“GPs are worried about COVID-19, but it has just got scarier because the federal Minister for Health has told millions of people they can visit a general practice if they test positive.”

This is Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, a veteran of the Melbourne lockdowns and a GP who has never shied away at railing against governments and the failures to support frontline health workers.

Last week, he was listening to Greg Hunt on the TV unveil his $25-a-consult package to encourage GP care of coronavirus cases outside the hospital system.

The proviso for claiming the new item was that the patient must be treated face to face. The money, Mr Hunt said, was meant to cover the cost of PPE.