Coronavirus outbreak: Virus evacuees arrive on Christmas Island

The 36 Australian nationals who were evacuated from the virus-stricken central Chinese city of Wuhan arrived on Australia's remote Christmas Island detention center Thursday.

The three dozen evacuees arrived in New Zealand on Wednesday and were immediately transferred to Australia.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison told Parliament that there's an intention for another charter flight to evacuate more Australians from Wuhan.

Australia has been criticized over its decision to quarantine the nearly 300 Wuhan evacuees on the remote island used in the past to banish asylum seekers and convicts.

Critics say a quarantine center on the Australian mainland would be preferable to Christmas Island.

Some inhabitants of the island say the government is turning their home into a "leper colony."

The government argues that the location strikes a balance between supporting Australians stranded in China and protecting the wider Australian population from the disease.

People on the Australian mainland who might have caught the virus are not placed in quarantine, but are advised to self-isolate for 14 days, which scientists say is the longest incubation period of the virus.

Starting this month, Australia has banned foreigners without permanent residency from entering the country if they had visited mainland China in the previous 14 days.

China's national women's soccer team has been quarantined at a Brisbane hotel since arriving last week.