CANBERRA, March 17 (Xinhua) -- The Australian Government has flagged a second major stimulus package to help the economy cope with the outbreak of coronavirus.
Prime Minister (PM) Scott Morrison returned to Canberra on Monday night ahead of a meeting with his cabinet on Tuesday and discussions with state and territory leaders on Tuesday night.
He and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg have already announced a 17.6 billion Australian dollar (10.7 billion U.S. dollar) stimulus package aimed at saving jobs but Mathias Cormann, the minister for finance, on Tuesday morning said that further measures would be necessary.
Parliament is set to resume on March 23 when the government will legislate economic stimulus with the support of the Opposition Labor Party.
The hospitality and tourism industries are expected to be hit hardest on account of social distancing measures and travel bans put in place by the government.
Tourism and Trade Minister Simon Birmingham, who spoke to Morrison about stimulus twice on Monday, said that the government was looking at "unprecedented circumstances and therefore we're considering everything necessary to try to get as many businesses through this as possible."
Paul Kelly, Australia's Deputy Chief Medical Officer, told reporters on Monday that according to government modelling between 20 and 60 percent of the population may become infected with COVID-19.
The government has previously advised against non-essential gatherings of more than 500 people in an attempt to impede the spread of the virus.
Schools remain open. Morrison said in a video posted on social media on Monday night that closing schools at this time could potentially worsen the situation, but he added that they could be closed "in the coming weeks."
Cormann confirmed that Tuesday's meetings would also consider scaling-up social distancing after U.S. President Donald Trump recommended that Americans avoid gatherings of more than 10 people.
