Australia bans travellers from South Korea in effort to curtail coronavirus spread

Australia will ban travellers from South Korea and bring in tougher measures for travellers from Italy to deal with the coronavirus spread.

Australia is banning travellers from South Korea in a bid to further curtail the spread of coronavirus.

Australia is banning travellers from South Korea in a bid to further curtail the spread of coronavirus. Source: Getty Images/AAP

Australia will ban travellers from South Korea and introduce "enhanced screening" for travellers from Italy to deal with the coronavirus spread.

It follows similar action relating to China and Iran.

"We've got ahead of it early and we intend to stay ahead of this," Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters in Canberra on Thursday.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks to the media during a coronavirus update for the media at Parliament House, Canberra.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks to the media during a coronavirus update for the media at Parliament House, Canberra. Source: AAP
Korean visitors will be banned from 9pm on Thursday.

Australian citizens and permanent residents returning from Korea will be asked to self-isolate for 14 days when they return home.

Travellers from Italy will be asked mandatory questions at check-in.
Anyone who fails the checks will be denied approval to board an aircraft.

On arrival, passengers won't be able to use electronic gates but rather will be dealt with by government officials who will ask further questions and undertake health screening measures.

In Australia, two people have died out of 53 cases of the virus known as COVID-19.

Worldwide it has spread to 80 countries, with 95,000 confirmed cases and 3250 deaths.


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Published 5 March 2020 2:06pm
Updated 5 March 2020 2:19pm



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