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Travel restrictions
The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) considered the recommendation from the Communicable Diseases Network Australia (CDNA) to review the categorisation of high risk countries for COVID-19 importation risk. They noted that the risk for importation from the USA and Europe (including the UK) was now considered high, as is potentially the risk from other countries where ascertainment may be poor.
AHPPC strongly supported the continuation of a 14 day quarantine requirement for all returning travellers, as the most important public health measure in relation to case importation.
AHPPC noted that there is no longer a strong basis for having travel restrictions on only four countries and that Government should consider aligning these restrictions with the risk. This could involve consideration of lifting all travel restrictions, noting the imposition of universal quarantine and a decline in foreign nationals travel, or consideration of the imposition of restrictions on all countries, while small numbers of foreign nationals continue to arrive.