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Summary
- The global death toll from coronavirus has passed 343,000. There are more than 5.3 million known cases of infection but more than 2.1 million people have recovered, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally
- In Australia, the death toll stands at 102 and there have been a total of 7106 cases. The ACT, South Australia, Northern Territory and Tasmania have not reported a new case for more than a week
- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has defended his most powerful adviser, Dominic Cummings, insisting he will remain in his role despite allegations he breached Britain's lockdown laws
- The Morrison government is being urged to overhaul its JobKeeper program to focus on jobs in the tourism and recreation sectors when the wage subsidy scheme ends as questions grow over how Treasury overestimated its cost by $60 billion
- Children in NSW and Queensland will return to school full-time today, after more than two months of remote learning. The ACT and Tasmania will begin a part-time return to classrooms today, with Victoria following suit tomorrow
Latest updates
Sydney's commuters slowly return to Bondi Junction
By Tom Rabe
Many buses in Sydney's eastern suburbs were running relatively uncrowded around 8am, but Bondi Junction station was beginning to fill up by 8.30 with commuters and students.
Crowds of students were being ushered by specially marked transport security staff.
Commuters at Bondi Junction on Monday morning.Credit:Tom Rabe
Rob Mayer, who has owned Coffee Express at Bondi Junction station for 25 years said he had noticed an increase in business this morning.
Mr Mayer said while tradespeople had been the only people funnelling through the platforms for months, he had spotted more business people getting onto trains on Monday.
He said his business had dropped by more than 80 per cent during the coronavirus lockdown, but was optimistic Monday was a turning point.
“I’m optimistic that more people are going back to work but I don’t think it’ll go back to what it was until maybe spring,” Mr Mayer said.
WATCH: Queensland Premier gives a coronavirus update
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was due to give a coronavirus update at 9am. It is now looking like it will be closer to 9.20am.
Victorians told to 'play it safe' with upcoming eased restrictions
By Rachel Eddie
Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos has been on radio station 3AW to speak about the upcoming relaxation of lockdown rules.
She said it was "fantastic to be in this position" to allow playgrounds to reopen from tomorrow, with some school students also returning to the classroom.
"This has been because Victorians have made huge sacrifices and I acknowledge that. People have overwhelmingly done the right thing," Ms Mikakos said.
"We did the massive testing program to see the extent of community transmission in Victoria and we're really pleased with the results."
From next Monday there will be another easing of the rules, with overnight stays and up to 20 sit-in diners allowed at cafes and restaurants.
Ms Mikakos said the public needed to continue maintaining hygiene, physical distancing and working from home where possible.
"Play it safe," she said. "We still have a long way to go, and I need to stress that."
"We still want to emphasise to people the virus is still out there, it's highly contagious, people can still catch it.
Ms Mikakos said the government was working closely with the hospitality sector to ensure sit-in dining would not cause a spike in cases.
There will be enforcement of the rules, but she hoped that everyone would cooperate.
"It's just so easy to spread. Let's not forget this started with one case, we've now got 5 million [worldwide]."
Ms Mikakos repeated calls for office workers to stay at home where possible, to avoid crowding public transport, lobbies, lifts, and shared bathrooms and kitchens.
She did not provide an update on coronavirus cases, which we'll expect later this morning.
India's migrant exodus spreads coronavirus to hinterlands
India has incrementally relaxed its lockdown since May 1 to boost its ailing economy. This has made it easier for 40 million stranded migrant labourers to return home from the cities.
Not only did they take their meagre belongings with them, but many are carrying coronavirus to India's vulnerable rural hinterlands, where healthcare provision is some of the worst in the world, the UK Telegraph reports.
Migrant workers walk to board a special train to return to Agra in Uttar Pradesh state, during a nationwide lockdown.Credit:AP
Few take advantage of Sydney's commuter parking
By Matt O'Sullivan
It seems many Sydneysiders are still choosing to work from home despite the relaxation of restrictions.
That or they don’t know about a temporary car park near the Sydney Cricket Ground at Moore Park, which the government has provided for people working in the CBD.
