Australia has confirmed dozens of cases of the new coronavirus strain.

Australia has a number of measures to help stop the spread of coronavirus, but what exactly are the procedures being enacted, and what can you do to protect yourself from the virus?

What can authorities do to stop the spread?

All states in Australia have the power to place people in lockdown to prevent communicable diseases from spreading.

Australia's chief medical officer Brendan Murphy says that every one of Australia's state public health departments has a designated isolation facility and "clearly established protocols to get people to those facilities."

NSW Health director of health protection Jeremy McAnulty confirmed NSW Health had the power to quarantine individuals who refused to cooperate with health officials.

"Almost always we don't need to do that because people are very sensible and cooperative, but we do have powers, if need be, under the Public Health Act to control the spread of diseases," he said.

Health workers in NSW public hospitals, as well as community-based GPs, have been issued precautionary advice to help them identify cases of the infection and apply infection-control measures.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 1 minute 2 seconds 1 m 2 s Flight from Wuhan touches down in Sydney

Coronavirus has been made a 'notifiable disease' under the Public Health Act, meaning doctors and laboratories are required to report any suspected cases to NSW Health.

What can I do to protect myself?

Everything you'd normally do to protect yourself during a regular cold and flu season, including washing your hands vigorously and avoiding close contact with anyone with cold and flu symptoms.

If you have recently been to Wuhan, or have been in contact with someone who has, and develop flu-like symptoms, you should seek medical attention.

Typically, symptoms include an elevated temperature, fever, a sore throat, coughing or breathlessness.

Wuhan Airport pictured early on Thursday morning as the city prepared to go into lockdown. ( ABC News: Brant Cumming )

If you develop these symptoms, see a GP urgently. But call ahead to let them know, so they can take measures to protect other patients.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said anyone who came forward with symptoms would have their privacy respected.

"They should also call ahead to speak to their GP or emergency department," he said.

"If the GP considers novel coronavirus testing is needed they will be referred to the emergency department for testing."

How prepared is Australia to stop the spread?

Professor Murphy has said Australia was well prepared to respond to the virus.

"We currently have over 10 million [face] masks, even though we distributed 3.5 million during the bushfires, so we've got a good stockpile," he said.

"We keep all sorts of things, particularly drugs, EpiPens, thermometers, so if there is a very large emergency of a public health significance that overwhelms the suppliers in state and territory health services we can activate that stockpile and get stuff out."

These signs were rolled out at all major NSW ports from Thursday. ( Supplied: NSW Department of Health )

He said the testing of suspected cases was being sped up. Currently, it is taking one or two days to get a confirmed test.

"We're getting much more rapid tests on hand," Professor Murphy said.

Professor Murphy said updated information would be distributed to GPs and emergency departments across the country following reports a doctor failed to flag a possible infection in Victoria.

"That was one of the reasons prompting me to send [the message out again]," Professor Murphy said.

"We have previously provided information but we are trying to reinforce it."

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has declared that the Federal Government is taking the issue "incredibly seriously", with governments across Australia earmarking $1 billion to fight the spread of coronavirus.

The Federal Government has immediately put $100 million in the fund to fight the spread and will increase its contribution as needed.

The new fund will cover the costs of their treatment for someone who presents to a hospital with coronavirus, instead of dipping into the existing pools of public health funds.

The fund will cover costs that have been incurred since January 21.

What does the World Health Organisation say?

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared COVID-19 a "public health emergency of international concern" (PHEIC).

An outbreak can only be a PHEIC if it poses a risk to more than one country and if it requires a coordinated international response to control.

Past PHEICs include the outbreaks of SARS, bird flu, and the Ebola and Zika outbreaks.

The WHO says its greatest concern was the potential for COVID-19 to spread to countries with weaker health systems which were ill-prepared to deal with it.

It has called for a $US675 million ($1,034 billion) fund to fight the virus.

"The key to stopping this outbreak is to identify people with the virus as quickly as possible, so you need good diagnostics and human resources to be able to do that," said Sanjaya Senanayake, an infectious diseases specialist and associate professor at the Australian National University Medical School.

"Areas of the world that don't have that will struggle and are more likely to have a more prolonged and severe outbreak."

Children and adults donned face marks at Wuhan airport. ( ABC News: Brant Cumming )

How does it compare to past outbreaks?

The virus belongs to the same family of coronaviruses as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), which killed nearly 800 people globally during a 2002-03 outbreak that also started in China.

Its symptoms include fever and difficulty in breathing, which are similar to many other respiratory diseases and pose complications for screening efforts.

However, medical experts have said coronavirus may not be as aggressive as SARS.

A vaccine for the virus is yet to be developed.

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What about the financial impacts of the outbreak?

During the 2002 SARS outbreak, consumer confidence was whacked across the Asia region, leading to reduced consumption, demand and investment.

A study by Australian economist Warwick McKibbin estimated the cost of SARS at $40 billion.

The COVID-19 outbreak is already looking worse, with the US stock market and the ASX plunging, and global trade slowing.

The Reserve Bank slashed interest rates to a record low of 0.5 per cent in March as it sought to contain the economic fallout of the crisis.

The Morrison Government's economic stimulus package will target sectors directly impacted by the fallout of the coronavirus — such as the services sector, tourism, and education — with a second phase of stimulus directed at households to keep consumer confidence up.