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Business NSW peak lobby group

Business guide to coronavirus

We have created a dedicated destination for businesses around Australia to stay updated with the latest news related to Coronavirus (COVID-19), the possibility of a second wave and the impacts on their business and employees.

Recent updates

8:23am 10 March 2021 – The Federal Government is set to announce $1.2 billion in wage subsidies to create 70,000 apprenticeships. Read more here. 

10:17am 23 February 2021 – The JobSeeker payment could be boosted by $25 a week with JobKeeper payments scheduled to end in March. Read more here. 

1:18pm 12 February 2021 – The state of Victoria will enter stage 4 restrictions for 5 days from midnight tonight. Read more here.

10:29am 4 January 2021 – The JobKeeper payment will be reduced from 4 January 2021. Find out more here. 

10:07am 18 December 2020 – A number of states and territories have imposed new travel restrictions on those travelling from Sydney's Northern Beaches. Click here for more.  

5:55pm 7 December 2020 – Registrations for the JobMaker Hiring Credit have opened. Visit the ATO's website to register and for more information. 

11:26am 3 December 2020 – The ATO has made adjustments to JobKeeper deadlines to account for the Christmas and New Year period. Click here for more.

12:02pm 4 November 2020 – The NSW border will open to Victoria on 23 November 2020. Click here for more. 

Resources

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Previous updates

8:08am 19 October 2020 – Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced easing Coronavirus restrictions on travel, outdoor gatherings, sport, hairdressers and auctions. Click here for more. 

10:53am 14 October 2020 – Confirmed cases: There are now 38,006,121 confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) worldwide, with at least 27,317 confirmed cases in Australia. We monitor these numbers daily and update accordingly.

8:07am 7 October 2020 – Treasurer Josh Frydenberg announced the 2020 Federal Budget, defined heavily by the coronavirus pandemic. Click here for a break down of the winners and losers.

8:02am 7 September 2020 – Stage 4 restrictions will be extended for two weeks in metropolitan Melbourne and stage 3 restrictions will begin to ease in regional Victoria from September 14. Click here for more. 

3:29pm 31 August 2020 – Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is set to unveil a COVID-19 road map our of lockdown. Click here for more. 

3:10pm 7 August 2020 – Employers will gain easier access to the JobKeeper wage subsidy from the end of September to deal with the economic damage from sweeping Victorian shutdowns. Click here for more. 

12:37pm 6 August 2020 – Stage 4 coronavirus restrictions in Melbourne could cost the economy $9 billion says Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Click here for more. 

9:13am 4 August 2020 – Paid pandemic leave has been introduced in Victoria: The Federal Government will introduce a $1,500 payment for workers who are required to self-isolate because of COVID-19 but do not have leave entitlements. Click here for more.

8:33am 21 May 2020 – Federal court on top of casual double-dipping. The Full Federal Court has today reconfirmed that casual employees working regular and systematic hours with “predictable periods of working time” are likely to be considered permanent employees, regardless of what their contract says and regardless of the payment of casual loading. 

1:16pm 8 May 2020 – Restaurants, cafes allowed to reopen under the first stage of eased coronavirus restrictions. Timings of changes will be up to the individual states and territories.

10:01am 27 April 2020 – JobKeeper enrolment has been extended. The Commissioner has extended the enrolment for JobKeeper from 30 April 2020 to 31 May 2020. 

5:42pm 21 April 2020 – Australian Bureau of Statistics: Accommodation and food services (-25.6%), arts and recreation (-18.7%) and mining (-8.4%) lead the way on job losses. Unsurprisingly, accommodation and food services, and arts and recreation services also lead the way on pay cuts - down 30.1% and 15.7% respectively. 

7.36am 9 April 2020: The Federal Government has changed the Fair Work Act for employers and employees who have accessed the JobKeeper wage subsidy. Read more.

8:08am 30 March 2020 – Government to unveil Coronavirus wage subsidy for businesses workers. Businesses are expected to be paid a wage subsidy of up to $1,500 per employee, under a Federal Government plan to keep Australians in work. Click here for more.

What is coronavirus?

From January 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared an outbreak of a new coronavirus disease in Hubei Province, China. The 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) has now spread to other countries around the world. The virus is already having significant business and operational impact on Australian companies. It is therefore critical that businesses have a clear plan and lines of communications with employees, as well as clients and third-party entities.

People can catch COVID-19 by touching contaminated surfaces or objects and then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. If they are standing within one metre of a person with COVID-19, they can catch it by breathing in droplets coughed out or exhaled by the infected person. In other words, COVID-19 spreads in a similar way to the flu.

Most persons infected with COVID-19 experience mild symptoms and recover. However, some go on to experience more severe illness and may require hospital care. The risk of serious illness rises with age: people over 40 seem to be more vulnerable than those under 40. People with weakened immune systems and people with conditions such as diabetes and heart and lung disease are also more susceptible to serious illness.

In Australia, the people most at risk of getting the virus are those who have recently travelled overseas, or have been in close contact with someone who is a confirmed case of coronavirus

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