Northern Territory Health Minister Natasha Files said that a 30-year-old South African man who arrived in Darwin in northern Australia from Johannesburg was found infected with the new form. The infection has been confirmed in a separate habitat center.
New South Wales officials said on Sunday that the infection was confirmed in two passengers who arrived in Sydney from South Africa. Both have been fully vaccinated and have not shown signs of infection and are living in isolation in Sydney. Senior federal government ministers are meeting on Monday on whether to change the plan to ease border restrictions from Wednesday.
The country’s federal health minister, Greg Hunt, said officials would not hesitate to take additional steps if medical conditions warrant.
At the same time, it has been decided to keep all people coming from abroad in New South Wales and Victoria and the capital Canberra in isolation for 72 hours. Hunt said on Saturday that non-Australian citizens and permanent residents who have been to South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Seychelles, Malawi and Mozambique in the past 14 days will not be able to enter Australia.
AP
Sneha Simmi
Simmi
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