Australia extends coronavirus travel ban a week as death rate surges
A temporary travel ban on all non-Australians travelling from China has been extended for another week as the number of coronavirus deaths surged and infections climbed by almost 15,000.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government had "not taken the decision lightly" but the safety of Australians was his top priority, despite the economic consequences.
"My job is to protect the health of Australians," he said in Canberra on Thursday. "At the moment there is still a lot that is not known about this virus. The only message I have for China is one of sympathy and support."
The original 14-day travel ban will be extended by a week from Saturday, meaning all non-Australian residents – including tourists and students travelling from China - will not be able to enter Australia until at least February 22. Mr Morrison said the ban would be reviewed on a weekly basis.
The announcement comes after the number of coronavirus cases on the Diamond Princess cruise ship jumped to 218. More than 40 new cases were confirmed on Thursday.
The ship had more than 220 Australians on-board when it set sail on January 20. At least twelve of those have contracted the virus and are now being treated in Japanese hospitals. The rest remain in quarantine aboard the ship along with 3500 others in Yokohama. In Australia, the number of cases has remained steady at 15 for the past week.
Employees wear protective masks while carrying vegetables from trucks at a hospital in Wuhan. Credit:Getty
On Thursday, the number of coronavirus deaths surged by 242 in China, double the previous daily record.
The Hubei Health Commission, which has been managing the outbreak in the province at the centre of the COVID-19 epidemic, said it had revised its diagnosis methods and added 14,840 cases overnight.
"Hubei Province has recently conducted investigations on suspected cases and revised the diagnosis results," the Commission said in a statement released on Thursday morning.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had earlier reported a notable rise in cure rates nationwide.
The recovery rates across China rose by between 6.2 and 8.2 per cent by February 12, as compared to a high of 2.6 per cent by 27 January. There were 5123 people reported to have recovered, compared to 1117 deaths as of Wednesday.
"The figures show that treatment measures are starting to produce expected results across the country," the Ministry said.
Hubei province reported on Thursday that 33,693 patients are still being treated in hospitals with at least 1437 critically ill. The government has had to turn gyms and small stadiums into wards in order to treat the influx of patients.
The virus is also continuing to wreak havoc among major events organisers.
About 3700 people are on board the ship, which usually has a crew of 1100 and a passenger capacity of 2670.Credit:Getty
The Chinese Formula 1 Grand Prix, which was scheduled for April 17-19 in Shanghai was postponed on Thursday.
The world's biggest smart phone expo, Mobile World Congress, has also been cancelled. Facebook, Nokia, Amazon, Vodafone and Nokia had all pulled out the event over health and safety concerns.
Up to 100,000 delegates were expected to attend the congress in Barcelona.
In Beijing, President Xi Jinping said China needed to "maintain stable economic operation and social harmony" amid the epidemic.
The former chief of Hubei province, Jian Chaoling, became the Communist Party's highest profile casualty of the crisis on Thursday after he was replaced by Xi loyalist Ying Yong. The Hubei government has been criticised for its slow-response to the crisis when fears were first raised by doctors in December.
The Chinese government has begun implementing a stimulus program to boost economic growth as companies claim force majeure and shops are shuttered.
The virus-induced downturn is forecast to wipe up to 0.5 percentage points off economic growth in Australia in the three months to March.
Australia sends up to 30 per cent of its exports to China. As a share of the total economy, it has the third highest level of exposure to China in the world.