Australians hoping to get back overseas will have to wait it out a little longer, with international borders to remain closed until at least June 2021.
Health Minister Greg Hunt confirmed the three-month extension to border closures on Tuesday, in a devastating blow to the thousands of Australians who remain stranded overseas.
Mr Hunt said the decision to extend the ban on international trave was based on medical advice.
Passengers aboard a Qatar Airways flight that landed in Brisbane last month will have their quarantine period extended after it was revealed several people on board tested positive for the Russian strain of coronavirus.
Due to be released from isolation today, all 74 passengers will have their quarantine period extended for a further five days as authorities investigate and organise additional testing.
New variant of COVID-19 is on the loose in Queensland, forcing dozens of travellers to extend their stay in hotel quarantine.
At least 74 passengers and crew who arrived in Brisbane on a Qatar Airways flight QR898 from Doha on February 17 will now remain in quarantine until Monday, March 8, after two cases of the B1.1.317 variant — or Russian strain — were recorded.
They’ll also undergo additional testing, with a letter from Metro North Hospital and Health Service to the passengers confirming the coronavirus infections “occurred later in the 14-day quarantine period”.
