Australia's Prime Minister announced on Sunday that all non-essential businesses will be shut down in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus and save lives. PM Scott Morrison said these guidelines will be in place for 6 months, starting Monday.
Pubs, gyms, movie theaters, sporting venues and night clubs will be closed. Restaurants and cafes are limited to takeout only. Meanwhile, religious gatherings and funerals will be limited and will need to adhere to social distancing guidelines.
Crowds are restricted to no more than 500 people for outside gatherings and 100 for indoor groups.
Kids will still attend class to finish out the school year, though that decision could be reconsidered at a later date. If parents decide to keep their kids at home, schools are encouraged to make online learning available.
Morrison said, "The decisions that parents make, that we all make, over the course of the next few weeks in particular, could very seriously determine the trajectory that Australia continues to go on in relation to the coronavirus. So, I would seek and implore Australians to follow this advice. You'll be saving lives and you'll be saving livelihoods.
The BBC reports Morrison implemented these guidelines after large crowds of people gathered at a beach in Sydney on Saturday.
As of Sunday morning, Australia had more than 1,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 7 related deaths according to Johns Hopkins University.
