Australia’s airports, seaports to lower screening measures for Ebola

The Australian government has announced that it will start to lower border screening measures for Ebola at local airports and seaports by December due to significant decrease of risk to the country. All travellers from across the world entering Australian domestic borders will no longer be required to complete the Ebola-related Travel History Card.

However, the Department of Health stated that it will continue to monitor passengers from West African countries affected by Ebola entering the country. Standard screening protocols will remain to identify and assess passengers who came from the high-risk countries in the past 21 days.

In 2014, more than 22 million travellers arrived in Australia, and over 17 million travellers completed the Ebola-related Travel History Card. In 15 months of implementing border screening measures, no cases were recorded in the country.

The government will still continue to require exit screening of passengers from the African countries Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, which have experienced Ebola outbreak. The effort is to ensure that high risk people or those displaying symptoms are not able to board an aircraft.

Passengers will still be asked with the SmartGate clearance about their travel to an Ebola-affected country. Any passenger reported as infected will immediately be assessed by a biosecurity officer and may be referred to a Human Quarantine Officer.

Contact the writer at feedback@ibtimes.com.au or tell us what you think below