Australians should avoid all non-essential travel, including interstate and longer distances across the country, as Prime Minister Scott Morrison warns more restrictions from state and territory governments will be “inevitable”.
Mr Morrison said on Sunday that any sort of travel that is not part of someone’s normal life, such as going to the shops or to work, should be avoided to stop the spread of coronavirus.
“We will give you as many rules as we can and as many guidelines but we need you to think carefully about what you are doing and your behaviour and the impact it has on others,” Mr Morrison said.
“This is incredibly important. It is not just about each of us individually but the person standing next to us, the person who lives across the road, the elderly resident in the same apartment building as you or whatever you might be.”
“We are simply appealing to people to show common sense, to respect each other, and do the right thing when it comes to following these very simple rules,” Mr Morrison said.
“But inevitably, and I suspect soon, there will be need for in particular locations more extreme measures to be taken. And that is exactly why I took the decision to bring forward the next meeting of the national cabinet from Tuesday evening to this evening, where those specific issues will be managed.”
Australia closed its borders to all non-residents last week for six months. Tasmania has imposed new measures for non-essential visitors requiring them to self-quarantine for 14 days.
Mr Morrison said he would work closely with sporting codes like the AFL and NRL alongside state and territory health authorities, saying it “may be possible” for games to still go ahead.
The government is also contingency planning for how to go about its business in the months ahead, with Mr Morrison saying it “may not be physically possible to convene the Parliament over the next six months”.