Australians who refuse to self-isolate after contracting coronavirus could be jailed for up to a year or fined as much as $50,000.
People who are believed to have contracted the disease have been ordered to stay at home for 14 days, as well as those who have been in contact with anybody who has been in South Korea, China, Iran or Italy.
But some are ignoring the recommendations, putting the community at risk of catching the disease that has killed almost 5,000 people globally and infected at least 194 Australians.
While the instruction to quarantine at home is voluntary at this stage, Australians who have been told to self-isolate could be hit with a public health order and face massive penalties if they continue to interact with others.
Australians who refuse to comply with public health orders to self-isolate amid the outbreak of coronavirus could be hit with massive fines and even jail time (people wearing face masks outside St Vincents Hospital)
There have been 194 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Australia including three people who have died
Each state has varying punishments for breaches of public health orders.
In Western Australia, people who ignore a public health order could be hit with a $50,000 fine and spend up to 12 months behind bars.
Under the South Australian Public Health Act, people who refuse to comply with policies could be forced to pay a maximum fine of $25,000.
In New South Wales, people who breach the public health order can be fined up to $11,000 and face six months behind bars.
Queenslanders that fail to comply with health orders could see fines of up to $13,345 along with other penalties.
In Tasmania, a maximum fine for disobeying rules under the Public Health Act is $8,400.
In Victoria, people could face a fine of up to $6,600.
A NSW Department of Health spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia, failure to comply with the Public Health Act is an offence.
‘Novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) is a scheduled medical condition under the Public Health Act 2010,’ the spokesperson said.
Under the South Australian Public Health Act, people who refuse to comply with policies could be forced to pay a maximum fine of $25,000 (patients outside Concord Hospital)
‘This means cases of COVID-19 must be notified to the Secretary.
‘In addition, a public health order can be made in relation to a person with COVID-19 or a person who has come into contact with COVID-19. A public health order can require a person to undergo treatment, notify contacts or order a person to be detained.
‘It is an offence to fail to comply with a public health order.’
A spokesperson for the Victorian Department of Health said: ‘We have been clear that some extreme measures will need to be taken to protect public health.
‘None of these decisions will be taken lightly and must be proportionate to the threat.’
A doctor in the Melbourne suburb of Toorak saw up to 70 patients despite showing symptoms of the disease before testing positive.
The doctor, aged in his 70s and from Toorak, Melbourne, is now in isolation at his home after he was confirmed to have contracted the disease on Friday night following a trip to the United States.
People are seen lining up outside a coronavirus clinic in Sydney as the virus continues to spread
The doctor had started showing symptoms including a runny nose on a flight from Denver to San Francisco on February 27 before returning to Melbourne on February 29.
Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said she was ‘flabbergasted’ that the doctor continued to work even though he had been feeling unwell.
‘I have to say I am flabbergasted that a doctor that has flu-like symptoms has presented to work,’ she told reporters on Saturday.
‘Our advice to the community is that if you have returned from overseas and are experiencing cold or flu like symptoms then please stay home, do not go to work, you should self isolate until such time as you are able to present to a doctor and get medical advice about whether you have COVID-19.’
Another man in his 20s in Hobart continued to work at one of the city’s major hotels and even visited nightclubs.
The student arrived in Hobart on February 26 after travelling from Nepal and Singapore, and had been suffering cold-like symptoms in the days following.
He was put into isolation along with four members of his household and three friends.