On Mar. 19, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a ban on all non-residents and non-citizens travelling to Australia.

The ban will come into force at 9pm on Friday (Mar. 20), according to The Guardian.

Addressing reporters in Canberra, Morrison said that travel to Australia by visitors had already been drastically reduced.

"It's about a third of what it normally would be at this time of year," he said.

Australian citizens will still be able to return to the country thereafter but will be subjected to 14 days of isolation upon arrival.

The Guardian reported that close family members of residents and citizens will also be allowed into the country.

Could be closed for up to 6 months

Morrison said the rationale for the travel ban was the fact that 80 per cent of the country's Covid-19 cases were either the result of someone who had contracted the virus overseas, or someone who had come into contact with an individual with overseas travel history.

At the end of Mar. 19, Australia reported 709 cases of Covid-19 with 6 deaths.

On the same day, Treasurer of Australia Josh Frydenberg spoke to national radio broadcaster ABC, saying that the border closure could last up to six months.

Josh Frydenberg tells @PatsKarvelas it's likely Australia's border will be closed for 6 months.

That's in line with the current messaging from Govt - expect unprecedented restrictions and changes to daily life until at least September/October

— Thomas O'Brien (@TJ__OBrien) March 19, 2020

Frydenberg said that the ban would "last as long as the medical experts tell us that we need to prevent the spread of the virus," according to The Guardian.

Stimulus package announced to help economy

The travel ban comes as more bad news for Australia's devastated tourism sector, which accounts for about eight per cent of the country's employment according to 9News.

All travellers to Australia had previously been required to adhere to a 14-day isolation period upon arrival, a measure that had an adverse impact on the country's tourism sector.

According to The Guardian, the Morrison government and the Reserve Bank of Australia on Mar. 19 announced a stimulus package intended to boost the country's economy and help ailing businesses.

It included measures such as cutting the official interest rate to 0.25 per cent and providing A$15 billion (S$12.7 billion) for business lending.

A second stimulus package is set to be announced shortly.

Top image by Keith Zhu via Unsplash