Scott Morrison announces pre-flight Covid-19 testing for returning Aussies

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced that travellers must return a negative Covid-19 result prior to flying to Australia. Speaking to the media around midday on Friday, Morrison said this will be particularly important for flights chartered by the UK government, adding there are some mitigations for countries where testing is difficult.

“This virus continues to write its own rules and that means we continue to be adaptable on how we continue to fight it,” Morrison said.

He added that passengers on all international and domestic flights will have to wear a mask, aside for those under 12; while flight crews coming into Australia must undertake a test every seven days. Masks will also be mandatory in domestic airports and recommended in international airports.

The caps on international arrivals will also be halved in some states such as New South Wales, Western Australia and Queensland until February 15. There will be no changes to international arrivals coming into Victoria, South Australia, the Northern Territory, the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania.

The prime minister also touched on Brisbane’s unfolding situation saying “it is a very wise decision by the Queensland government” to put in place the new restrictions over the coming days.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced early on Friday that Brisbane will go into a hard three-day lockdown, starting from 6pm Friday, after one local case of the highly infectious strain of Covid-19 was recorded on Thursday.

“There are many unknowns and uncertainties in relation to the new strain,” Morrison said.