National cabinet has backed the new international and domestic travel measures to strengthen COVID-19 protections in response to the growing threat of the highly infectious UK variant of the virus.
Highlights:
The new UK strain of virus makes government wary of International arrivals
Temporary capping of International arrivals has been put in place
After the revised capping, NSW will have a limit of 1,505, Western Australia 512, Queensland 500 and Victoria 490 people arriving from overseas
Under the changes, passengers flying into Australia must have a negative COVID-19 test report before departure with exemptions applied in extenuating circumstances.
Masks will also be made mandatory on all domestic and international flights and at domestic airports in Australia.
This virus continues to write its own rules, and that means that we must continue to be adaptable in how we continue to fight it.
He announced a significant reduction in the caps on international arrivals in New South Wales, Western Australia and Queensland.
"We will be reducing - until Feb 15 - the caps on international arrivals in NSW, WA and QLD by 50 per cent," said Mr Morrison after the national cabinet.
He said the reduction in caps is temporary.
It "automatically comes back to the existing levels on the 15th of February. So this is a temporary suspension of those higher levels of intake as we learn more about what's happening here and what's going around the world," clarified Prime Minister.
The decision has disappointed many who are stuck in India.
Krishna Mysore says it further curtails options for returning Australians in the new year
“With the new reduced caps, It further curtails options for returning Australians in the new year, quite opposite to the hope of increased cap. We are even more anxious about returning given the new development,” said Mr Mysore adding that seeking -ve test report is a welcome change, hoping this new addition adds future trends towards making it more conducive to return to Australia.
Vamshi Sridharpalli, a permanent resident of Australia who has been helping people return from India, says this decision will break many hearts.
Indian nationals leaving Sydney on an Air India repatrtaion flight. Source: twitter.com/cgisydney
“Many people have bought tickets and are planning to travel in the next 30 days. Most of them will not be able to travel before 15 February due to this measure. These are the people who are away from their families, homes, and country for almost any year now. This measure, however necessary, is bound to disappoint them," Mr Sridharpalli told SBS Hindi.
In November, More than 38,000 people stranded overseas were registered with DFAT who wanted to return to Australia. Out of those, around ten thousand of them were in India, some of whom had been waiting for over nine months to catch a flight home.
Mr Morrison said 80 per cent of Australians registered overseas are now in countries where the new strain is evident.
However, most of them cannot see any light at the end of the tunnel as the number of international arrivals is still subject to a weekly cap in Australia.
In New South Wales, the revised cap will fall to 1,505 people per week, in Western Australia to 512 and in Queensland to 500 people.
Victoria will also continue to have a capacity of some 490 people after this was reduced following the state's second wave of the coronavirus.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your jurisdiction's restrictions on gathering limits.
If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
Please check the relevant guidelines for your state or territory: NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory, ACT, Tasmania.
