cook Cook said.

“Police will continue to perform checks on people in self-quarantine.”

Anyone arriving in WA from Victoria without a valid exemption will be turned away.

WA is also extending its state of emergency for another 14 days, until July 23.

Dawson said the date was likely to be extended further, given the situation in other parts of the country.

“We are not immune from this virus,” he said.

“It’s for the public safety of everyone.”

Three new cases

WA has recorded three new cases of COVID-19 overnight, Cook confirmed on Thursday.

All three are returning overseas travellers, two from Dubai and one from Sudan.

“We feel deeply for everyone in Victoria and what they are going through,” Cook said.

He said the spike in Victorian infections showed how “dangerous and unpredictable” the virus was.

“WA has been lucky to get back to living in a COVID-safe way,” he said.

Overseas travellers

There has been a gradual increase in returning overseas travellers as people see WA as a “desirable safe haven” from the virus, Cook said.

There are currently 1,507 people in hotel quarantine, but that number was expected to rise to 2,000 by the weekend.

Cook said a new advertising campaign would be launched to remind people of the measures they should undertake to prevent the spread of the virus.

“Now is not the time for complacency,” he said.

The Department of Health has reported three new active cases of COVID-19 overnight, bringing the State’s total to 627.

The new cases are returned overseas travellers currently in hotel quarantine. Two are returning Western Australians and one is from interstate.

There are now 16 active COVID-19 cases in Western Australia, all in hotel quarantine.

To date, 602 people have recovered from the virus in WA.

Yesterday 586 people presented to WA COVID-19 clinics – 569 were assessed and 567 were swabbed.

To date there have been 203,091 COVID-19 tests performed in WA. Of those tested, 35,281 were from regional WA.

Visit WA Health’s HealthyWA for the latest information on COVID-19.

Suddenly losing your job is unsettling at any time, but it's especially scary during the coronavirus pandemic.

With the unemployment rate likely to skyrocket, COVID-19 is turning out to be an economic wrecking ball.

"Almost every company and almost every sector has been hurt, so it really makes this a very, very different experience for the job seeker," says David Lewis, founder and CEO of OperationsInc, a Norwalk, Connecticut-based human resources consultancy with more than 1,000 clients in 50 states.

"The last thing a job seeker wants to hear in a normal economy is be patient, and it’s the best advice I can start off with for someone who is finding themselves unemployed in this market."

Still, there are you suddenly find yourself unemployed.

File for unemployment benefits

Unemployment insurance is a collaboration between the federal government and state governments to help provide some compensation to people who are trying to get a job but can't find one. As soon as you lose your job, contact your state's unemployment insurance program to begin the process. Visit this page to get started.

The good news is that bipartisan legislation making its way swiftly through Congress is likely to increase average weekly unemployment compensation by about $600 for four months. 

Lost a gig? A new option is on the way

So-called "gig economy" workers, such as Uber drivers and freelance contractors, are typically not eligible for unemployment insurance. But a new program in the federal legislation, if passed, would provide unprecedented jobless benefits to self-employed workers and contractors.

Stay tuned for details on how to sign up for these benefits, but there's a good chance you'll do so through the typical unemployment insurance program in your state.

Coronavirus’ full economic impact is yet to be seen but workers are already preparing themselves for possible quarantine measures.

Australians are madly stocking up on supplies in case the disease forces them into a two week isolation.

Meanwhile government and businesses are trying to find the best ways to support affected employees in case it’s no longer safe or viable for them to work.

Not all jobs have the same exposure to coronavirus however, and workers in some industries are more susceptible to its economic impacts than others.

James Caldwell, senior industry analyst with IBISWorld, told The New Daily which five industries face the greatest risks.

Number 1: Airlines

Demand for flights has plummeted since coronavirus first started infecting tourists, and government travel restrictions have further weighed on that.

Qantas has already scaled back its number of flights, forcing 2000 surplus workers to take paid leave if they want to receive an income in the intervening time.

Fortunately for employees in this industry, Mr Caldwell said, there are several factors which could protect their jobs in the long run.

“Staff in this industry are highly unionised and they have a lot of benefits,” he said.

“They don’t have a lot of casual workers, plus, when this virus ends these workers are going to be needed and it’s very expensive to hire in this industry.”

These features mean airline staff are less likely to lose their jobs if the pandemic becomes a prolonged issue.

Number 2: Freight and transport

“Australia is a trading nation, and China is Australia’s biggest trading partner,” Mr Caldwell said.

That’s a big problem for the people moving goods between the two nations as the disease has caused many Chinese factories to close.

With few goods in need of transportation, demand for drivers has fallen.

