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[Editor's note on Nov 28 at 10:55am: This article's headline has been edited to reflect that all overseas travellers will need to isolate for at least three days, instead of being quarantined. However, quarantine continues to apply for selected type of arrivals.]
For travellers heading to Australia for a holiday soon, there's some bad news.
Following concerns over the new Covid-19 Omicron variant, New South Wales and Victoria announced on Nov. 27 that they will be imposing a 72-hour self-isolation requirement for all international arrivals, effective from Nov. 28, 2021.
New South Wales
According to a press release issued by the New South Wales Ministry of Health, the new 72-hour self-isolation requirement will take effect at midnight.
It said on its website: "From 12am on 28 November, all fully vaccinated travellers (including air crew) arriving in NSW who have been in any overseas country must get a Covid-19 PCR (nose and throat) test and self-isolate at their place of residence for at least 72 hours."
Premier Dominic Perrottet shared that the new measures would help "keep people safe" as the government worked through the latest development with Covid-19.
Victoria
All new vaccinated travellers and unvaccinated children under 12 arriving in Victoria will also be subject to a 72-hour mandatory quarantine arrangement at home, from 11:59pm on Nov. 27.
Unvaccinated arrivals will have to quarantine for 14 days.
Earlier today, Australia had already imposed new restrictions on people who have been to nine southern African countries, according to Reuters.
The nine countries are South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, the Seychelles, Malawi and Mozambique – provinces that have been associated with the new Omicron variant.
Non-citizens who have been in these countries were banned from entering Australia effective immediately, while supervised 14-day quarantines for Australian citizens and their dependents returning from these countries is now required.
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Top images via Lean Jinghui and Unsplash