March 22 (AP)

Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison has warned the country could see lock downs in a bid to curb coronavirus.

The potential measures come after large crowds gathered on Sydney’s beaches including Bondi on Saturday, flouting social distancing advice.

Mr Morrison said the situation at Bondi Beach should be a “wake up call to take these policies seriously”.

He also announced a financial package to boost the economy during the crisis.The number of corona virus in Australia has risen sharply in resent days, reaching nearly 1,100. Seven people have died.

New South Wales (NSW), home to Sydney, is the worst-affected state with 469 confirmed cases. Queensland has 221 cases and Victoria has 229.

States and territories including Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory have announced that they are shutting down non-essential services to try and halt the rapid spread of the virus.

The Australian Football League’s 2020 season has also been suspended, with no fixtures until at least 31 May. The women’s league has also been halted.

Mr Morrison mentioned the incident and appealed for Australians to show common sense when it comes to following the rules.

“You have to keep a healthy distance between each other,” he said.

“If Australians can’t do that on a broad scale, then they are denying the governments and the authorities the most important weapon we have to save lives and to save livelihoods, and states and territories will have to take more severe responses to deal with that.”