Sport, aggressive testing top agenda as national cabinet plots ‘road back’
The game plan for bringing back elite and local sport will be thrashed out at a meeting of federal and state leaders to look at coronavirus restrictions.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison chairs a meeting of national cabinet. (Photo: AAP Image/Alex Ellinghausen)
The death toll in Australia has reached 93, after another resident of the Newmarch aged care home in Western Sydney died.
There have been 6740 recorded cases of the disease.
National cabinet will today also look at plans to aggressively test, trace and contain the disease as Australia embarks on the slow road back to normal life.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison will lead the meeting of premiers and chief ministers, with the principles for sport and recreation set to be a headline issue.
The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee has given advice to national cabinet about elite and community activities.
Chief nursing officer Alison McMillan said the AHPCC had worked alongside the AFL and NRL to provide political leaders with clear information.
“That advice is made based on the understanding of the current restrictions that exist and making sure that the most important thing is protecting the health of Australians,” she told reporters in Canberra on Thursday.
Expanded testing is considered a key goal to trigger lifting restrictions at a national level.
Targeted testing of people without symptoms including frontline health and aged care workers could be the next move with more than 566,000 already screened.
National cabinet will also receive its regular update on coronavirus modelling and the latest figures.
Infection rates have been steadily falling, while the ACT has become the first jurisdiction to eliminate all known cases of coronavirus.
In the NT, where there are just three active cases, major restrictions are set to be lifted when pubs and restaurants reopen on May 15.
WA and Queensland recorded no new cases on Thursday and SA did the same for the eighth day running.
NSW had two new cases and Victoria recorded seven, but Australia continues to squash the rate of infections under distancing measures.
Leaders will also be given an update on mental health measures with a plan to better coordinate services under consideration.
National cabinet will discuss an industry code for aged care, as governments move to ensure people are not isolated beyond the rules.
-AAP
