COVID-19: No international travel for Australians until after March 2021

How do we know? Well because the Minister for Health, Greg Hunt has sought to extend the human biosecurity emergency period by another 3 months. WTF does that mean, you may well ask?

Biosecurity Act 2015

This Act allows the Health Minister to make an emergency declaration which gives the Government the power to take any necessary measures to prevent and control COVID-19 to protect the health of Australians. The declaration has been in place since 18 March 2020, and has now been extended until 17 March 2021. The Governor General will formalise the declaration later this week.

What the Act does

Under the Act, the Ministers declaration allows the Government to take action to protect the Australian public from the spread of COVID-19 in the community including:

• Limits on the movement of cruise vessels
• Limits on outbound international travel
• Restrictions on shops at international airports

2PAXfly Takeout

The aviation industry has a difficult road ahead when it comes to sustainability. It’s going to require a relative revolution in technology, with ‘electric planes’ or hydrogen planes, or some form of jet engine that doesn’t require a carbon based fuel. And that is going to require the development of an alternative to jet engines probably.

It’s a big ask. It will take time to develop.

This move to home grown and manufactured SAF is a first step – maybe even a baby step in a very long road of innovation. In the long run, US$200 million won’t even touch the sides.

So that’s it – not international travel before 17 March 2021 – although please note that just as the Minister can take away, he can also – giveth at any time – so that date is not necessarily set in stone.

Mind you, its more likely to be extended again than retracted, even given at least one vaccine is now available – although not in Australia quite yet. We still have a couple of months to wait before approval will be given and supplies available here in Australia.