LATEST NEWS ABOUT COVID-19:
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NUMBERS
* More than 6447 Australians have caught the virus and about 57 per cent of them have recovered.
* The number of infections worldwide has passed two million
* Australian deaths: 63 (26 in NSW, 14 in Vic, four in Qld, six in WA, six in Tas, three in ACT, four in SA). 19 were passengers on the Ruby Princess.
* 22 charges laid by Queensland police for racially motivated attacks on Chinese Australians
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MEASURES
* The federal government has unveiled a $500 million loan fund to help struggling exporters under pressure from the coronavirus pandemic.
* A $28 million mental health fund will help Queenslanders made vulnerable during the crisis.
* The Victorian government extended its state of emergency for another four weeks to midnight on May 11.
* Australian media companies suffering from advertising declines during the coronavirus crisis will receive tax relief and a share of $50 million in government grants.
* The Tasmanian government has closed two hospitals at the centre of an outbreak in the state's northwest. About 5000 people have been placed into quarantine for two weeks.
* The Victorian government has announced a $500 million relief package to help tenants struggling to pay rent due to the coronavirus and a ban on them being evicted.
* The federal government has pledged $16 million for food relief providers in a $100m package for Australian charities.
* It had already committed $320 billion, or 16.4 per cent of gross domestic product, to combat the virus' health and economic effects.
* A $130 billion JobKeeper scheme will provide coronavirus-affected businesses $1500 a fortnight to pass onto employees over six months.
* All Australians must continue practising social distancing and stay at home unless going out for essentials or exercise.
* Australians returning home from overseas must be quarantined for two weeks in hotels or other accommodation before being allowed home.
* Australians, excluding aid workers and compassionate cases, are banned from international travel.
* Still open: supermarkets, pharmacies, banks, public transport, some schools, hairdressers, petrol stations, postal and freight services, bottle shops, newsagents, retail shops. Restaurants restricted to takeaway/delivery in most states.
* Closed: gyms, indoor sports venues, pubs, cinemas, nightclubs, casinos, places of worship, theme parks, auction houses, food courts in shopping centres, beauty therapy, tanning, waxing, nail salons, spas and tattoo parlours, galleries, museums, libraries, youth centres, community halls, clubs, RSL clubs, swimming pools, amusement parks, arcades, indoor and outdoor play centres, social sports that involve large groups, outdoor and indoor markets, outdoor playgrounds, outdoor gyms, skate parks.
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KEY QUOTE
* "They should google Italy, the United Kingdom, New York - any of these countries will do - Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, and look at the horror show that's happening there and ask themselves the same question" - Prime Minister Scott Morrison on people questioning if the hit to Australia's economy is worth the health gains.
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OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
* Eminent Sydney barrister Bret Walker SC - who recently led Cardinal George Pell's successful criminal appeal - will investigate the Ruby Princess cruise debacle in a special commission of inquiry established by the NSW government on Wednesday.
* Australia's jobless rate is expected to reach an average of 7.6 per cent in 2020 and 8.9 in 2021.
* Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will speak with finance ministers and central bankers from the world's largest economises at a G20 meeting
* Police are investigating rumours a coronavirus outbreak of 49 cases in northwest Tasmania has been linked to an "illegal dinner party" of medical workers.
* Qantas and Virgin are closing in on a multi-million dollar deal with the federal government to support flights between capital cities.
* Australians could soon have their mobile phones tracked using applications which monitor people with coronavirus.
* The prime minister has berated the World Health Organisation for supporting China's decision to reopen live animal markets, considered the source of the COVID-19 outbreak.
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SPORT
* The NRL plans to restart its competition on May 28, but Sport Minister Richard Colbeck says the date is probably "a bit ambitious".
* Tour de France organisers plan to start the French cycling race in August after President Emmanuel Macron said big public events will be halted until mid-July.
* FIFA is considering postponing the restart of all international football matches to 2021 due to the coronavirus.
* The AFL, NRL, A-League, Super Rugby and Super Netball competitions are postponed.
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ECONOMICS
* The S&P/ASX200 benchmark index finished Wednesday down 21.4 points, or 0.39 per cent, to 5,466.7 points while the All Ordinaries index closed down 19.2 points, or 0.35 per cent, to 5,523.3.
* The head of the IMF predicts the virus will trigger the worst global economic downturn since the 1930s Great Depression with only partial recovery in 2021.
* OPEC has agreed to cut oil output by about 10 per cent of global supply to support oil prices.
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GLOBAL CORONAVIRUS
* Cases: at least 2,000,728
* Deaths: at least 126,776
* Recovered: at least 484,781
*Source: State and federal government updates and worldometers website at 1730 AEST
Australian Associated Press