NSW schools have asked parents to keep children home if they've recently visited China, & more in News in 5.

– With AAP.

1. NSW schools have asked parents to keep children home if they’ve recently visited China.

Children who recently visited China are facing a delayed start to their school year as the NSW government moves to soothe classroom concerns over coronavirus infections.

Parents in NSW have been asked to keep their kids at home when school returns if their children have been to China within the past 14 days.

The federal education minister has chastised schools for suggesting students stay home, however NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the state was in a unique situation.

The state government announced the decision on Tuesday evening as parents prepared for their children to return to school on Wednesday.

“Ideally we would have liked to have been in a position to have made this decision earlier. It is a very difficult decision,” Mr Hazzard said.

WATCH: NSW Health with all of the resources and health fact checks you need if you’re worried about coronavirus.

Some schools had approached the state government to air concerns about the spread of coronavirus, Mr Hazzard said.

NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said the government was responding to these concerns by making the request to parents as a precaution.

“We know many in the community have wanted to see this and we are taking this step in line with community sentiment,” she said.

“We are doing everything we can, even though the risk is low, to ensure the safety of our children.”

There have been four confirmed cases of the potentially-lethal coronavirus in NSW, and one further case confirmed in Victoria.

The death toll from the new coronavirus is 106 and the number of infections is 4500 – a number that has almost doubled within the past 24 hours.

Australia’s chief medical officer, Brendan Murphy, conceded on Sunday that more cases of the coronavirus were inevitable.

2. Israel Folau signs with French team Catalan Dragons to play in Super League.

Catalans Dragons have announced the signing of former Wallabies fullback Israel Folau.

The 30-year-old dual-code international, who has not played since being sacked by Rugby Australia for making homophobic comments on social media, has signed a one-year contract with the Super League club.

Dragons chairman Bernard Guasch said: "We want to give Israel a new opportunity to shine on the pitch".

However, Super League's first openly gay player has slammed the decision of the Rugby Football League to allow Catalans Dragons to sign Israel Folau.

Wakefield Trinity prop Keegan Hirst said he was shocked and disappointed at news of Folau's signing following his sacking by Rugby Australia last year.

"Our great game is tasked with fighting against homophobia and standing up for the values it puts such high stock in," Hirst tweeted.

"It shows none of the bravery, camaraderie or integrity RFL expects from its players, staff and fans."

Folau signed a 12-month deal with the French side on Tuesday, 10 years after he last played in the NRL with Brisbane Broncos.

The move was largely greeted with outrage by the British rugby league community with Super League CEO Robert Elstone admitting he was disappointed at the signing but conceded there was little he could do to prevent it.

3. An online petition is calling for Kobe Bryant's image to be the new logo of the NBA.

Almost two million people have signed an online petition to use Kobe Bryant's image as the new logo for the NBA following the death of the Los Angeles Lakers great on Sunday.

Bryant, one of the NBA's all-time greatest players, and his 13-year-old daughter were among nine people who died on Sunday when the helicopter they were in crashed into a hillside outside the town of Calabasas, California.

Change.org said the petition, which has been signed by celebrities such as Snoop Dogg, Justin Bieber and Usher, is the fastest-growing on its website and the first petition of 2020 to top a million signatures anywhere in the globe.

Over 1.7 million people signed a petition to add #KobeBryant to the NBA logo.

The late basketball legend was named an All-Star 18 times and won 5 NBA championships. pic.twitter.com/322N4gBEAJ

— AJ+ (@ajplus) January 28, 2020

"With the untimely and unexpected passing of the great Kobe Bryant please sign this petition in an attempt to immortalise him forever as the new NBA Logo," reads the petition, which was created by 16-year-old Bryant fan Nick Moghtader of Vancouver.

The current NBA logo, which was introduced in 1969, features the silhouette of Lakers great and Basketball Hall of Famer Jerry West dribbling a ball with his left hand.

Bryant, who retired from professional basketball in 2016, played all 20 of his NBA seasons with the Lakers and won five NBA championships.

4. The families of three American men killed fighting fires in NSW will soon visit the crash site.

The grieving families of three American men killed when their plane crashed during a bushfire mission in southern NSW are expected to visit the scene of the accident.

