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General News

27 March, 2020

Quarantine for all people returning to Australia

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has just announced that all passengers who arrive in Australia after midnight on Saturday will go into mandatory quarantine

By Phil Brandel

Quarantine for all people returning to Australia - feature photo

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has just announced that all passengers who arrive in Australia after midnight on Saturday will go into mandatory quarantine in hotels for a fortnight.

Mr Morrison said two-thirds of the nation's confirmed cases of coronavirus had come from people arriving from overseas

"States and territories will be quarantining all arrivals through our airports in hotels and other accommodation facilities for the two weeks of their mandatory self-isolation before they are able to return to their home," he said.

The PM also said that businesses will need to go into "hibernation" in a bid to make sure they come back and are viable once the virus had abated.

"We want these businesses to effectively go into a hibernation, which means on the other side, the employees come back, the opportunities come back, the economy comes back," he said.

"The idea is simple – there are businesses which will have to close their doors. They will have to keep them closed either because we have made it necessary for them to do so, or simply there is just not the business to keep their doors open,

"We want those businesses to start again. And we do not want those businesses to be so saddled by debt, so saddled by rental payments, so saddled by other liabilities that they will not be able to start again on the other side."

The PM also urged Australians to "do the right thing" this weekend and follow new social distancing rules.

"This weekend the challenge will be there again. Let’s do the right thing. Let’s save lives," he said this afternoon.

He asked Australians to stay connected through social media and phone calls.

 

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