That package, foreshadowed by the PM on Friday, has the ambitious goal of putting as many businesses as possible into "cold sleep" for the duration so they can re-emerge once the threat has passed.

Members of the national cabinet will meet on Sunday to discuss the details of the "hibernation package" which is expected to incorporate multi-pronged support for commercial and residential tenants.

If the national cabinet, which has met four times this week already, can bring the majority of businesses and workers through this crisis in reasonable economic shape, it will be close to a miracle.

But that miracle won't mean much if, while saving the economy, the government drops the ball on the response to the medical crisis and thousands die.

The last thing anyone wants is the explosion in case numbers, and deaths, reported in Italy, Spain, the USA and the UK.

The good news, reflected in Mr Morrison's more relaxed and confident demeanour, is Australians are finally getting the message on social distancing. This appears to have saved us from a national lockdown - for now.

Much has changed since mass gatherings at Bondi Beach, in Canberra, and across the country on the weekend, shocked the government into introducing tough new controls.

Noting there had been an 80 per cent reduction in the number of people moving around in Sydney and Melbourne, the PM said the shift in attitudes was the most hopeful sign to date.

His big bombshell was the announcement Australians returning from overseas will be required to undergo 14 days of compulsory isolation in hotels and motels that will apparently be patrolled by police and ADF members.

Police and the ADF will also be checking up to ensure recent returnees currently in home isolation are where they are meant to be.

While measures such as these will shock many Australians, the decision seems more than justified given 2000 of the 3000 confirmed cases of coronavirus are residents who bought it back from overseas. Many of the remaining cases involve people they have been in close contact with.

This, coupled with the fact the rate of returns has now dropped to about 7000 a day, means it is both desirable and possible to forcibly isolate people rather than to rely on them to do the "right thing".

It is an unfortunate reality some just won't. This was the case with a Coffs Harbour women who was fined $6000 on Thursday for leaving home. She had received a warning on Monday.

There have also been reports of people who had recently returned from Aspen in Colorado hitting the golf links to play a couple of rounds within days of their arrival.

This type of idiocy, along with the flouting of social distancing guidelines on the weekend, places thousands of people at risk.

The other positive of the new arrangement is returnees will go into isolation at their point of arrival. Letting them travel across the country to return home before going into isolation was always going to end badly.

While Australia is in the fortunate position of being able to benchmark its response against countries that are further along the curve, it remains to be seen if what is being done is enough.

If it becomes apparent that despite these efforts the number of cases continues to soar the government must be ready to act immediately with tougher measures.

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