As Australia struggles to contain the Omicron variant, border restrictions have changed and the government has introduced new rules for visa holders planning to travel to Australia in response to the new variant.
The Guardian confirms that last Saturday, the federal government reintroduced border restrictions on some countries in Southern Africa where the Omicron variant has initially been detected. These countries include South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Malawi, and Mozambique.
Any person who has travelled to these countries and is not an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or their immediate family will not be allowed to enter Australia.
Australian citizens, permanent residents, and their immediate family members who are coming directly from these countries would need to undergo “immediate supervised quarantine for 14 days subject to jurisdictional arrangements”.
The federal government confirmed as per The Guardian that “these measures will be continued until 15 December.”
All other international arrivals to Victoria, NSW, and the ACT must isolate for 72 hours as well as get tested as a precaution. This can be done at their place of residence or accommodation, as opposed to hotel quarantine.
From the 1st of December, fully vaccinated eligible visa holders were supposed to be able to enter Australia without needing to apply for a travel exemption, however, that’s now been pushed until at least December 15.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a statement last Monday night, “on the basis of medical advice provided by the chief medical officer, Prof Paul Kelly, the national security committee has taken the necessary and temporary decision to pause the next step to safely reopen Australia to international skilled and student cohorts, as well as humanitarian, working holidaymaker and provisional family visa holders from 1 December until 15 December.”
“The reopening to travellers from Japan and the Republic of Korea will also be paused until 15 December.
“The temporary pause will ensure Australia can gather the information we need to better understand the Omicron variant, including the efficacy of the vaccine, the range of illness, including if it may generate more mild symptoms and the level of transmission,” he added.
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