Flights Into Australia Reduced By Half

Australia will slash international flights into the country by half to stop the spread of coronavirus and ease the pressure on the hotel quarantine program.  
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the cap following a National Cabinet meeting on Friday.  
'Flights will be cut by just over half across all the various ports that are taking those residents returning to Australia,' Mr Morrison said. 
'Sorry, those residents returning to Australia.'
Mr Morrison also revealed state and territory leaders agreed returned travellers would need to foot the bill for cho thuê xe ô tô tự lái tại hà nội their forced 14-day hotel quarantine. 
Australia will slash international flights into the country by half to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Pictured: Returned travellers arrive in Sydney for their 14-day mandatory quarantiine in May
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the cap following a National Cabinet meeting on Friday
'There is also a view across the National Cabinet that they are all effectively moving to a charging system for the hotel quarantine that is in place for those returning businesses,' he said. 
'Some states already have it, other states are moving towards that, and I will leave that to them to make their announcements at the appropriate time and where possible.
'We will seek to have some sort of national uniformity across those pricings and we are sharing those information is with the states and territories.' 
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All returned travellers entering Australia are required to stay in 14-day hotel quarantine to stop the spread of coronavirus. 
The Queensland government has been charging returned travellers for their two weeks in isolation since July 1.  
The state's quarantine fee, which includes accommodation and daily meals, costs $2,800 for one adult, $3,710 for two adults, and $4,620 for two adults and two children. 
Returning overseas travellers are seen as they are checked-in a hotel at the beginning of the pandemic in March
Mr Morrison was questioned as to whether cutting flights into Australia would be effectively barring Australian citizens from coming home.
The prime minister said Australians there will continue to be a 'capacity' for people to return Down Under, as there has been for 'many months'.   
'There will be continuing access to Australia but the number of available positions on flights will be less and I don't think that is surprising or unreasonable in the circumstances that we find ourselves in,' he said. 
'We have to put the national interest first and the health of Australia and Australians first and that is the basis of the decision we have taken.'
The reduction of flight arrivals from Monday will mean more than 4000 fewer people will return home every week. 
Mr Morrison said the capacity could be expanded in the future but the government is currently more focused on testing and tracing to contain the outbreak. 
The prime minister said the National Cabinet agreed the rest of Australia needed to avoid complacency during the global health crisis and must continue to practice social distancing.

Pictured: Victorians in face masks shop in Melbourne on Wednesday before re-entering lockdown
Pictured: Passengers have their temperature checked at Sydney Airport on Tuesday
The National Cabinet agreed to a nationwide review of the hotel quarantine program, which will be undertaken by former Health Secretary Jay Holton.  
Mr Morrison said the current situation in Victoria 'remains very concerning'. 
The state reported 288 coronavirus cases on Friday, it's highest amount of daily infections since the pandemic began. 
Residents in metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire re-entered lockdown for six weeks on Thursday as the state desperately tries to control the second spike in cases. 
The prime minister said the National Cabinet agreed the rest of Australia needed to avoid complacency during the global health crisis and must continue to practice social distancing. 
Pictured: Health workers give a COVID-19 test in Melbourne. Mr Morrison said the current situation in Victoria 'remains very concerning'
'This is a lesson outside of the Victorian experience,' he said.
'When we're at home and there are people around, we still have to practise the social distancing. 
'It is still not OK for hugs and handshakes stop it's important to maintain the discipline of the social distancing behind closed doors, not just out in the public space.'
Mr Morrison said the social distancing would remain the 'norm' for the foreseeable future.  
'It is important to ensure social distancing is the norm, it is not the exception, it is the norm and it will be the norm for a very long time, until at least we have a vaccine that can be mass produced and made available across the population,' he said. 
Pictured: A passenger wearing a protective suit and mask is seen collecting baggage after arriving on a flight from Melbourne at Sydney Airport
Mr Morrison will speak with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Friday afternoon about the trans-Tasman travel bubble.
But he urged patience and admitted there is no imminent starting date.
'There is still a lot more work to be done to get to a point of having a trans-Tasman safe travel zone,' he said.
'The fact that Australia cannot have international flights is damaging to our economy.'
Mr Morrison spoke with Japanese leader Shinzo Abe on Thursday night about some limited transport of scientists and other key personnel between countries in the future.
'It is pleasing to know that Japan, for example, would be seeing Australia as a potential place where there might be opportunities to reopen some very, very restricted and limited form of travel,' he said.