No one would say this is easy, but the official response to the COVID-19 threat has been too long coming for most, and the thinking on a contingency the nation is meant to have long planned for, worryingly muddled.

At the time of writing, the Federal Government has promised to expand its national hotline, and it has pledged to roll out 100 GP-led fever clinics to assess and test potential cases to keep patients away from mainstream health services.