A large group of Australians quarantined on a coronavirus-hit cruise ship in Japan for two weeks are now on their way home on a special Qantas flight, but 10 have been left behind.

Qantas flights from Sydney to Shanghai will remain suspended until at least the end of May as the coronavirus claims more lives. Services to Hong Kong and Singapore will be reduced.

The Australian airline spent a year recreating flight memories from each decade, including cabin crew members with mullet hairstyles from the 1980s and moustaches from the 1970s.

Qantas flew three planes carrying passengers from the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak back to Australia. The airline stepped up cleaning efforts to make sure future passengers weren't at risk.

Virgin Australia shares are worth less than 10 cents. Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's has warned the airline's debt problems were likely to worsen in light of the coronavirus.

SafeWork New South Wales has slapped Qantas with an improvement notice after observing cleaners handle used face masks, vomit, soiled nappies and dirty tissues without gloves or masks.

Qantas said on Friday it will cut more international flights this month including to Japan and New Zealand amid falling bookings because of coronavirus fears. 

Flight routes to London will be changed and eight of the airline's 12 A380 aircraft will be grounded due to low demand.

Brave travellers can pick up a bargain on flights, in one of very few positives to come from the coronavirus outbreak.

The British comedian announced on Monday he decided to cancel his sell-out gig in Perth after a woman who attended the venue was found to have contracted the deadly illness.

Qantas became the latest airline to slash flights on Tuesday as the travel industry battles a sharp reduction in bookings amid the spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus.

The CEO of the Qantas Group, Alan Joyce, announced on Tuesday that major capacity cuts would be brought in to fight the plunging demand for international travel.

The national carrier on Friday said they entered an enforceable undertaking with the Fair Work Ombudsman to rectify a misclassification issue.

Qantas passengers will be able to cancel booked flights and use the credit to reschedule trips later on.

Qantas and Jetstar have slashed 90 per cent of their international flights. The cuts would initially be in place from the end of March until the end of May this year.

Qantas has told 30,000 staff members to take unpaid leave until May.

The airline has told 20,000 staff members to stand down and cut schedules from late March until May after the government recommended Australians do not travel overseas

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has defended the decision to stand down 20,000 staff in the face of the coronavirus outbreak which he described as the worst crisis to ever hit the airline industry.

Supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths were the first to flag offers for staff members being made redundant during the coronavirus pandemic.

The roles include machinery and production operators, truck drivers, mechanics, electricians, boilermakers, cleaners and warehouse roles.

Almost 90,000 Australians lost their jobs on Monday as the government moved to shut all pubs, bars, cinemas and gyms in a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Virgin Australia has complained to the competition regulator about Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce's suggestion it would be unfair for the government to prop up one airline.

South Australia Health on Tuesday said they are investigating a COVID-19 cluster at Adelaide Airport.

Virgin Australia has warned the cost of flights would soar if the airline was forced to close, leaving Qantas and their budget arm Jetstar with a monopoly on the industry. 

Thousands of citizens are understood to be stranded overseas, but four international routes are now being subsidised by the federal government.

Both airlines announced 13 flights this month for Australians stuck overseas during the coronavirus pandemic after the government agreed to subsidise service costs.

The crew flew from Santiago to Sydney on March 29, with all passengers on the flight taken to hotels to quarantine for 14 days.

Virgin Australia will give back annual leave to thousands of workers that were stood down amid the outbreak of coronavirus after the federal parliament passed the $1500 fortnightly wage subsidy.

It would supplement a federal government package worth $1billion which has already been committed to the ailing Australian aviation industry hit hard by the crisis' impact on global travel.

Worrying clusters have emerged in recent days of Qantas cabin crew and their family being infected with COVID-19 - including 15 reported cases from a rescue flight from Santiago on March 29.

Virgin Australia has plunged into another trading halt during the coronavirus crisis as the airline waits on a potential bailout package from the federal government.

Australian Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said the move was about ensuring essential workers including frontline medical and defence workers were able to travel.

An aviation insider fears the demise of Virgin Australia would give Qantas a licence to charge $1,000 for a Sydney to Melbourne airfare. Velocity Frequent Flyer points are also at risk.

The Transport Workers Union took the airline to the Federal Court on behalf of workers on sick leave who can no longer access the entitlement after Qantas stood down two thirds of its workforce.

Qantas has moved to revamp its credit policy during the coronavirus crisis after a wave of anger from out-of-pocket customers.

Qantas could drop the price of regional flights to just $19 as the airline tries desperately to recover from the coronavirus shutdown.

Veteran Robert Embleton, 79, was left devastated by residents' response when he returned to his Plymouth retirement home after beating coronavirus in hospital.

51-year-old 'dedicated and loving' nurse Onyenachi Obasi died after fighting for her life for five weeks on a ventilator in intensive care. Her niece has set up a fundraising page to pay for her funeral.

Police were called at just after 11pm last night to a collision involving a cyclist on Streatham High Road, south west London. Two men in their 20s have been arrested in the local area.

'We've been working with them, but we have not given the green light,' Alameda County Health Officer Erica Pan said of Tesla. 'We have not said it is appropriate to move forward.'

The 'Beast of Kavos', who was previously named as 47-year-old Dimitris Aspiotis (pictured left) , was given early release in August 2019, under a controversial new law.

The Italian public took to bicycles around the Piazza Venezia and the Via dei Fori Imperiali in Rome while people of all ages walked and cycled to Ruffini Park in Turin during Phase Two of lockdown.

The Food and Drug Administration on Saturday announced emergency authorization for antigen tests which rapidly detects fragments of virus proteins in samples from nasal swabs.

Essex cancer patient Archie Wilks, four, (right) was allowed outdoors for a family walk after testing negative for coronavirus. He walked through fields with his twin brother Henry (left) and parents.

Equalities Minister Liz Truss ordered EqualiTeach to stop using the logo of the Government Equalities Office on its controversial guidelines stating teachers must allow trans pupils to use toilets of their choice.

Unable to put on a show of military might in the Red Square today due to surging coronavirus infections, Russia indulged in a series of spectacular fireworks displays over the capital as night fell.

The assistant has not been around Ivanka Trump for weeks and has been working remotely. Both Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, tested negative for COVID-19.

Rosie O'Donnell began helping Michael Cohen with his tell-all book after she visited him in prison in Otisville, New York

Officials are refusing to provide a breakdown of exactly who is being tested for coronavirus amid accusations that the Government is massaging figures to hit targets set by Matt Hancock (pictured).

Polar Vortex has blasted into the northeast with record low temperatures, winds and snow. Mt. Washington has a low of just 10 degrees, while Death Valley, California, is could reach 110 degrees.