All overseas arrivals to Australia will need to self-isolate for 14 days as of midnight on Sunday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced.
Mr Morrison also said Australia will ban cruise ships from foreign ports for an initial 30 days.
"What we have seen in recent weeks is more countries having issues with the virus," Mr Morrison said.
But the prime minister insisted schools will remain open.
"When you take children out of schools and put them back in the broader community, the ability for them to potentially engage with others increases the risk," he said.
"The truth is that while many people will contract this virus ... [for] around eight in 10 it will be a mild illness and it will pass."
Scott Morrison speaks to the media during a press conference Source: AAP
But he said for older Australians and those that are more vulnerable it "is a far more serious virus and that is our concern."
There have been more than 250 cases of COVID-19 in Australia, with three deaths. So far, at least 23 people have recovered.
More to come
