Australians looking to travel the world will have to wait until at least March 2021 before they are able to leave the country. The news follows an extension of the ‘biosecurity emergency period’, which allows the federal government to place further restrictions on any outbound flights or cruises.
Image by Phil Whitehouse. Source: Wikimedia
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt announced on December 9, that the human biosecurity emergency period under the Biosecurity Act 2015, is set to be extended by an additional three months.
The emergency period, which has been in place since March 18 2020, has been extended until 17 March 2021.
The decision to prolong the ban was made on ‘specialist medical and epidemiological advice provided by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) and Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer,’ said Hunt.
The existing restrictions that sit under this emergency declaration would remain in place to minimise the risk of introducing and spreading COVID-19.
These include:
- Limitations on the movement of cruise vessels,
- Limitations on outbound international travel,
- Restrictions on the operation of retail stores at international airports.
The lifting of the ban coincides with the time frame Australia expects the first delivery of the Pfizer vaccine to be made available. This depends on approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
In accordance with the Australian National Vaccination Policy, the first batch of the vaccine will be administered to front-line healthcare, and people deemed to be at ‘high-risk’ of contracting the virus. Around 10 million doses of the vaccines have been earmarked for Australian citizens.
