Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday announced that every person who arrives in the country from Sunday onwards will be forced into a 14-day quarantine period as a preventive measure against the coronavirus pandemic.
Amid growing concerns over arrivals not abiding by existing quarantine measures, Morrison said all passengers who arrive in the country will be subjected to mandatory quarantine in hotels, according to the media report.
The new strict measures will be coordinated by state and territory governments and enforced by the Australian Defence Force.
Earlier in the month, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
On Friday, the prime minister said that returning Australians accounted for around two thirds of the country’s more than 3,000 coronavirus cases, making it the “biggest issue” to be addressed in the country’s fight against the pandemic.
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) will be sent out to check recent returnees are complying with the previous order to self-isolate at their home for the same period of time, a rare step in a country where the military is not often seen on the streets.
The rate of infections across Australia remains much slower than in many other countries, but officials are concerned that the number of cases has accelerated over the past week, particularly in the most populated states of New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria. There have been 13 deaths nationally.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Australia has surpassed 3,000, while the death toll has risen from eight to 13 in two days.
Australia has already closed its borders to everyone but Australian citizens or residents returning home. Those returnees will now be detained in a hotel for two weeks, rather than trusted to go home and self-isolate.
The leaders of NSW and Victoria state have both said they are ready to push ahead with tighter curbs when – rather than if – they become necessary.
More than 500,000 people around the world have now contracted the new coronavirus.
(With inputs from agency)