NSW relaxes quarantine rules on arrivals from southern African countries
New South Wales is removing mandatory two-week quarantine rules for international arrivals from eight Southern African countries reported as potential hot spots for the Omicron variant.
Sydney Airport (file photo).
Photo: AFP
Measures put in place to stem the seeding of the Covid-19 Omicron variant were due to end at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, NSW Health announced on Tuesday evening.
Instead, fully vaccinated people arriving from South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini and Malawi must self-isolate for 72 hours and can leave afterwards. have received a negative test.
They should also avoid high-risk settings for seven days.
People who have already arrived from those countries and were in hotel quarantine must stay there until at least 72 hours after arriving in the state, NSW Health said.
Unvaccinated travelers would still be required to self-quarantine for 14 days.
It brings all international arrivals to the state under the same testing and isolation requirements.
People arriving in New South Wales from the eight countries had previously been sentenced to 14 days of solitary confinement under rules introduced in late November.
The measures were put in place shortly after the detection of Omicron in South Africa and declared a new variant of concern by the World Health Organization.
NSW recorded 804 cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday, the most seen in the state for 10 weeks.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr Kerry Chant has “strongly encouraged” all international arrivals to be tested 12 days after arrival.
“With the holiday season approaching and people starting to gather in greater numbers, I urge everyone to stay alert and continue to show up for tests with any symptoms and follow health advice. public, â€Chant said.
So far 85 cases of the Omicron variant have been identified in NSW, some believed to have contributed to a series of large groups strewn in pubs and nightclubs.
An outbreak on December 8 at a Newcastle nightclub resulted in more than 200 infections, including confirmed cases of the Omicron strain.
Heavy penalties remain in place for those violating segregation laws upon arrival from abroad, including fines of AU $ 5,000 for individuals and $ 10,000 for businesses.
The easing of rules affecting travelers from the eight African countries coincides with the rollback of restrictions on unvaccinated residents of New South Wales from Wednesday.
-ABC