"We are on the way back to a COVID-safe economy": Scott Morrison

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg have updated the nation on the state coronavirus impact on the nation.

“We are getting, obviously, good news on the health front. Yesterday we had just four cases, a rate of growth of 0.22 per cent,” said Morrison at a press conference in Canberra.

They announced that there are changes likely to be made in three weeks to baseline restrictions imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Morrison said the country is “on the way back to a COVID-safe economy”. However, it was important not to get complacent as the number of new infections of coronavirus dropped but "in three weeks ... [we] will be moving on the baseline restrictions".

"States also are already moving where they have gone beyond the baseline restrictions in scaling that back," said Morrison.

In NSW, there are now 2006 people who have recovered from COVID-19 in NSW, according to the latest data release from NSW Health.

With 2976 cases recorded in the state since the outbreak began, the figure means 970 people in NSW currently have the virus.

Morrison told the media that some 587,686 JobSeeker applications have been processed already.

Frydenberg added that it was essential that employers pay their staff before receiving the payment despite issues many are facing in coming up with the funds to do so.

The Treasurer said he had discussed the important issue in a phone hook-up with the four big bank chief executives and tax commissioner Chris Jordan.

Businesses are required to pay their employees’ wages before they actually receive the money from the JobKeeper payment, which means many of them need access to finance from the banks in the meantime.

Additionally, the Tax Office has granted approval to 456,000 Australians to access up to $10,000 of their superannuation early this financial year amid the coronavirus crisis, at a total cost of $3.38 billion.

Australians experiencing financial distress due to the coronavirus crisis have made 456,000 applications to access their superannuation early at a total cost of $3.8 billion, according to the Treasurer.

The Tax Office had approved those applications and they were "now with the superannuation funds for their payment over the next five days," Frydenberg added.

"The average withdrawal is around $8,000. And just to remind you that you can access up to $10,000 from your super this financial year and up to another $10,000 next financial year."