The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS), the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA), the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO) are calling for a stop to all elective surgery, except urgent cases, as we prepare to meet the looming public health emergency which threatens to overwhelm our hospital system