At 8.10am today, just four cars were parked on the grassed area which has room for up to 940 cars.
People who park there can catch a tram from a light rail stop nearby or shuttle buses into the city.
Across the other side of Anzac Parade, many parents were dropping their children off at Sydney Boys High by car.
JobKeeper blunder 'biggest error ever made in a budget': Labor
By Max Koslowski
Shadow Treasurer Jim Chalmers has said the $60 billion overestimate on JobKeeper's cost has hurt hundreds of thousands of workers who have either missed out on benefits or withdrawn superannuation as a result.
"This is the biggest error ever made in a budget by any government at any time in Australia's history," Mr Chalmers told Radio National this morning.
"It is catastrophic for hundreds of thousands of Australian workers who were excluded from the scheme on the basis it was full," he added.
Labor's Treasury spokesman urged the federal government to include sectors such as the arts and entertainment industry which was initially excluded from the program, and also argued that the scheme had failed its original objective.
"The objective of this program - to keep as many people attached to their employer as possible - is not being met," he said.
He warned that as a result more Australians were accessing their superannuation early under the federal government's early access withdrawal scheme, and more people were receiving JobSeeker than should be.
"Ministers are responsible for stuff-ups of this magnitude," Mr Chalmers said. "[Treasurer Josh Frydenberg] should take responsibility for this."
Three new cases of coronavirus recorded across Australia
There have been just three new cases of coronavirus recorded across the country overnight.
Speaking on Sunrise this morning, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Nick Coatsworth gave the stat, saying Australia was in the position to bring schools back and increase public transport capacity.
"The asymptomatic character has been a concern for this whole pandemic, but that just emphasises the importance of good hand hygiene, keeping your distance and, of course, downloading the app so we can help those disease detectives if we do perchance come in touch with someone who's had COVID-19," he said.
With no 'target spend', JobKeeper 'working as intended': Cormann
By Max Koslowski
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann has told Radio National the JobKeeper program does not have a target spend, and so should not now cover industries such as the arts after the scheme's $60 billion underspend.
Senator Cormann's comments come after Prime Minister Scott Morrison yesterday accepted ultimate responsibility for the $60 billion bungle, which he described as an "administrative error" leading to a situation similar to an underspend on building a house.
"The JobKeeper program is working as intended," Senator Cormann said.
"I reject this proposition that the initial estimate, taken at a different time in a rapidly evolving situation, was somehow a ceiling or cap or target - it was none of these things."
Treasury estimated the federal government would need to spend $130 billion on JobKeeper before what they described as a "significant error" in the estimate meant the $1500 a fortnight subsidy towards the wages of enrolled workers would only go to 3.5 million people and cost $70 billion over a six-month period.
Senator Cormann said the underspend did not mean the program should now be expanded to sectors that were left out, such as the arts and entertainment industry and universities, as well as visa holders.
"Anyone who is here on a temporary visa is expected to support themselves either through work or their savings," he said.
"If they cannot support themselves they're expected to go home. This blanket proposition that the arts are not able to participate is just not true."
The end of the 8am Berejiklian update?
If something is feeling a little bit off about your morning in NSW, it could be this: today is the first Monday morning in about three months that we have not woken up with an 8am coronavirus briefing.
Of all the state and territory leaders, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has been the most consistent in her briefings, fronting the press at 8am every Monday to Friday to deliver the day's stats and announcements, with the state's weekend briefings performed by a swing cast.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard announced yesterday that the state's briefings would become a bit more sporadic as the coronavirus crisis eased.
For those hankering for a premier presser, fear not: we have Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk up at 9am.
US bans immigration from Brazil
The US will restrict the entry of non-US citizens arriving from Brazil, where coronavirus cases are spiking, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Sunday.
The order begins at 11.59pm on Thursday, and the entry of all foreigners who've been in Brazil over a 14-day period before their arrival into the US will be halted, McEnany said in a statement.
The restrictions, foreshadowed earlier on Sunday by National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien, don't apply to the flow of commerce between the US and Brazil.
If you're curious, here is the case and death toll data from each country:
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2020-05-24 23:07:00Z
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