Australia has reversed its open borders policy amid fears over a new Covid variant detected in Melbourne this week, a policy decision that could last beyond the end of the year.
The heavily mutated variant was detected in Melbourne earlier this week, with initial evidence suggesting it has a re-infection risk up to five times higher than the Omicron variant.
The country has until recently had some of the strictest border policies in the world, barring even its own people from leaving the country under a strategy sometimes dubbed “Fortress Australia”. But with the rollout of the vaccine program, Australia began allowing vaccinated travelers with valid visas to enter or exit the borders earlier this year.
But Prime Minister Scott Morrison said a reversal of this policy was “necessary” following the discovery of the new variant. The new measures would close international and state borders “indefinitely, until it was deemed that the new variant was under more control”. The travel ban would apply to all travelers, including foreign nationals residing in Australia.
It is currently unclear how long the new policy would last. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said he was against putting a “timeline” on reopening the borders, but stated that he believes that this “won’t be over anytime soon”, and could see the new restrictions lasting “well beyond the end of the year” if the variant isn’t contained.
A spokesperson for Australia’s National Security Committee said the policy was necessary as it would allow them to consider issues like “the efficacy of the vaccine” and the impact of the variant.
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