Australia's Prime Minister has told all foreign visitors and students to leave the country now amid fury at backpackers for failing to follow social distancing rules.
Scott Morrison said that while those with essential skills - such as visiting doctors and nurses - will be encouraged to stay, it was past time for everyone else to 'make their way home'.
It comes after one hostel in Sydney was shut down after police were called to break up a party, while tourists also packed on to Bondi Beach despite warnings not to gather outdoors.
There were more than 1million people in Australia on visitor and student visas on December 31 - thought to include tens of thousands of UK and US tourists - though it is unclear how many remain in the country.Mostly students belonged to Pakistan and they are awaiting restoration of flight operation which has been suspended since March 23rd.
Many people were struggling to arrange last-minute flights home following the announcement, as existing flights were being cancelled while prices for the remaining tickets soared to more than £1,000 each. A cluster of cases among backpackers was also traced back to two parties at nightclubs near Bondi Beach in March, even as the government advised people not to take the threat of the virus lightly.
British backpacker Peter Leggatt then prompted further outrage when he suggested that people were simply 'jealous' that backpackers were still having fun.
Health minister Greg Hunt branded the situation in Bondi 'unacceptable' and called on the local council to 'stop that from occurring'.
Mr Morrison stopped short of ordering foreigners to leave as he spoke Friday, but made it clear they will not be a priority during the crisis.
Mr Morrison said: 'As much as it is lovely to have visitors to Australia in good times, at times like this if you're a visitor in this country, it is time... to make your way home.
'Australia must focus on its citizens and its residents to ensure that we can maximise the economic supports that we have.'
Australia has so far confirmed 5,330 cases of the virus with 28 deaths.
There are fears that backpacker hostels - with crowded living arrangements, shared kitchen and limited hygiene facilities - could turn into virus hotbeds.
Some backpackers have complained that they are effectively trapped in the country as hundreds of flights are grounded and costs for the remaining seats soar.
Police were filmed breaking up a rooftop party at one hostel in Sydney recently, where residents were ignoring social distancing rules. Thousands of Britons were scrambling to find a way home from Australia ordered all visitors to leave.
Dozens of Facebook groups sprung up with people trying to book last-minute tickets as prices soared to more than £1,000 per seat.
Meanwhile others revealed their scheduled flights had been cancelled, leaving them stranded.
The British Embassy told everyone wishing to return home to book a flight as soon as possible, but admitted that availability of seats is 'evolving'.
MailOnline discovered one user who was considering taking out an emergency loan to cover the cost, and another who claimed to have been made jobless and homeless, and was unable to afford to fly home.
Triona Mullahy, from Ireland, told ABC News that she has spent $8,000 on flights so far, only to see them all cancelled and was running out of options.
Meanwhile Britons Dan Campbell and Leanne Hawkes said they also had a fight home that has been cancelled, and both recently lost their jobs in a call centre which means they cannot afford another.While the UK has been chartering repatriation flights to some countries that halted all commercial flights, Australia has kept its airports open meaning that Britons are expected to book a ticket home.
Even those who managed to book a flight home that went ahead, then found themselves stranded after landing because many coach and train services have been cancelled.
National Express and Megabus have announced that all services have been cancelled this week, and while trains are still running many services have been reduced.
UK regional airlines have also been grounding flights as demand plummets.
