National News

A West Australian maximum-security prison has been locked down after prisoners armed with makeshift weapons scaled the roof.

A growing number of imported coronavirus cases in China, where the epidemic originated in December, risked fanning a second wave of infections when domestic transmissions had "basically been stopped", a senior health official says.

NSW has recorded a further 174 patients with COVID-19, taking its total number of confirmed cases to 1791, including 207 without a known source of transmission.

No more public gatherings of more than two people is the new rule, as governments seek to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Five people who allegedly broke into two homes in South Australia with a firearm and assaulted two men fled when one of the group was cut with a machete.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has asked businesses to hold fire on any further shutdowns or job cuts ahead of a third stimulus package to be announced in the next few days.

Renters will be offered a moratorium on evictions, in a bid to deal with the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Federal and state governments have moved to further restrict public gatherings of people from 10 to two.

THINGS TO DO IN LOCKDOWN:* Remain in contact with family and friends with technology* Exercise* Continue with structure and routine (get up at the same time each day)* Work on projects or tasks* Get sunshine if possible* Write a diary* Listen to musicTHINGS TO AVOID:* Excessive alcohol* Drugs* Watching or...

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defended not rushing into a wage subsidy plan to help employers and their staff during the coronavirus crisis, saying it is not a case of "cutting and pasting" what other countries might be doing.