Australia is the first country to temporarily close its borders to people traveling from West African states battling against the Ebola epidemic. The move comes despite the fact the Ebola-free country has not sent aid workers to any afflicted regions.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison told parliament on Monday, Australia has issued a blanket visa ban for those traveling from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

"This means we are not processing any applications from these affected countries," Morrison said.

He added that all non-permanent or temporary visa requests from residents of Ebola-afflicted nations, who had not already departed for Australia, would be canceled or refused.

The ban includes those traveling on humanitarian grounds. He added that all those who had entered Australia prior to the suspension of its humanitarian program had undergone three separate health checks prior to their departure. They also were required to undergo screening upon their arrival in Australia on top of subsequent monitoring. Other permanent visa holders from the affected nations are subject to a 21-day quarantine period before disembarking to Australia.

"The government's systems and processes are working to protect Australians," Mr Morrison said

Volunteer healthcare workers in Queensland, meanwhile, have been asked to submit to voluntary quarantine upon their return home. Some local governments have considered imposing mandatory quarantines on anyone believed to be infected with the virus.

Such proposals are being generated despite the fact that Australia has yet to register one case of Ebola on its soil, though several scares have been reported.

Nineteen people are currently in home isolation in Queensland after coming to Australia under a humanitarian program this month, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. One of them, an 18-year-old woman, showed symptoms of fever but tested negative for Ebola on Monday. She will be retested on Wednesday.

According to the daily, 946 people at Australian airports had so far been identified as traveling from Ebola-afflicted countries. Two dozen travelers have been subjected to the full screening process, including being referred to human quarantine officers. No one has been quarantined in hospital.[/quote]

http://rt.com/news/200003-australia-ebola-travel-ban/

Not sure if such policy will work when they have health workers who travel to those countries and come infected.

Australia,too strict in everything.Not even the highest migrated country in the world for Africans.

justwise:
Not sure if such policy will work when they have health workers who travel to those countries and come infected.

At the moment they haven't sent health workers to any of these countries yet.

jennykadry:


At the moment they haven't sent health workers to any of these countries yet.

Very tough policy though.

Their country, their rules.

Australia, they have one of the toughest borders to penetrate in the world. I usually watch some of their border programmes on youtube.

saxywale:
Australia, they have one of the toughest borders to penetrate in the world. I usually watch some of their border programmes on youtube.

You can't sneak anything into Australia. Your best bet is to declare everything and anything

jennykadry:


You can't sneak anything into Australia. Your best bet is to declare everything and anything

I watched a particular episode where a Chinese student was fined for not declaring an apple he had on him. lol

xkris11:
Australia,too strict in everything.Not even the highest migrated country in the world for Africans.

I was reading somewhere that 'coloured' people were not allowed emigrate to Australia in the 1970s, so I'm not surprised by this.

saxywale:

I watched a particular episode where a Chinese student was fined for not declaring an apple he had on him. lol

lol. I was almost fines for not declaring a cookie I had On me. I completely forgot...come see interrogation.

Now even when I am sure I don't have any food on me, I still declare just incase they find one chewing gum inside my bag

jennykadry:


lol. I was almost fines for not declaring a cookie I had On me. I completely forgot...come see interrogation.

Now even when I am sure I don't have any food on me, I still declare just incase they find one chewing gum inside my bag

Chewing gum