Australia to stagger citizens’ returns home

Australia will halve the number of citizens who can return home each week to relieve pressure on its quarantine system as an outbreak in the nation’s second-most populous state worsens, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday.

Mr. Morrison also told reporters that the process of quarantining arrivals in hotels would be reviewed after missteps in Melbourne saw security guards contract the virus, contributing to an outbreak in the city. Victoria state reported a record 288 new cases in the past 24 hours and urged residents to wear masks.

More than 70,000 Australian citizens and permanent residents have undertaken 14 days of mandatory isolation at government-leased hotels since the crisis began, and the policy has helped contain the spread of the virus. But the system is creaking, particularly as flights are rerouted due to the outbreak in Melbourne, placing pressure on other parts of the country.