Intermission to farther easing of edge restrictions

On the ground of medical advice provided by the Chief Medical Officeholder of Australia, Professor Paul Kelly, the National Security Committee has taken the necessary and temporary decision to pause the side by side step to safely reopen Commonwealth of australia to international skilled and student cohorts, also every bit humanitarian, working vacation maker and provisional family visa holders from i December until 15 Dec.

The reopening to travellers from Japan and the Commonwealth of Korea volition also be paused until 15 December.

The temporary suspension will ensure Commonwealth of australia tin can gather the information we need to better understand the Omicron variant, including the efficacy of the vaccine, the range of affliction, including if information technology may generate more than balmy symptoms, and the level of transmission.

Australia's border is already closed to travellers except fully vaccinated Australian citizens, permanent residents and firsthand family, equally well as fully vaccinated green lane travellers from New Zealand and Singapore and express exemptions.

All arrivals to Australia likewise require a negative PCR test and to consummate Australian traveller annunciation forms detailing their vaccination condition and confirming requirements to comply with state and territory public wellness requirements.

On Saturday, the Australian Government announced the post-obit measures:

  1. Constructive immediately, anyone who is not a citizen or permanent resident of Australia, or their immediate family including parents of citizens, and who have been in African countries where the Omicron variant has been detected and spread – inside the by xiv days – will not exist able to enter Commonwealth of australia. The countries are: Due south Africa, Namibia, Republic of zimbabwe, Botswana, Kingdom of lesotho, Eswatini, Republic of malaŵi and Mozambique.
  2. Australian citizens and permanent residents, immediate family members including parents arriving from these countries volition demand to go into immediate supervised quarantine for 14 days subject to jurisdictional arrangements.
  3. Anyone who has already arrived in Australia and who has been in any of the eight countries within the by 14 days must immediately isolate themselves and go tested for COVID-19 and follow jurisdictional quarantine requirements which will include quarantine for 14 days from the time of departure from southern Africa.
  4. These restrictions besides apply to people, for case international students and skilled migrants, arriving from the safe travel zones we take established with New Zealand and Singapore who accept been in any of the eight countries within the by 14 days.

In that location are no flights planned from these countries.

These measures will as well be connected until fifteen December.

Upon further advice from Professor Kelly, Republic of seychelles has been removed from the list of countries of concern.

Australian Border Force retains discretion to let people in who are already in transit to enter, only these people will exist bailiwick to state based isolation requirements.

Under state public health requirements, New S Wales and Victoria take already initiated testing and 72 hours of isolation requirements for Australian citizens, permanent residents and immediate family members entering the land. In other states, 14 days of managed quarantine is required, and traveller cap arrangements are in place.

The Australian Government's quarantine facility at Howard Springs in Darwin is available to back up returning Australians each fortnight as required.

The Prime Government minister has called a meeting of National Cabinet tomorrow to further discuss the Omicron variant and Commonwealth of australia's response.

Australians tin be assured that we are in a stiff position to deal with COVID and its emerging challenges.

We have one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, with 92.three per cent having had a first dose and 86.8 per cent of our eligible population now double vaccinated, and we have ane of the only whole of population booster programs being delivered, with around 415,000 Australians having received their booster.

Australia has a proven record of dealing with COVID, we have ane of the lowest fatality rates, highest vaccination rates and strongest economies in the globe.

We will go along to have sensible and responsive prove based action, led by medical experts. This will ensure we tin can open safely, and stay safely open every bit we acquire to live with the virus.