Why Are COVID-19 Travel Restrictions Popping Up Again?

I thought we were done with this.

It’s 2023 now, and 2020 seems like decades ago.

The past three years have been a mess of restrictions and lockdowns, and we really thought 2023 would be different.

But, as early as New Year’s Day the Federal Government announced brand-new COVID travel restrictions.

On Sunday Morning, Federal health minister Mark Butler announced that from Thursday, all travellers arriving from China, Hong Kong and Macau will be required to test for COVID-19 within 48 hours of their departure.

From 12:01am on Thursday 5/1/23, people travelling to Australia from China including the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau will be required to undertake a COVID-19 test within the 48hrs prior to travel and show evidence of a negative test.

— Mark Butler MP (@Mark_Butler_MP) January 1, 2023

Australia has joined a host of other countries in introducing new restrictions on travellers from China, including the US, the UK, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan and India.

The move comes after COVID-19 rates have skyrocketed in the past few weeks, after some restrictions have been eased.

"This is a measure taken out of an abundance of caution to provide Australians and the Australian government with the best possible information about a fast-evolving situation," Mr Butler said.  

It’s also expected that China will remove its own state-imposed travel bans on January 8.

 The new restrictions are already subject to a lot of controversy, with Chinese state-based media calling the measures “discriminatory”.

The tea here in Australia is that chief medical officer Paul Kelly called out the Albanese government because he explicitly advised against the introduction of new restrictions.

Professor Kelly said there was no “specific threat” to Australians, nor was there a “sufficient public health rationale” for the new measures.

Advice by Australia's Chief Medical Officer, Professor Paul Kelly regarding the significant wave of COVID-19 infections currently being experienced in China#COVID19Aus @PKelly_CBR #auspol

Source: https://t.co/kjbtFdxT7T pic.twitter.com/S9cHK9ZZL3

— Denis - The COVID info guy - (@BigBadDenis) January 2, 2023

Federal opposition leader Peter Dutton also criticised the government, calling it a “panicked response”.

"The last thing our country needs is a panicked response from a government that doesn't have a plan and, frankly, over the last week, has been making it up as they go along,” he said.

In Australia, there’s still thousands of new cases every day, and the government is cautioning people that the COVID-19 pandemic is still far from over.

Australia's COVID numbers - 1 Jan 2023#COVID19Aus

Note: These numbers are not cumulative pic.twitter.com/U2EQ2LCoDM

— Denis - The COVID info guy - (@BigBadDenis) December 31, 2022