Northern Territory police have issued a statement outlining the fines issued yesterday for social distancing rules.

Police said they fined a 32-year-old woman who “absconded from mandatory quarantine in Darwin”.

“The woman arrived in the NT on 7 April 2020, travelling from Adelaide and was required to remain in a hotel for 14 days,” a police statement said. “Police located the woman and issued her a fine before returning her to her hotel.”

Police also said a 22-year-old man in Araluen also “breached quarantine by leaving his house to register his new vehicle at the MVR”. “The man had returned to the NT by road from South Australia on 29 March 2020.”

A further six people were issued with infringement notices relating to mass gatherings.

Police said 3,630 compliance checks had now been completed with 17 fines issued.

Just to recap deputy chief medical officer Paul Kelly’s comments on the NRL’s decision to restart.

Kelly said emphasised that we all have a responsibility to continue with social distancing measures.

He said that although the league’s players were not at high risk, others who are involved in the game would be.

Kelly specifically named two coaches, Wayne Bennett and Ricky Stuart, as being vulnerable to Covid-19.

“To be really frank about this, we all have a place in this and if we loosen the social distancing measures at the moment it can have an implication down the track,” he said.

He added that it “remains to be seen” whether May is the right time to restart the league, but that the NRL would “definitely need to get some permission to do that”.

The NSW health minister, Brad Hazzard, confirmed today that he hadn’t been consulted prior to the league’s announcement of a planned restart date.

Kelly reiterates that the health advices on schools remains the same. That is that the schools can remain open.

But he notes that “we’ll be having more to say about schools in the coming weeks.”

And with that, the press conference has concluded.

Kelly is asked by a journalist, and we are thankful to her: what about about NRL Island?

He says:

“It sounds like a reality show they might continue it on, not just the playing, but what happens for the rest of the week, the mind boggles. If they’re by themselves and they’re away from the rest of society, then that is a thing.

“But I just reiterate the young men and women who play the game won’t be the only ones there. They need to think carefully about their coaching staff and other supporters. And think about their social responsibility, even on the island.”

Is the NRL risking the community by saying they will return to the game?

Kelly says:

“The other part I say about the NRL, they’re general very fit young men and women, so they – they themselves are not at high risk and if they were just part of the – I understand the proposal is to play -continue to play in empty stadium, so they could be their own microcosm.

“For them, it may not be a big problem. There’s other people around the teams, Wayne Bennett is in his 70s, he would be in a vulnerable group, Ricky Stuart with the mighty Raiders, he would potentially be in a vulnerable group, so thinking about the team, not just the players, but those – the support staff around them, is important. And, look, they’re making their plans for the road out I encourage them to do so in other sports. But whether May is the time will remain to be seen and definitely they’ll need to get some permission to do that.”

Kelly is asked about the NRL’s plans to restart the game next month. He is asked whether the NRL would need permission from state government or whether they are, for want of a better word, “a law unto unto themselves in this regard”?

He says:

“I don’t think they’re a law unto themselves. Some of the players and coaches may think so, but they’re part of society and they have a part – as we have all done, to support not only safety for themselves but for all of us. To be really frank about this, we all have a place in this and if we loosen the social distancing measures at the moment it can have an implication down the track.

“I’ve said here before on average, what we know about this virus, if we don’t have these social distancing measures, one person can lead to 400 other cases within a month. And so, that is the sort of explosive epidemic we’ve seen in other countries. And we just cannot afford at this stage to be considering that happening.”

Kelly says border closures will be a component of what happens into the future.

“But we also do need to our trade both back and forth, to continue in the society that we love. So these are all elements that will be part of the road out, as the Prime Minister said. It’s too early to talk about that road out for the time being.”

Kelly says that “the curve is definitely decreasing”.

“I would really urge caution there. Most of the cases we’ve seen so far have and still remain related to overseas travel and so our local epidemic is very early. There’s only a couple of thousand of those 6,000 cases are actual local transmission.

“So, we need to see what happens with those and to learn from other countries that have going through a much more difficult time with much larger epidemics to see what happens as they pass that peak and see what happens from there, about being guided, what to do to get back to some sort of normality, a new normality, I would suggest, at least in the shorter term.”

Kelly said that it would be a great “achievement” if the virus began to die out in parts of Australia.

But he adds: “It does bring with it a challenge, of course, it would mean the most of us would not have been exposed yet. So we would remain susceptible to the virus if it was re-introduced.”

The deputy chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, has started speaking in Canberra.

He is asked if about the possibility that people can became immune to the virus.

“Yes, that would be a very important thing to know. At this stage, we’re only - I calculated this week - 14weeks into the virus. Only the first cases in Australia were in mid-to-late January. So it’s only very early. So at this stage, if we were able to look at people that might have been exposed at that time or indeed were diagnosed with the virus and see if they can immune now, it would be very short-term immunity still.

“It remains to be seen what happens in the longer term. There’s studies done in China, there will be studies here in Australia as well, looking at that immune element. But at this time we can’t tell.”

Let’s wrap up some of today’s developments.

• NSW recorded its 22nd death and Victoria its 13th. It takes Australia’s death toll to 53.
• Embattled NSW minister Don Harwin was fined $1,000 for breaching social distancing laws.
• Authorities are urging people to stay home for Easter, and police are turning people around who are heading to holiday spots.
• NSW health minister Brad Hazzard is yet to discuss the NRL’s restart date 28 May with the league.

Tasmanian police have told 15 people on their way to holiday spots to go home during Covid-19 patrols over the past 24 hours.

AAP reports that the force intercepted more than 35 people in cars - including some towing caravans and boats - and turned them back as needed.

Three people have been arrested or summoned to appear in court over Covid-19 related offences, the force confirmed on Friday.

“This Easter, if you are away from your primary residence and try to go to your shack and you don’t have a valid excuse, you will not only be turned around, but you could be charged and face a substantial fine,” Acting Assistant Commissioner Jo Stolp said.

Premier Peter Gutwein told residents on Thursday not to leave their homes unnecessarily, with fines of up to $16,800 or six months’ jail.

Helicopters are monitoring people’s movements, hovering over regional communities including Bicheno, Friendly Beaches, Coles Bay, Dunalley and Primrose Sands.

Officers are also patrolling on foot in Bridport, St Helens, Longford, Great Lake, Port Sorell, Somerset and Smithton among the areas.

Tasmania had recorded 111 cases of the virus as of Thursday night, with 48 of those people recovering.

The NSW government has announced that healthcare workers would now benefit from free parking at public hospital carparks during the Covid-19 crisis.

“Our healthcare workers are on the frontline of our battle with Covid-19 and we need to do whatever we can to support them during this difficult time,” the premier, Gladys Berejiklian said.

“We hope this new measure makes life a little easier for our doctors, nurses and other hospital staff who are working hard to keep us all safe.”

The free parking begins from today.

Some good news for the more than 100 Australian and New Zealand residents who were aboard the Antartica cruise that was anchored of the coast of Uruguay.

AAP reports that the group are expected to land in Melbourne over Easter after Aurora Expeditions, the operator of the Greg Mortimer ship, chartered a flight from Montevideo.

The news was confirmed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told AAP on Friday.

Of the more than 200 people on the vessel, 96 are Australian passengers and crew, along with roughly 16 New Zealand citizens.

Five Australians have already been taken off the Greg Mortimer and admitted to hospital in Montevideo, DFAT said.