Luckily, a recent fall in oil prices means freight businesses will have a little extra money to hand, reducing the likelihood of lay-offs.

Australian imports from China (2017)

Number 3: Retail

Australia’s retail sector is already in the midst of a so-called ‘apocalypse’ and coronavirus is tapped to make things worse.

“This outbreak has had a big impact on consumer confidence and there’s a lot of talk about a recession,” Mr Caldwell said.

“If we enter a recession, people are going to cut back on discretionary spending and that can really only harm the retail industry.”

Worryingly, many workers in the retail sector are employed on a casual basis and have no access to paid sick leave.

Mr Caldwell added that casual workers can also be “dispatched at the drop of a hat”.

“We’d see job layoffs there,” he said.

Number 4: Hotels

The summer bushfires took an axe to the tourism sector, and now coronavirus threatens to pour salt in those still-fresh wounds.

“With the bushfires this year, Australian tourism has already contracted and now there are travel bans in place on a list of countries,” Mr Caldwell said.

“If these travel bans are extended further, we’ll probably see the closure of hotels or at least job layoffs.”

Many hotel staff are also employed on a casual basis, and face similar challenges to retail workers.

Number 5: Restaurants

Eating out might be a nice way to spend an evening, but it’s an expense Australians are expected to cut back on as talk of a recession builds.

As consumers tighten their belts staff employed in the restaurant world will feel the squeeze, Mr Caldwell said.

Like retail and hotel workers, many of the hard-working Australians employed by these businesses are casual staff.

Wednesday,25 March 2020 

The World Health Organisation says it is seeing a “very large acceleration” in coronavirus infections in the United States that had the potential of becoming the new epicentre.

During the past 24 hours, 85 per cent of new cases were from Europe and the United States, WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told reporters on Tuesday.

Of those, 40 per cent were from the United States.

Harris said the US was “seeing a very large acceleration in cases”.

When asked whether the United States could become the new epicentre, she said: “it does have that potential”.

“(The United States) have a very large outbreak and an outbreak that is increasing in intensity.”

Overall, the global outbreak was accelerating very rapidly and she expected large increases in case numbers and deaths from the 334,981 cases and 14,510 deaths reported.

Information for parents regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

We are acting on the advice of the WA Department of Health to take the necessary precautions for schools and staff.

All Western Australian public schools are being supported by the Department of Education to implement a plan in relation to COVID-19.

Changes to public school learning from Monday 30 March 2020

The State Government has announced new learning arrangements in Western Australian public schools will be introduced to help manage the COVID-19 pandemic.

To assist our students, teachers and parents, from Monday March 30 to Friday April 3, all children who attend school will continue to be taught. Staff will continue to be present to ensure this can occur.

However, we encourage families to keep their children at home if they can access online or other resources for their education to continue.

Children of parents who need their children to attend school to enable them to maintain employment, and those children in vulnerable families, such as children living with grandparents, are encouraged to continue to attend school.

Teachers and education assistants will use the time between Monday 6 to Thursday 9 April to complete professional development to prepare for Term 2. For children who need to attend school during these four days, arrangements will be in place to allow students to continue to attend school and be supervised.

Independent and Catholic schools will introduce their own suitable arrangements.

Work will continue during the school holidays on developing a longer term education model for Term 2 and beyond in response to COVID-19.

School closures

If there was to be a confirmed COVID-19 case at a school, the decision to close a school is based on the expert advice from the WA Health Department’s Chief Health Officer.

The Chief Health Officer will, if there has been a positive COVID-19 test result in a school, close the school temporarily while assessment and tracing of exposure is conducted. A thorough school clean will then be carried out to make the school safe for the return of students and staff.

In this situation, all families will be immediately contacted by the school and provided with the relevant information.

Travel

All non-essential travel in and out of Western Australia will be banned from 1.30pm on Tuesday, 24 March 2020.

New restrictions and arrival requirements to travel to Western Australia from other Australian States and Territories in response to COVID-19 will apply unless exempted.

Arrivals from overseas and interstate will now be ordered to self-isolate for 14 days.

Parents/carers must notify their school that their child will be absent from school for the isolation period and confirm the date of arrival into Western Australia.

Students do not require a medical certificate or clearance to return to school but must remain at home until 14 days.

Curriculum support

The Learning at home website is now available and resources will continue to be added over the coming weeks.

Updates will be provided as any new information becomes available. Please check back regularly to ensure the information you have is up to date.

The Department of Education, Catholic Education Western Australia and the Association of Independent Schools of Western Australia will continue to respond as a collaborative team to advice from the WA Department of Health and provide updated advice to schools and staff as appropriate.

