A mercy flight carrying 80 coronavirus-infected Australians has touched down in Melbourne.

Emergency services were on standby at Tullamarine airport to meet the plane, which was carrying 112 passengers in total.

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Most of those on board were from the stricken Greg Mortimer cruise vessel, which had been stranded in Uruguay for more than two weeks.

The cruise operator confirmed that 128 of the 217 passengers on board has tested positive for coronavirus.

That’s nearly 60 per cent.

The plane landed from Uruguay on Sunday morning. Credit: 7NEWS

Those passengers are among 1200 Australian nationals being flown home from overseas by the Commonwealth this weekend, with flights from India and Peru landing on Friday and Saturday.

All passengers on board those flights will be forced into a 14-day quarantine, despite no reports of confirmed COVID-19 cases.

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Determined to avoid a ‘Ruby Princess’ level debacle, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has demanded assurances from Prime Minister Scott Morrison that the flight won’t endanger the health of Victorians.

Emergency services met the flight at Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport Credit: 7NEWS

Emergency services met the plane on Sunday morning at Melbourne Aiport after it landed from Uruguay.

The plane was chartered by the Australian government to bring citizens home, with emergency doctors assessing all passengers as they disembark.

Ambulances fitted with protective equipment were there to transport ill passengers from Tullamarine to one of several Melbourne hospitals placed on standby for the flight’s arrival.

File image of the Greg Mortimer cruise, which was carrying at least 80 COVID-19 infected Aussies Credit: Mitchell, Stefan / Supplied

Anyone displaying any type of COVID-19 symptoms would be taken to hospital immediately.

The rest of the passengers would be detained in hotels for 14 days.

A small group of New Zealanders on the plane from Montevideo were due to board a charter flight home where they will also go into quarantine.