AHPPC continues to monitor the effectiveness of the travel restrictions and self-quarantine procedures for people coming from mainland China. These measures have been successful to date, with a more than 60 per cent reduction in travellers and no cases detected in more than 30,000 Australians returning from mainland China since 1 February 2020.
This has been assisted by travel restrictions imposed by China. In addition, a significant number of students from China have spent 14 or more days in third countries and have arrived in Australia to commence or continue their studies, again with no cases detected in this group.
The only new COVID-19 detections in Australia in the last two weeks are eight cases in Australian passengers repatriated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship. There remains no evidence of community transmission in Australia, with thousands of negative tests for COVID-19 in the last week alone.
The global epidemiology of COVID-19 continues to evolve. While there are a decreasing number of cases being reported in mainland China (outside of Hubei province), there is a materially increasing risk of sustained transmission being established in several other countries.
Source: AHPPC-statement-on-COVID-19.pdf