Border Opening Delayed As Australia Detects New Cases Of Omicron Variant

The federal government has made the decision to delay the easing of border restrictions planned for this Wednesday following the recent outbreak of the new Omicron variant.

The eased restrictions scheduled for Wednesday would allow international students and specific visa holders to enter the country. 

The plans to allow students and visa holders into the country have been pushed back to December 15.

The government have explained that the delay will allow them more time to better understand the latest variant and whether they should consider it more dangerous than the Delta variant. 

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The decision was made yesterday by the National Security Committee of cabinet on the instruction of Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly. 

The National Security Committee of cabinet further elaborated on their decision in a public statement issued Monday evening. 

"The temporary pause will ensure Australia can gather the information we need to better understand the Omicron variant, including the efficacy of the vaccine, the range of illness, including if it may generate more mild symptoms, and the level of transmission."

Australia was set to open up to skilled migrants, international students and eligible visa holders from Wednesday, December 1. 

The government has also made the decision to delay travel between Australia, Japan and Korea for two weeks.

Australia is currently open to fully vaxxed Australian citizens, eligible travellers from New Zealand and Singapore, as well as Aussie permanent residents and immediate family members. 

National cabinet is set to meet today to discuss the new variant, the potential impact it could have on Australians and how the country plans to respond.

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