Australia Declares Emergency, Warns CCP Virus Crisis Could Last Six Months

Tables at an open restaurant are seen mostly deserted on a quiet morning at the waterfront of the Sydney Opera House, where scheduled public performances have been cancelled due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Sydney, Australia, on March 18, 2020. Loren Elliott/Reuters

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on March 18 declared a “human biosecurity emergency” and said the country’s citizens should abandon all overseas travel because of the CCP virus epidemic that he warned could last at least six months.

The formal declaration gives the government the power to close off cities or regions, impose curfews and order people to quarantine, if deemed necessary to contain the spread of the CCP virus.