page_title: COVID-19 pandemic in Australia
section_title: Federal Government
hierarchical_section_title: COVID-19 pandemic in Australia / Preventive measures / Federal Government
caption_attribution_description: English: Screenshot of the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs page stating travel restrictions for Australian citizens and permanent residents.
context_page_description: The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The first confirmed case in Australia was identified on 25 January 2020, in Victoria, when a man who had returned from Wuhan, China, tested positive for the virus.
  Australian borders were closed to all non-residents on 20 March. Social distancing rules were imposed on 21 March, and state governments started to close 'non-essential' services. "Non-essential services" included social gathering venues such as pubs and clubs but unlike many other countries did not include most business operations such as construction, manufacturing and many retail categories.
  The number of new cases initially grew sharply, then levelled out at about 350 per day around 22 March, and started falling at the beginning of April to under 20 cases per day by the end of the month. A second wave of infections in Victoria, which was attributed to an outbreak at a Melbourne hotel, emerged during the period of May to June and is currently ongoing.
context_section_description: On 1 February 2020, Australia banned the entry of foreign nationals from mainland China, and ordered its own returning citizens from China to self-quarantine for 14 days. Australia subsequently imposed travel bans on Iran (1 March), South Korea (5 March), and Italy (11 March). A general travel ban, with limited exceptions, on non-citizens and non-residents travelling to Australia and Australians travelling overseas was introduced on 20 March.
caption: COVID-19 travel restrictions for Australians and Permanent Residents
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