Australia will halve the number of international arrivals in all airports to ease pressure on COVID-19 quarantine systems across the country and to contain the spread of new infections, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday, adding that the authorities will charge those quarantining in hotels after returning from abroad
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th July, 2020) Australia will halve the number of international arrivals in all airports to ease pressure on COVID-19 quarantine systems across the country and to contain the spread of new infections, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday, adding that the authorities will charge those quarantining in hotels after returning from abroad.
"We agreed today to a reduction in the number of inbound arrivals into Australia across those ports that are able to accept returning Australian citizens and residents," Morrison said, after the national cabinet meeting, adding that "they will be cut by just over half across all the various ports that are taking those ... residents returning to Australia."
The prime minister added that some Australian states were already charging for hotel quarantine, while others would do so soon.
"I will leave that to them [states] to make their announcements at the appropriate time and where possible, we will seek to have some sort of national uniformity across those pricings," Morrison told reporters, as shown in a video circulated on Australian media.
The state of Victoria is carrying the heaviest burden, as it is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases linked to international arrivals quarantining in hotels in Melbourne.
Australia has so far confirmed more than 9,059 COVID-19 cases, over 7,500 recoveries and 106 related deaths, according to the country's Health Department.
