- As Victoria records nearly 300 new daily COVID-19 cases, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Victorian Premier Dan Andrews have addressed the public today, talking international travel, hotel quarantine, and masks
- International flights coming to Australia will be slashed by more than half, meaning 4000 fewer people will arrive in the country each week
- Australians returning from overseas will also need to pay for their own hotel quarantine
- On that note, a federal inquiry into the hotel quarantine system was announced by the Prime Minister today
- People in Melbourne have been asked to wear masks as an extra precaution against COVID-19 for when they need to leave the home, such as to shop for essentials or go to work
- Premier Dan Andrews stressed that it is not compulsory to wear a mask, but it is recommended
- Staying at home is still the primary advice to help curb the spread of the virus
As Victoria records nearly 300 new daily COVID-19 cases, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Victorian Premier Dan Andrews have addressed the public today, talking international travel, hotel quarantine, and masks.
The Prime Minister revealed this afternoon international arrivals will be slashed by just over half across all airports to help ease the pressure on the hotel quarantine system. This means roughly 4000 fewer people will arrive in Australia. Moreover, those arriving in the country will be required to pay for their own hotel quarantine.
The announcement was made after a national cabinet meeting this morning. The new international arrival and quarantine guidelines will extend to all states and territories. A federal inquiry into the hotel quarantine system was also announced.
Of course, returning Australians won’t need to fork out the cost of two weeks at the Crown to pay for their quarantine. Exactly how much overseas Australians will need to pay for their quarantine is not yet confirmed, but the Prime Minister said the states will work together to find some sort of national uniformity across those pricings.
This means it will be tougher for Australians abroad to come back home, but the Prime Minister said this is a worthwhile payoff for keeping the country as safe as possible.
“There will be continuing access to Australia, but the number of available positions on flights will be less. I don’t think that’s surprising or unreasonable. In the circumstances that we find ourselves in, we have to put the national interest first,” the PM said.
People in Melbourne have also been requested to wear a mask in public if they need to leave the home for any reason, such as essential shopping or going to work. This comes after Victoria reported 288 new COVID-19 cases today — the most ever recorded in one state since the pandemic began.
Premier Dan Andrews affirmed that wearing a mask is not compulsory and not a legal requirement, but rather a request from the government as an extra precaution against coronavirus infection. The government is in the process of making and distributing single-use masks to people in priority communities, like those living in public housing.
The Premier stressed that masks are a secondary precaution against infection, however.
“No mask — even surgical grade — reduces the risk of infection to zero,” the Premier said.
The primary advice still is, as it has always been, to stay home. Still, the Premier said in situations where a person is not certain they’ll be able to maintain appropriate social distancing measures, even a homemade mask could be of benefit to an individual and their community.