LATEST NEWS ABOUT COVID-19:
NUMBERS
* Confirmed cases in Australia: 3635, up 15 per cent in a day and double the total from four-and-a-half days ago
* NSW is the worst hit with 1617, after 212 new cases were confirmed.
* Victoria had its largest daily increase (111) to 685
* Qld on 625 while SA and WA together have 565.
* Australian deaths: 14 (eight in NSW, three in Vic, two in WA, one in Qld)
* 85 per cent of cases acquired overseas or by contact with case from overseas
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MEASURES
* Australians returning home from overseas will be quarantined for two weeks in hotels before being allowed home
* Borders closed in Queensland, Tasmania, SA, NT and WA. Freight and essential travel excepted
* Tasmania and SA has banned gatherings of more than 10 people
* Non-essential travel should cease
* Australians, excluding aid workers and compassionate travel cases, are banned from international travel
* A limited number of international rescue flights for stranded Australians
* Still open: supermarkets, pharmacies, banks, public transport, some schools, hairdressers, petrol stations, postal and freight services, bottle shops, newsagents, retail shops. Restaurants restricted to take-away/delivery in most states
* Closed: schools in Victoria and ACT, gyms, indoor sports venues, pubs, cinemas, nightclubs, casinos, places of worship, theme parks, auction houses, food courts in shopping centres, beauty therapy, tanning, waxing, nail salons, spas and tattoo parlours, galleries, museums, libraries, youth centres, community halls, clubs, RSL clubs, swimming pools, amusement parks, arcades, indoor and outdoor play centres, social sports that involve large groups, outdoor and indoor markets
* School holidays in Queensland, SA and WA also brought forward with only children of parents who have essential jobs allowed to stay
* Funerals are limited to no more than 10 people, but states can provide exemptions; weddings restricted to the couple, celebrant and two witnesses
* All elective surgery in public facilities put on hold
* Testing extended to include anyone with a fever or acute respiratory infection who works in health care or aged care, lives in areas with an elevated risk of community transmission, or where there are two or more plausibly linked cases
* All patients will be able to access Medicare-funded online consultations from next week
* 292 Norwegian Jewel cruise ship passengers being quarantined in Sydney CBD hotel for two weeks
* People flouting social distancing, isolation or quarantine orders faces fines of $1000 or more in most states.
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KEY QUOTE
* "Stay home unless you absolutely need to go out ... if you congregate in groups of more than 10, you'll be committing an offence." - Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein
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SPORT
* Wimbledon organisers will consider cancelling the tennis tournament in an emergency meeting next week
* A Newcastle Jets player became the first professional footballer in Australia to test positive
* The AFL, NRL, A-league soccer, Super Rugby and netball competitions postponed
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ECONOMICS
* Struggling regional airlines were promised $198 million and offered an additional $100 million if needed.
* Federal Parliament has passed two packages worth $17.6 billion and $66 billion in response to the outbreak of the virus
* South Australia announces a new $650 million support package for key industries and local businesses to help save jobs
* Tasmania will double its state government stimulus package to $1 billion to support local businesses.
* NSW has launched a second round of economic stimulus measures worth $750 million
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GLOBAL CORONAVIRUS
* Cases: more than 598,032 (+65,000 in 24 hours)
* Deaths: more than 27,371 (+3300)
* Recovered: at least 133,300 (+9000)
*Source: Australian Department of Health website at 1800 March 28 and worldometer website at 0700 GMT
Australian Associated Press
