* Police have arrested scores of anti-lockdown protesters, many of whom were not wearing face masks in an hours-long, tense demonstration in central Melbourne.

* Victoria recorded one new case on Friday - a parent of a high school student in Melbourne's north. No new deaths were recorded.

* About 800 people in the city's north are isolating after being identified as close contacts of cases in the northern suburbs.

* Health authorities are doorknocking the suburbs in question, offering COVID-19 testing.

* 14-day rolling case average is 5.5 for Melbourne, down from 6.1, and 0.3 for regional Victoria.

* Protesters in NSW will now be able to gather en masse, with up to 500 people allowed to come together outdoors in a COVID-safe way.

* South Australia reported two new coronavirus cases, both in returned travellers. WA recorded six in returned travellers and NSW recorded seven.

* There were no new locally acquired cases reported in NSW.

* Queensland recorded two new cases after the infected crew of a cargo ship anchored off the Sunshine Coast were transferred to hospital. Health officials are working to determine the mystery strain of COVID-19 infecting the crew.

* Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he'll take careful advice before deciding on how to deal with quarantine beyond the hotel system. Australians returning from overseas could soon avoid 14-day hotel quarantine and instead wear monitoring bracelets, use mobile apps or isolate at home.

* Tasmania will open its borders to people from New Zealand on Monday, when the island state lifts border restrictions for most Australian states and territories.

* Hundreds more Australians stranded overseas will soon be able to fly home each week after an agreement by national cabinet to lift the weekly cap on international arrivals by 290 places next month.

* The identities of Australians stranded overseas have been accidentally exposed for the third time in as many months. At least 15 Australians in France have had their details shared by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in a data breach.

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KEY DATES

* October 26 - Tasmania's state of emergency due to expire and people from low-risk states and New Zealand free to enter.

* November 1 - More restrictions due to be eased in Melbourne and regional Victoria. Queensland border reopened to NSW visitors subject to conditions being met.

* November 2 - Residents from NSW could be allowed into Tasmania, with the situation being monitored. Regional Victorian residents allowed to travel to the Northern Territory if case numbers remain low.

* November 6 - Victoria's hotel quarantine inquiry report due.

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AUSTRALIAN CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS

* There were 18 new cases in Australia - Seven in NSW, six in WA, two each in SA and Queensland and one in Victoria.

* The national death toll is 905: Victoria 817, NSW 55, Tasmania 13, WA 9, Queensland 6, SA 4, ACT 3. (Two Queensland residents who died in NSW have been included in the official tolls of both states.)

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GLOBAL CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS

* Cases: at least 42,026,831

* Deaths: at least 1,143,225

* Recovered: at least 31,203,655

Data current as of 1900 AEDT October 23, taking in federal and state/territory government updates, Worldometer and Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre.

Australian Associated Press