The latest official news, updates and advice from the Australian Government.
Effective immediately, anyone who is not a citizen or permanent resident of Australia, or their immediate family including parents of citizens, and who has been in South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Malawi and Mozambique – within the past 14 days – will not be able to enter Australia.
Australian citizens and permanent residents, immediate family members, including parents, arriving from these countries will need to go into immediate supervised quarantine for 14 days subject to jurisdictional arrangements.
Anyone who has already arrived in Australia and who has been in any of these countries within the past 14 days must immediately isolate, get tested for COVID-19 and follow state and territory quarantine requirements, which will include quarantine for 14 days from the time of departure from southern Africa.
National Cabinet met to discuss Australia’s COVID-19 response and the new Omicron strain.
The Commonwealth and states and territories have already acted on medical advice to implement travel restrictions and revised quarantine and home isolation requirements.
National Cabinet agreed that the Commonwealth, state and territory governments will continue to pursue a suppression strategy, aiming to limit the strain rather than eliminate it at the border.
Based on expert medical advice, the Australian Government has decided to temporarily pause the next step in its border reopening.
The next step to safely reopen Australia to international skilled and student cohorts, as well as humanitarian, working holiday maker and provisional family visa holders will be paused until 15 December. Reopening to travellers from Japan and the Republic of Korea will also be paused until 15 December. In addition, the Seychelles has been removed from the list of countries of concern.
The temporary pause will ensure Australia can gather the information needed to better understand the Omicron variant, including the efficacy of the vaccine, the range of illness, including if it may generate more mild symptoms, and the level of transmission.
Under state public health requirements, NSW and VIC have already initiated COVID-19 testing and 72 hours of isolation requirements for Australian citizens, permanent residents and immediate family members entering the country. In other states, 14 days of managed quarantine is required, and traveller cap arrangements are in place.
Make sure that you comply with COVID-19 testing requirements in the states or territories that you plan to travel to. This applies for both international and domestic travel.
The TGA has approved the following COVID-19 self-tests (home use tests) for supply in Australia from 1 November 2021.
Free booster doses are available to everyone 18 years and over who have had both doses of their primary course of a COVID-19 vaccine at least 6 months ago.
A booster dose will make sure the protection from the primary course is even stronger and longer lasting.
Find more information on the Department of Health website.