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20 March, 2020

Australia to shut borders to tourists in expanded international travel ban

From Friday evening, all non-citizens and non-residents of Australia will be banned from entering the country.

Enhanced border measures all but halting commercial travel in and out of the country will come into effect from 9pm tonight (AEST) in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

It comes as Australia adds to previously enforced bans on foreign nationals arriving from China, Iran, Italy and South Korea, which had been hardest hit by the virus, before it was announced as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), and follow calls for Australians not to travel overseas.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the new measures would come into effect “to save lives”.

“Our government has taken this unprecedented step because around 80 per cent of coronavirus cases in Australia are people who caught the virus overseas before entering Australia, or people who have had a direct contact with someone who has returned from overseas,” he said in a press statement.

“Our previous travel and entry restrictions have already meant that daily travel to Australia by non-citizens has been reduced to about one third of what it was this time last year.”

Exemptions to the policy apply for Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family, including spouses, legal guardians and dependants.

New Zealand citizens who live in Australia as Australian residents are also exempt, as are New Zealanders transiting to New Zealand. Exemptions for Pacific Islanders transiting to their home countries will continue to apply.

All arrivals to Australia will still be required to self-isolate for a period of 14 days.

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New Zealand has also closed its borders to tourists and visa holders from outside of the country. Morrison said he had consulted with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern about Australia’s new travel ban prior to announcing it, according to ABC News.

“The New Zealand arrangement, in the same way as it has in the past, doesn’t apply to Australians living in New Zealand as New Zealand residents,” he said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) will provide consular advice and assistance. However, the capacity for DFAT to provide consular services may be limited by local restrictions on movement, Morrison said, as well as the full scale of the challenges posed by COVID-19.

“Australians who cannot, or do not want to, return home should follow the advice of local authorities and minimise their risk of coronavirus exposure by self-isolating,” he said.

“The government is in discussions with airlines about the continuance of some international flights for the purpose of bringing Australians home and continuing the movement of goods and freight.”

It comes as Qantas and Virgin Australia announced major cuts to staff and to international and domestic flights.

All cruise ships which sailed from a foreign port have also been banned from entering Australian ports for 30 days.

Featured image: iStock.com/honglouwawa

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