A view of the Australian cruise ship Greg Mortimer and a ship of the Uruguayan Navy off the port of Montevideo on Monday Inset: A sick 75-year-old Australian passenger of the Greg Mortimer cruise liner is taken to Montevideo's British Hospital on Friday. Photos: AFP

Australian authorities have reiterated the importance of social distancing rules as the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country continues to slow.

There had been 6,152 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Australia as of Friday morning, an increase of 1.6 percent from 6,052 on Thursday morning.

Among the cases, 52 have died from COVID-19. More than 334,000 tests have been conducted across Australia, according to the latest figures from the Department of Health on Friday morning.

The number of cases has increased by about 17.7 percent in the week between April 3 and April 10 compared to an increase of much more than that in the previous seven days.

Paul Kelly, the deputy chief medical officer, on Friday reiterated the importance of Australians staying home to prevent the spread of the virus.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Health Minister Greg Hunt previously said the Easter long weekend, which spans from Friday to Monday, could be the most important period in Australia's fight against COVID-19.

"This is not time for us to be changing the rules, in terms of social distancing and the other things we have done in society over recent weeks," Kelly told reporters in Canberra on Friday afternoon.

"It is a time to consolidate those gains, and then to consider what might happen in the future, but at this time, the stay-at-home message is really important."

Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Simon Birmingham said the government could extend its wage subsidy scheme if necessary.

The 130 billion Australian dollar (82.4 billion U.S. dollar) policy has been costed and legislated for about six months, while Birmingham said it would be extended if millions of Australians are still out of work because of the pandemic.