page_title: COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
section_title: April 2020
hierarchical_section_title: COVID-19 pandemic in Australia / Timeline / April 2020
caption_attribution_description: English: Electronic sign on the Bass Highway in Burnie with advice while the North West hospitals are closed due to the Covid-19 outbreak. "Call 000 or go to Launy" (Launceston).
context_page_description: The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The first confirmed case in Australia was identified on 25 January 2020, in Victoria, when a man who had returned from Wuhan, China, tested positive for the virus.
  Australian borders were closed to all non-residents on 20 March. Social distancing rules were imposed on 21 March, and state governments started to close 'non-essential' services. "Non-essential services" included social gathering venues such as pubs and clubs but unlike many other countries did not include most business operations such as construction, manufacturing and many retail categories.
  The number of new cases initially grew sharply, then levelled out at about 350 per day around 22 March, and started falling at the beginning of April to under 20 cases per day by the end of the month. A second wave of infections in Victoria, which was attributed to an outbreak at a Melbourne hotel, emerged during the period of May to June and is currently ongoing.
context_section_description: On 1 April, the Western Australian State Government introduced intrastate travel restriction, limiting movements between the regions of Western Australia.
  On 2 April, the number of cases in Victoria exceeded 1,000, including over 100 healthcare workers.
  On 5 April, New South Wales Police Force launched a criminal investigation into whether the operator of Ruby Princess, Carnival Australia, broke the Biosecurity Act 2015 (Cwth) and New South Wales state laws, by deliberately concealing COVID-19 cases.
  On 6 April, the Department of Health revealed that 2,432 people recovered from the infection as the federal government started reporting recovery statistics. This is more than a third from the official number reported so far, Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly stating, "I think it is important. Firstly it really reinforces that message, which is a true one, that most people who get this disease do recover”. The day before, at 3pm, it was announced that 2,315 of the 5,687 confirmed coronavirus cases had recovered.
  On 11 April, the charity Anglicare was advised of an outbreak at its Newmarch House aged care nursing home in Caddens, New South Wales. On 14 April, the outbreak was linked to an infected staff member with minor symptoms, but who attended work for six shifts. Ten residents and five other staff tested positive for coronavirus. On 27 and 28 April, four residents of the home died in less than 24 hours, bringing to eleven the number of residents who had died from COVID-19 since 11 April. By 9 May, there have been 69 COVID-19 cases linked to the facility, 32 staff and 37 residents. On 19 May the 19th resident died from coronavirus.
  On 13 April, the Tasmanian government closed the North West Regional Hospital and North West Private Hospital for cleaning, and put the entire staff of over 1000 people and their families into quarantine.
  On 15 April, a Western Australian man became the first person in Australia to be jailed for breaking a self-isolation directive.
  On 30 April 2020, the ACT declared itself to be free of all known cases of COVID-19, the first Australian jurisdiction. However, on 4 May there was a one new case, a young woman who acquired the virus overseas. On 10 May, the ACT was again free of active COVID-19 cases.
caption: Roadside hospital advice in Burnie, Tasmania, telling people to call emergency services or head to Launceston General Hospital
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