Corona: Australia extends travel ban
Florian Tiefenböck studied human medicine at the LMU Munich. In March 2014, he joined as a student and has supported the editorial team with medical articles ever since. After receiving his medical license and practical work in internal medicine at the University Hospital Augsburg, he has been a permanent member of the team since December 2019 and, among other things, ensures the medical quality of the tools.
More posts by Florian Tiefenböck All content is checked by medical journalists.Australia has extended its international corona travel ban for a further three months. This means that foreign travelers will not be able to travel Down Under until mid-December for the time being.
Covid-19 remains an unacceptable risk
Health Secretary Greg Hunt announced late Thursday evening that the borders would remain closed to tourist visitors from abroad until at least December 17th. The government is responding to the advice of the Committee for Health Protection AHPPC.
The authority found that "the international and national Covid-19 situation continues to represent an unacceptable risk to public health," it said in a statement. The extension of the travel ban is "an appropriate response to this risk".
Easing for Australians in prospect
On Friday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the individual states may soon at least open their inner-Australian borders. Good news for the many Australians who have not been able to see their family members living in other states or territories for almost half a year. The possibility of a “travel bubble” with New Zealand was also discussed with the local Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Australia's borders have been closed since March because of the pandemic. Even people with permanent residence in Australia are only allowed to leave the country in exceptional cases. The opposition criticized the extension of the international travel ban. She also recalled 23,000 Australians stranded abroad. Because of the limited number of possible returnees per week, they could hardly travel to Australia.
Strict rules also apply to residence permits
In principle, German nationals are also allowed to travel further in or back, provided they have a residence permit in Australia. This also includes direct family members, such as children. However, there is a 14-day quarantine obligation, usually in paid accommodation. The immediate onward journey is hardly possible due to the current domestic travel restrictions.
Transit via Australian airports is possible under certain conditions. In many cases, for example, a transit visa is required, which the Federal Foreign Office indicates on its website.
Lockdown in Victoria until mid-September
So far, around 26,000 cases of infection have been confirmed in Australia, and around 700 people have died in connection with Covid-19. The state of Victoria with the metropolis of Melbourne is particularly affected. In the city of millions, a new lockdown was imposed at the beginning of July, which should last until at least mid-September.
This includes a general mask requirement, strict movement restrictions and a night curfew in Melbourne. The increased number of cases meant that the Robert Koch Institute also included the state of Victoria as one of the world's risk areas from August 7 to 21. (ft / dpa)
