The government has banned travel from South Korea in its fight against the coronavirus, with people from Italy to face more stringent health checks on arrival in Australia.
South Korea joins China and Iran on Australia's travel blacklist as more cases of the virus are diagnosed in the community. Cases in Australia have topped 50 with an outbreak connected to an aged care home in Sydney, and two Sydney medical workers now diagnosed.
The ban takes effect from 9pm on Thursday.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said travellers from Italy would be questioned on check-in and not be allowed to board if they failed that check. On arrival in Australia they would be asked more detailed health questions and temperatures would be checked. They would not be able to use smart gates at the airport, and border force and biosecurity officials would be deployed in the baggage halls.
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Mr Morrison outlined two reasons for applying different rules to South Korean travellers and Italian travellers. He said Australia had many more arrivals from South Korea making border health checks more difficult. And he said a travel ban on Italy would also raise the issue of travel from Europe more generally, given the open borders there.
Mr Morrison outlined two reasons for applying different rules to South Korean travellers and Italian travellers. He said Australia had many more arrivals from South Korea making border health checks more difficult. And he said a travel ban on Italy would also raise the issue of travel from Europe more generally.
There was more than five times the volume of travel from South Korea than Italy. Mr Morrison said when he had consulted Border Force about a ban on both, Border Force had told him they could screen Italian arrivals but not both countries at once, at least inititally.
The South Korean travel ban applies to people who are not Australian citizens or residents or immediate family.
Mr Morrison said every Australian had a role to play in managing and containing the spread of coronavirus.
More to come
