From midnight on Saturday, all vaccinated international travellers entering NSW and Victoria will need to isolate at home for 72 hours after landing.
Travel restrictions are now in place in Australia as the health officials are scrambling to understand the seriousness of the Omicron B.1.1.529 variant of COVID-19, first identified in South Africa.
The Department of Home Affairs says the travel restrictions are now in place for people who have been in South Africa, Lesotho, Ekatwini, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Seychelles, Mozambique, or Malawi in the last 14 days.
“Australian citizens, permanent residents or their immediate family members entering Australia who have been in South Africa, Lesotho, Ekatwini, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Seychelles, Mozambique, or Malawi in the last 14 days will need to fully quarantined for two weeks irrespective of their vaccination status,” said the department adding, “Any other travellers who have been in South Africa, Lesotho, Ekatwini, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Seychelles, Mozambique, or Malawi in the last 14 days are not permitted to enter Australia.”
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The new Omicron B.1.1.529 variant of COVID-19 was first identified in South Africa. Although, no cases have been identified in NSW, and the government says it will work with the Commonwealth, other states and territories to gather information.
However, the state government has implemented travel restrictions on people returning from overseas. Citizens and Permanent Residents of Australia travelling from southern Africa will be required to spend 14 days in hotel quarantine, while returning residents from any other country will need to isolate at home for 72 hours after landing.
Anyone who has already arrived in the state and has been in any of the nine countries in the previous 14 days has to be tested and isolated for 14 days immediately.
Premier Dominic Perrottet said the “NSW Government will continue to put community safety first by taking these precautionary but important steps until more information becomes available”.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that “several state and territory chief health officers pushed for a temporary pause on all overseas arrivals during a meeting of the Australian Health Protection Principal Committees on Saturday.”
