Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday ordered the closure of pubs, places of worship, gyms and cinemas, from midday Monday to combat coronavirus spread.
Restaurants, cafes and catering businesses have been instructed to switch to delivery and take-away services.
The decision comes after many people appeared to disregard health warnings, leading to a rapid rise in cases in the country.
Earlier, Morrison asserted that “too many Australians” are not taking the threat of COVID-19 seriously, with Sydney's beaches including Bondi recording large crowds over the weekend.
So far, the country has recorded 1,315 cases.
Meanwhile, Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory have shut down non-essential services for the next 48 hours.
It comes as the government announced an additional A$66.4 billion ($38.50 billion) as part of a second stimulus package to shelter the economy from the impact of coronavirus.
At least one person was killed and 10 injured, including three children, in overnight drone attacks by Russia on Ukraine, officials said on Wednesday. Various attacks also damaged energy facilities in two regions, according to the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Israel announced a major expansion of military operations in Gaza on Wednesday, saying large areas of the enclave would be seized and added to its security zones, accompanied by large-scale evacuation of population.
A fourth US Army soldier, who together with three others went missing in Lithuania last week when their vehicle sank in a peat bog, has been found dead, US and Lithuanian officials said on Tuesday.
The United Nations on Tuesday dismissed as "ridiculous" an assertion by Israel that there was enough food in the Gaza Strip to last for a long period of time, despite the closure of all 25 bakeries supported by the World Food Programme (WFP).
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has expanded its global partnerships with leading autonomous driving technology providers, Uber, WeRide, and Baidu (Apollo Go), to deploy autonomous taxis in Dubai.
President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has offered his condolences to His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Umm Al Quwain, on the death of his mother Sheikha Hessa bint Humaid bin Abdul Rahman Al Shamsi.
The UAE’s National Ambulance Service handled 22,903 cases across the country in the first quarter of this year, according to the National Guard Command.