Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy says new measures around social distancing will be suggested to the federal government.

Coronavirus has shut down countries around the world, with Australia having banned gatherings of over 500 people and imposed a 14-day quarantine period for anyone entering the country.

Professor Murphy tells Alan Jones more stringent measures are needed to stop the spread of the virus.

“We are preparing some advice for government around social distancing.

“We will be making a range of recommendations for indoor events and smaller events.

“The issue of school is a very vexed one… but the measures we put in place could be in place for several weeks, if not months.”

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Professor Murphy has warned against panic buying.

“The chances of any given Australian citizen suddenly being asked to quarantine are pretty low.

“This panic buying is just stupid and I really encourage Australians to take a deep breath and just buy what you need.”

Image: Getty/Tracey Nearmy