Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Smith for his question. As we've seen in the media over the last few days, a new strain of COVID-19 first detected in Southern Africa, known as the omicron strain, has been declared a variant of concern by the World Health Organization. The omicron strain has a high number of mutations within its spike protein. Three cases of the variant have been detected in Australia in passengers who arrived in Sydney and Darwin. Fourteen passengers from a Sydney flight from Southern Africa, including two infected, are in quarantine and the remaining passengers are isolating. One person at the Howard Springs quarantine facility has tested positive to the new omicron COVID variant.

Yesterday the minister for health signed a biosecurity determination, valid until 12 December, preventing people who have been in an omicron high-risk country within 14 days from entering Australia, unless they are an Australian citizen, a permanent resident, an immediate family member of a citizen or otherwise exempt, including crew, diplomats and members of the Australian Defence Force. High-risk countries for this purpose are Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa and Zimbabwe. During this period flights from these countries will not be permitted. Australian citizens, permanent residents and immediate family members who have been in high-risk countries in 14 days prior to their travel will be permitted to return but will be required to undertake quarantine of 14 days in a managed facility. The government has increased the Smartraveller advice level for these high-risk countries in Southern Africa to 'do not travel'. (Time expired)