For more information

• WA Department of Health: www.healthywa.wa.gov.au/coronavirus
• Call the Coronavirus Health Information Line on 1800 020 080
• For general or travel related queries about coronavirus please go to the healthdirect website.
• Visit the Australian Department of Health website or details about the novel coronavirus.
• You can also visit the World Health Organisation website for more information about coronavirus and for updates.
• Telethon Institute for Kids - Tips for discussing coronavirus with your kids

School students will not face national literacy and numeracy testing in 2020 because of the spread of coronavirus.

Education ministers made the decision to bin the NAPLAN tests at a meeting on Friday. The exams were scheduled for May.

The ministers said cancellation would help teachers and principals "focus on the wellbeing of students and continuity of education, including potential online and remote learning".

"Further, the impact of responses to the COVID-19 virus may affect the delivery of NAPLAN testing, including the operation of centralised marking centres and the implications for nationally comparable data if an insufficient number of students are available to do the test," they said in a statement.

But they reiterated the strong medical advice that schools should remain open for now.

"Education departments and systems will continue to closely monitor health advice and work with schools to ensure appropriate support for students and staff as the response to COVID-19 develops," they said.

The cancellation also means testing of the expanded online NAPLAN platform, supposed to start next week, now won't happen.

In 2019, the first widespread trial of NAPLAN online was plagued by technical issues, with many students unable to complete their tests first go.

Some states have questioned the usefulness of NAPLAN, with NSW, Queensland and Victoria reviewing whether the standardised testing gives parents and teachers diagnostic information in the most efficient way.

But federal Education Minister Dan Tehan has previously defended it, saying the tests did provide valuable information.

How long are schools likely to be closed?

The short answer is indefinitely.

Schools in England, Wales and Scotland will close on Friday afternoon. Schools in Northern Ireland will be closed from Monday.

Most are effectively closing two weeks before the Easter holidays start, but it is not clear whether they will re-open for the summer term.

England's Education Secretary Gavin Williamson says schools will be closed "until further notice".

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said she cannot guarantee that schools in Scotland will re-open before September.

It will depend to a large extent on the effectiveness of measures to reduce the spread of the outbreak.

Deputy chief medical officer Jenny Harries said school closures were necessary to reduce social contact throughout society and hence the spread of the virus.

So will every school be completely closed?

No. Some schools will be kept open with a skeleton staff to provide support for the children of key workers. A list of who this covers is to be released later today, but it is expected to include NHS staff, police and food delivery drivers.

Schools will also be asked to help those most in need - for example, children who receive free school meals and those with special educational needs or education health care plans.

But it is not yet clear which schools will be the ones to provide these services.

Mr Williamson said in England the aim would be to provide support in school for an estimated 10% of pupils.

Teaching unions are supportive of the plans, but say they want to see more details of the plans urgently.

The government says it's also asking nurseries and private schools to close, and will provide financial support if needed.

What will happen about exams?

In England and in Wales, all exams in May and June have been cancelled, including GCSEs and A-levels as well as England's primary school national curriculum tests, known as Sats.

Mr Williamson told the Commons on Wednesday: "I can confirm we will not go ahead with assessments or exams and that we will not be publishing performance tables for this academic year.

"We will work with the sector and [the exams watchdog] Ofqual to ensure children get the qualifications that they need."

More details will be released on England's plans on Friday.

Scotland and Northern Ireland will announce a decision on exams in the days to come.

How will children be assessed instead?

Exams watchdogs have been working together for some time to look at alternative arrangements.

These may include:

• using predicted grades
• teacher assessments
• looking at coursework
• considering other evidence of candidate performance

It is likely the exam boards and individual exams regulators across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will agree a uniform system to ensure comparability.

With regard to offers of university places, Universities UK - the vice-chancellors' organisation - suggested universities may honour the offers already made on the basis of predicted grades.

What does this mean for Parents?

For many working parents, the closures will mean huge childcare issues (this was one of the reasons why the government delayed closures as long as possible).

Some may need to take time off work, raising concerns that some families will struggle financially.

Head teachers have told the BBC that they have been making plans to continue teaching and supporting pupils during the closure, using social media and technologies such as Google Classroom and Maths Watch.

In many other countries across Europe, schools were closed earlier on in the outbreak.

The UK's reluctance to follow suit was based on information that children are not as vulnerable to coronavirus as adults.

There were also fears about elderly relatives - the group most at risk from the virus - from being called upon to provide childcare.

However, head teachers have been struggling with the growing number of staff who have taken time off because they are ill, have underlying health conditions or are self-isolating.

Many individual schools had already been closing their doors, or sending certain year groups home.