In early January, little was known about the coronavirus. Here's how things have developed:
* Dec 31 - China informs the World Health Organization of a mysterious pneumonia cluster linked to a fish market in the city of Wuhan, Hubei province.
* Jan 11 - A 61-year-old Wuhan man becomes the first virus-linked fatality
* Jan 13 - First case occurs outside of China, in Thailand
* Jan 21 - First warning in Australia for the new coronavirus
* Jan 21 - A Brisbane man is tested and quarantined after returning from Wuhan. He is cleared two days later.
Source: iStockphoto
* Jan 23 - Sydney airport starts screening passengers arriving from Wuhan
* Jan 24 - The University of Queensland begins work on finding a vaccine
* Jan 25 - Australia records its first case, a Victorian-Chinese man in his 50s
* Jan 25 - Australia raises Wuhan alert to "do not travel". First three cases confirmed in NSW.
* Jan 29 - Scientists at Melbourne's Peter Doherty Institute become the first to recreate the coronavirus
* Jan 30 - Italy records its first two cases
* Feb 3 - More than 200 Australians are evacuated on Qantas flights from Wuhan to be quarantined on Christmas Island for 14 days.
Evacuees from Wuhan at the Christmas Island Australian Immigration Detention Centre. Source: AAP/Richard Wainwright
* Feb 5 - A further 50 are evacuated on an Air New Zealand charter flight
* Feb 5 - Two Australians contract coronavirus on the Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined off Japan
* Feb 5 - Australia announces a 14-day ban for non-citizens arriving from China
* Feb 11 - The global death toll passes 1000.
* Feb 12 - The WHO names the coronavirus COVID-19.
* Feb 19 - 180 Australians stuck on the Japanese cruise ship are evacuated to a quarantine camp in Darwin. Four later tests positive to the virus.
* Feb 20 - China travel ban extended
* Mar 1 - Foreign nationals entering from Iran ordered to fortnight quarantine. Meanwhile, a Perth man rescued from the Diamond Princess becomes the nation's first fatality,
* March 3: A 96-year-old woman in Sydney aged care dies
* March 7: Global cases hit 100,000
* March 9: Elderly Sydney man in another aged care home becomes third death
March 10: Four Australians are trapped on The Grand Princess cruise ship in San Francisco bay after passengers test positive for the virus.
March 11: The WHO declares a global pandemic
Source: Pixabay
March 12: The Morrison government pledges $17.6 billion to buttress the economy
March 15: The national death toll hits five
March 17: Virus cases outside China surpass those inside its borders
March 17: Europe bans travel to the region for 30 days
March 17: Australia declares human biosecurity emergency as the national death toll rises to six
March 18: Ban on indoor gatherings of more than 100 people
March 18: Airliners promised $715 million from the Commonwealth as domestic and global travel plummets
March 18: The Morrison government raises international travel advice to peak level - 'do not travel'
March 19: Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin announce the suspension of all international flights while the former stands down 20,000 workers
March 19: The RBA slashes the cash rate to a record-low 0.25 per cent at an emergency meeting.
March 19: All non-citizens and non-residents are banned from entering the country from 9pm, March 21. Citizens and family must self-quarantine for 14 days.
March 19: New Zealand follows suit, shutting its borders for the first time in history
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced tighter restrictions in Australia Source: AAP
March 19: Tasmania announces a 14-day quarantine on people entering the Apple isle from midnight, March 21.
March 19: An 81-year-old NSW woman dies, bringing the national toll to seven.
March 20: Italy's death toll passes China's with 3405 dead, while the number of deaths worldwide passes 10,000
March 20: Three people test positive on the Ruby Princess cruise ship docked in Sydney with the 3800 passengers and crew urged to self-isolate
