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Australia’s borders will be closed to foreigners until at least mid-December because authorities believe that the coronavirus situation internationally and domestically remains an unacceptable risk to public health. In response to that risk, the ban on foreigners will be extended, Health Minister Greg Hunt said Thursday night. Australia’s borders have been closed since March due to the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Scott Morrison called on the country’s federal states on Friday to open internal borders and relax restrictions by December as economic problems stemming from the internal border blockade worsen.
Morrison also said they will increase the number of Australian citizens trapped abroad who can return to their homeland, releasing 4,000 people a week. The prime minister also proposed allowing New Zealand entries to boost tourism and the economy.
In the absence of a vaccine, it cannot be ruled out that we have to live like this for years
Scott Morrison said.
The leaders of seven of the eight states and federal territories agreed to develop a plan on how to open internal borders. As in New Zealand, “hot spots” will be identified in Australia and used to decide how to travel within the country. Western Australia, where no local infection has been recorded for four months and there are no local restrictions, has refused to open its borders until the spread of the coronavirus in areas of eastern Australia has been slowed.
There are around 26,100 diagnosed cases in Australia and 737 people have died from the disease caused by the infection.
This Friday it was announced in New Zealand that more than three months later, a person had died of complications caused by the coronavirus. Five new infections have been identified in the last 24 hours. To date, 23 coronavirus deaths have been recorded in the country since the outbreak and more than 1,700 infections are officially recorded. Acinda Ardern, Prime Minister, said the current anti-epidemic restrictions would remain in place until at least mid-September. (MTI)
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