Captain Ian McBeth, first officer Paul Clyde Hudson and flight engineer Rick DeMorgan Jr were killed when their water-bombing tanker crashed and exploded 50km northeast of Cooma while fighting bushfires last week.

Wayne Coulson from Coulson Aviation - the company that employed the men -saw the crash site on Sunday and said there were plans for the families to make their own visit.

That visit was being arranged with the help of the NSW Rural Fire Service and could be as early as Wednesday, Mr Coulson said.

Mr Coulson said his own feelings of grief as he toured the site were "indescribable".

"To see our aircraft on the ground, knowing we have had such loss of life, was devastating," he told reporters at the NSW Rural Fire Service headquarters on Monday.

A fundraising page to support the families of the three men has so far raised more than $23,000.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau on Sunday began downloading data from the plane's cockpit voice recorder, although this is yet to provide any insights on the cause of the crash.

Investigators have been interviewing witnesses in Cooma and using a drone to produce a three-dimensional map of the wreckage.

5. "I got incredibly lucky today." Roger Federer survives Australian Open quarter-final thriller.

Roger Federer feared he was heading home to the Swiss alps before surviving seven match points and sealing a remarkable 15th Australian Open semi-final berth.

Hampered by a groin injury, the six-time champion appeared headed for a shock exit on Tuesday night against unseeded American Tennys Sandgren before rallying for a miraculous 6-3 2-6 2-6 7-6 (10-8) 6-3 victory.

It earned the 38-year-old 20-times major champion a record-extending 46th grand slam semi-final appearance.

Federer finds a way ????????@rogerfederer saves seven match points to def. Tennys Sandgren 6-3 2-6 2-6 7-6(8) 6-3 and reach the #AusOpen semifinals for the 15th time.#AO2020 pic.twitter.com/B3Biy3q1Ez

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2020

Bidding for his first final four spot and to become the first US man in the Open semi-finals since Andy Roddick in 2009, Sandgren had seven match points in the fourth set.

But the moment got the better of the world No.100 while Federer - playing in his 1512th career match - held his nerve.

"I think I got incredibly lucky today," Federer said.

"I don't deserve this one but I'm standing here and I'm obviously very, very happy.

"I was just hoping that maybe he was not going to smash the winner, you know on that one point, that he would maybe keep the ball in play."

Federer needed a medical time-out in the third set, but didn't believe the injury would hinder his chances of a record-equalling seventh Open crown.

"I've got nothing to do tomorrow and then I play at night so you do feel better in a couple of days and then you just never know again," he said.

"With these lucky escapes, you might play without any expectations anymore because you know you should really be skiing in Switzerland.

"So there you go - I'm lucky to be here and I will make the most of it."

Federer looked in full control early, taking the first set in 34 minutes, but Sandgren broke early in the second set and as the wheels started to fall off a hush fell over the venue.

Down 0-3 in the third set, the world No.3 was angered when he received a code violation warning for a verbal obscenity after being reported by a lineswoman.

He then called for a physio and left the court for treatment.

Federer, who has never retired mid-match, said he was determined to see it out.

"I believe in miracles - it could be rain, there could be stuff, I don't know - it wasn't bad enough that I thought I was going to get worse, it was just stiff and tight.

"I thought I would just let him finish me off in style - and he didn't."

Sandgren had three match points on Federer's serve at 5-4 but was unable to find the winner with the set then going to a tiebreak.

It was locked at 3-3 when a ballkid bizarrely ran into Sandgren's leg at the changeover, with the American taking time to walk off the blow.

Unrattled, he steamed ahead to lead 6-3 but again couldn't close it out.

He had one final chance at 8-7 but Federer showed his poise to level and then clinch the set.

A deflated Sandgren was unable to lift in the fifth, with the 20-time major champion breaking to go ahead 4-2 before sealing victory.

Federer will face Novak Djokovic for the 50th time in a mouth-watering semi-final after the defending champion outlcassed Milos Raonic 6-4 6-3 7-6 (7-1) on Tuesday night.

"Draws are not getting easier," Federer said.

"I'll have to play better than I did today otherwise I really am going skiing."