South Korea added to Australia’s coronavirus travel ban list, restrictions for travellers from Italy
The federal government has expanded its coronavirus travel ban to include South Korea and added extra precautions for travelers from Italy amid concerns about the spread of the disease.
key point:
- South Korea joins China and Iran as Australia to impose coronavirus travel restrictions
- Australian citizens and permanent residents are exempt, but must self-isolate on return
- Passengers from Italy will face advanced screening upon check-in and arrival in Australia
Prime Minister Scott Morrison also confirmed that the current ban on foreign nationals travelling to Australia from China and Iran has been extended for a week.
The revised ban will last until Saturday, March 14, but the government will review the situation within a week to determine if travel restrictions need to be extended further.
Foreigners who have been to mainland China, Iran and South Korea will not be allowed to enter Australia for 14 days after leaving these countries.
Australian citizens and permanent residents will be able to enter Australia but will need to self-isolate for two weeks.
Morrison said travellers from Italy would face “advanced screening measures”, meaning they would be asked more questions at check-in and temperature checks on arrival in Australia.
The government has also upgraded travel advice for South Korea and is now urging Australians to reconsider the need to travel to the country.
It provided stricter travel advice for Daegu, South Korea’s coronavirus hotspot, and urged Australians not to travel there.
Morrison said South Korea was at greater risk because there were five times as many passengers travelling to Australia as Italy.
He said the cabinet’s national security committee expanded travel restrictions after receiving updates from state and federal chief medical officers.
“We made this decision because we saw a higher number of visits from South Korea than from Italy and the ability to immediately implement enhanced screening measures for Italy,” Mr Morrison said.
“need to be able to do this [for] South Korea is much more difficult.
“So this ban is in place because it provides the best protection and allows us to slow the spread.”
This is the fourth time the government has extended its travel ban on China, after Iran was added to the list of banned countries over the weekend.
There are now more than 50 recorded cases of COVID-19 in Australia.
Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy said he was “very concerned” about the risk of further importation of the disease into Australia from Iran.
Apart from China and Iran, South Korea and Italy posed the highest risk to Australia, he said.
“We do know we’re going to get more cases,” Professor Murphy said.
Coronavirus hits Australian economy
The new travel restrictions come as Australia’s treasurer says targeted stimulus is urgently needed to tackle the coronavirus crisis.
He told Senate estimates that the virus would reduce third-quarter growth by at least 0.5 percentage points, more than double the projected impact of the devastating bushfires.
If the government imposes a travel ban on Italy, it could have an impact on next weekend’s Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
Mr Morrison said how the Victorian government, which regulates Formula 1, would be affected by South Korean entrants or tourists coming to the races.
The government has previously said it was considering targeted stimulus packages for the education, tourism and export sectors and the economic toll from the coronavirus.
Mr Morrison said on Thursday the government was in the final stages of an economic response.
“It will focus on getting people employed and supporting jobs,” he said.
“It’s going to be focused on maintaining business so these businesses can support these jobs and Australians’ incomes. It’s focused on making sure we bounce back better on the other side.”
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