All international travellers will be required to self-isolate upon arrival in Australia for 14 days in a bid to contain the spread of coronavirus.

Following a meeting with state and territory leaders under a new national cabinet, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the requirement will be enforced from midnight on Sunday.

Australian citizens will also be required to self-isolate upon returning to the country.

“We seek to assist Australians coming home by ensuring the flights continue to run, but when they come home, they will spend another 14 days in self-isolation,” Morrison said.

He said the self-isolation requirement would do an “effective job in flattening this curve as we go forward”.

The P&O cruise ship Pacific Explorer as seen from a drone on January 26, 2020 in Sydney. Credit: James D. Morgan / Getty Images

The federal government has also banned all cruise ships from foreign ports arriving in Australia for an initial 30 days.

The prime minister said that there is scope to extend that deadline.

A series of further social distancing measures will also be introduced as part of a ‘second phase’ of Australia’s emergency response plan for COVID-19.

Mass gathering

The new measures follow the ban of “non-essential” organised mass gatherings of more than 500 people across Australia from Monday.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the ban on Friday, but said schools, universities and shopping centres would be exempt.

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Morrison said new advice suggested those gatherings “should not continue at that scale”.

“The states and territories will be moving to put in place the appropriate arrangements under state-based legislation to ensure that that is supported,” he said.