Qantas International has suspended its Sydney-Shanghai service (the airline’s sole route to mainland China) at least to the end of May, but other airlines continue to fly into Sydney from mainland China despite the coronavirus outbreak in that country.
The focus of the outbreak now seems to be Iran, with Australia confirming three more cases of the infection yesterday, all recent arrivals from Iran.
The Louvre is closed due to coronavirus fears, and the world’s leading travel show and tourism trade fair, ITB Berlin, held annually since 1966, has cancelled this year’s event. The ITB cancellation on Friday, out of concerns about the spread of coronavirus, came just two weeks before ITB’s scheduled opening. It is the first cancellation of the show in 54 years.
Flights continue to arrive in Australia from China, meanwhile. From Iran, while there are no direct flights, passengers have a choice of airlines operating indirect services.
Sydney Airport’s website shows that China Eastern flight MU561 (code sharing with Qantas and Air France) arrived in Sydney from Shanghai yesterday morning.
Xiamen Airlines flight MF801 arrived about the same time, from Xiamen in China’s south-eastern Fujian province, beside the Taiwan Strait.
Air China flight CA173 from Beijing arrived in Sydney yesterday afternoon.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) was busy throughout the weekend updating advisories as coronavirus (COVID-19) broke out in various part of the world, and countries tightened border security.
In Iran, COVID-19 is raging with many deaths.
On Iran, DFAT said at the weekend:
The Chief Medical Officer has advised that there is a high level of concern about widespread community transmission of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Iran. There have been many deaths. The health care system will struggle to cope with a large outbreak. Airlines are reducing or stopping flights into and out of Iran. Medical evacuation is not likely to be possible.
Noting the other risks in Iran, including to your safety, we now advise Australians ‘do not travel’ to Iran. If you’re in Iran, leave while commercial options are available. Some countries have put in place restrictions on travellers coming out of Iran. From 1 March, if you’re an Australian citizen or permanent resident, or immediate family, returning from Iran to Australia you’ll need to self-isolate for 14 days from the time you left Iran.
We’ve changed our level of advice for Iran:
Do not travel to Iran due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The security situation remains volatile and there’s a high risk you could be arbitrarily detained or arrested.
Written by Peter Needham
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