Coronavirus: Australia extends ban on visitors from China another week

‘I just want to assure all Australians, that we are doing everything we can to keep Australians safe at this time,’ Prime Minister Scott Morrison said

Australia’s tourism industry has suffered major losses without Chinese tourists, while Chinese students are also seeking to return to Australia

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Passengers wear protective face masks at Brisbane International Airport. Photo: EPA

Published: 3:26pm, 13 Feb 2020Updated: 11:48pm, 13 Feb 2020

Australia on Thursday announced a ban on travellers from China would extend for at least a week beyond Saturday’s planned deadline, as the death toll from the deadly coronavirus soared.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government would maintain “entry restriction on foreign nationals who have recently been in mainland China” for further week “to protect Australians from the risk of coronavirus”.

A decision to extend the ban further will be taken week-to-week, he said.

The decision is a blow to Australian tourism operators who have seen business from Chinese visitors dry up.

Australian tourism relies on Chinese visitors for a quarter of international spending. Nearly 1.5 million Chinese nationals visited Australia in 2018-19, Australian Bureau of Statistics records show, accounting for about one in eight arrivals.

With Chinese tourists spending about A$12 billion (US$8 billion) in Australia each year, according to Tourism Research Australia, every month the travel ban remains in place could amount to billion-dollar losses for the sector.

There are also tens of thousands of Chinese students hoping to return to Australia for the new academic year.

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