A decision is expected in the coming days on whether to extend the Australian travel ban on foreigners who’ve spent time in mainland China.

The national security committee is due to meet today or tomorrow to discuss protections against coronavirus.

About 170 Australians are on a plane back to Darwin, after being taken off a cruise ship in Japan.

They will spend two weeks in quarantine at a remote mining camp when they arrive back on home soil.

Chief Medical Officer doctor Brendan Murphy tells Alan Jones there are protections in place to stop new cases coming in.

“The risk of someone coming here with the virus, except if they’ve come from Hubei or that cruise ship, is quite low. And we’re on the lookout for anyone with relevant symptoms and testing them.

“There is no evidence whatsoever of community transmission, from person to person, in the general community in Australia.

“People can go about their business, they don’t need to go around wearing masks.

“There is no risk at all at the moment.”

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Image: SMH