CDC and EU slap restrictions on travel to Australia
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As Covid-19 case numbers continue to rise due to the Omicron wave, two major international governing bodies have warned against travelling to Australia. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">America’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the European Union have both identified Australia as a “Covid danger zone”, and warned their residents against travelling Down Under. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The EU’s concerns could see Aussie travellers banned from entering Europe or forced into mandatory quarantine when arriving on European soil. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Australia joins Canada and Argentina on the EU’s “danger zone”, as European Council officials recommend restrictions not be relaxed for these countries. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The new directive means that non-essential travel to Europe from Australia could be banned by individual EU countries, although Cyprus, Greece and Italy have already gone against the ruling. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The CDC came to a similar decision about the fate of Aussie travellers, as Australia joined the likes of Israel, Argentina, Egypt, and 18 other countries on a “very high” Covid warning. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">America’s health protection agency told US residents they should avoid travelling to the “dangerous” countries that feature in the CDC’s “level four: very high risk” list. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Australia first banned international tourists at the start of the pandemic in March 2020, but has recently started to relax restrictions as the nation’s leaders are encouraging everyone to “live with the virus”.</span></p>
<p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credits: Getty Images</span></em></p>