Morning mail: coronavirus 'shambles', Democratic primaries, PM's poll rebound

Wednesday: doctors say a lack of testing kits and conflicting advice are testing the health system. Plus: Scott Morrison back in front as preferred leader

Good morning, this is James Murray bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Wednesday 11 March.

Top stories

Australian doctors have criticised the federal government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak as a “shambles”, saying conflicting advice, a lack of testing kits and delays on hotlines are testing the health system. The criticism comes despite the prime minister, Scott Morrison, announcing a $2.4bn health package to fund up to 100 new pop-up fever clinics, a $30m advertising campaign and a Medicare item for telehealth consultations. Meanwhile, turmoil continued on financial markets amid growing fears of a recession and industry experts predict the property market will come to a halt if the virus gets out of control. In Europe overnight, stock markets continued to tumble and the Italian prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, issued a stark warning: “There is no more time – our future is in our hands” as he announced further measures to restrict public gatherings in a country already in lockdown. In the US, New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced a “containment plan” for New Rochelle, the city at the centre of the coronavirus outbreak in the New York metro area. About 1,000 people were placed under precautionary quarantine. Confirmed cases of Covid-19 now exceed 116,000 and there have been more than 4,000 deaths. The number of deaths outside China has now surpassed 1,000.

Australia’s highest court is to decide whether to go ahead with an appeal by the disgraced Cardinal George Pell against his conviction for child sex abuse. The 78-year-old was jailed for six years last year for sexually abusing two choirboys at Melbourne’s St Patrick’s Cathedral. Pell maintains his innocence. Pell’s lawyers have two grounds for appeal. First, they say the court of appeal majority made an error in finding Pell was required to prove the offending was “impossible” in order to raise reasonable doubt, and second, they argue the majority found there was a reasonable doubt and therefore made an error in asserting that the guilty verdicts were not unreasonable. If they are successful, Pell would be released from prison immediately.

Voting gets under way in the US in another round of crucial primaries in the Democratic race to face Donald Trump in the November presidential election. Voters in Michigan, Washington, Missouri, Mississippi, Idaho and North Dakota could cement Joe Biden’s position as frontrunner, but there are signs Bernie Sanders could win once again in Michigan, the state with the highest number of delegates. Sanders unexpectedly won the state in 2016, when he took on Hillary Clinton for the presidential nomination.

Australia

Scott Morrison is once again the country’s preferred prime minister, bouncing back from the hit he took during the bushfires. The Guardian Essential poll found that 40% of the sample had him as their preferred choice despite the government’s ongoing “sports rorts” scandal.

Economists have called for the Australian government to pump billions into the economy to avert the plunging stock market. The calls come after Donald Trump’s announcement of dramatic measures delivered US markets from a repeat of Monday’s coronavirus carnage.

Scientists have warned that Australian climate science capability is lacking. The government-sponsored review found “critical gaps” in the nation’s ability to understand the processes that underpin climate change.

The University of Tasmania will slash the number of courses they offer from 514 to 120 due to coronavirus. University vice-chancellor Rufus Black said the university suffered from an “overreliance on China”.

The world

UN secretary general António Guterres says the world is “way off track” in its efforts to tackle the climate crisis. Scientists in the UN’s report on global climate in 2019 said the threat was greater than coronavirus, and world leaders must not be diverted from climate action.

A study in the Nature Communications journal shows that large ecosystems such as the Amazon can collapse in decades once a tipping point has been passed. The study authors said the findings should warn politicians that they have less time than they may imagine to tackle the crisis.

Harvey Weinstein’s lawyers have asked that the movie producer be given a lighter sentence due to his “remarkable accomplishments”. In a letter sent to Judge James Burke, Weinstein’s lawyers argue his “struggles” and “life story” should not be disregarded.

Food banks in the UK have started to run out of milk and other staples as shoppers panic buy due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Shoppers are being urged to think twice before hoarding supplies as donations fall.

Recommended reads

An anonymous intensive care nurse writes that the Australian health system is yet to see the full effects of Covid-19. “About a month ago it was just another thing I’d scroll past on whatever news outlet I was on to read my horoscope. Now that it seems to be creeping closer, I’m paying a bit more attention it,” they write. The nurse says hospital management are now making sure all 10 negative pressure rooms – rooms designed to prevent the spread of airborne disease – are open “for when we welcome the disease into our hospital”. One of the nurse’s concerns is not being granted special leave if they return from a holiday in an infected area “if we have exhausted our annual leave and sick leave, then the 14-day quarantine period comes out of our pocket”.

Has Donald Trump met his match with coronavirus? David Smith in Washington asks whether the US president’s tactics of denial and distraction will come unravelled as the disease spreads across the world. With the world facing a recession, Trump appears to downplay the crisis. “One man, however, is not panicking about the coronavirus,” Smith writes. “Donald Trump just spent two successive days on the golf course.” But will the realities of a global pandemic result in Trump’s downfall? “Denial, accusation, distraction, lies – these are his four principal responses to any rival,” says Gwenda Blair, a Trump biographer. “Only this time it’s not a person. A tweet doesn’t knock over a potential global pandemic.”

Listen

Guardian Australia’s Full Story podcast focuses on the inmates at Darwin’s women’s prison, who have been producing a podcast of their own. Called Bird’s Eye View the podcast features stories told by the prisoners in their own words. In this episode of Full Story, the team goes inside sector four of the prison to hear from two of those women about why they went in and what it’s like now they’re back outside.

Sport

The Socceroos’ World Cup qualifiers have been postponed due to coronavirus. Games against Kuwait, Nepal, Taiwan and Jordan are affected.

With the 2020 NRL season about to start, Nick Tedeschi predicts another successful year for the Roosters, Storm and Raiders. The Roosters are chasing an historic third straight premiership.

Media roundup

ABC news reports the government will fund fever clinics and video consults with doctors under a $2.4bn health package announced by Scott Morrison as six more people test positive in NSW. The Age, Sydney Morning Herald and Courier Mail all take the same line, while the Australian leads with a headline describing Morrison’s response as “clinical”. Crikey says the Nine board should delay the closure of Australian Associated Pressuntil alternative funding can be found.

Coming up

The high court in Canberra will decide whether George Pell will be able to pursue his appeal.

The Climate Council will launch an assessment of the human, environmental and economic costs of the Australian summer’s catastrophic bushfires.