PM says COVID-19 tracking app won’t be mandatory
Scott Morrison has clarified the app to help trace people who have been in contact with a coronavirus case will not be mandatory.
It comes as an elderly man died from COVID-19 in Tasmania, taking the state's toll to eight and the national toll to 69.
Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein on Saturday confirmed the 74-year-old died at the Northwest Regional Hospital.
Taking to Twitter on Saturday, the prime minister said the government will be seeking the "cooperation and support" of Australians to download the app to help health workers, protect the community and help get the economy going again.
"The App we are working on to help our health workers trace people who have been in contact with the coronavirus will not be mandatory," Mr Morrison tweeted.
In an interview on Friday the prime minister appeared not to rule out making the software mandatory if not enough Australians signed up to make it effective, drawing howls of protests from Labor and others.
Meanwhile, Victoria recorded 17 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the state's total to 1319. There are around 6550 cases nationally and 69 deaths.
In NSW, there have now been 28 deaths after two more were confirmed in the 24 hours leading up to Friday evening, with there now 2,936 total cases in the state.
Six people have died in Queensland from the virus and there is a total of 1014 cases.
In Queensland, the state government has offered cash-strapped airline Virgin Australia $200 million having been so far unsuccessful in its request for a $1.4 billion loan from the Morrison government.
The App we are working on to help our health workers trace people who have been in contact with coronavirus will not be mandatory.
— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) April 18, 2020
Queensland State Development Minister Cameron Dick says it is imperative Australia has two airlines to support tourism, jobs and regional investment.
"If we're going to get through this pandemic with two national airlines ... then all governments need to come together to ensure that is the case," he told reporters in Brisbane on Saturday.
Mr Dick said Queensland's support was conditional on debt restructuring, shareholders and bondholders doing their bit.
More broadly, current restrictions to curb the spread of coronavirus will remain in place for at least another four weeks.
Australia's deputy chief medical officer Paul Kelly says easing restrictions is a matter of finding a balance between the biggest benefit with the least amount of risk.
"I would imagine that starting small and building up would be the principle that would be taken there," he told reporters in Canberra on Friday.
"Cafes and restaurants and so forth are an important part of our social fabric and so we'd certainly be looking closely at that."
The government has set three main benchmarks which must be met before any changes to restrictions are made.
They are a broader testing regime, better contact tracing and greater capacity to respond to local outbreaks.
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