Australia has been doing quite well in the fight against the spread of COVID-19, however recently one area has become a concern with a spike in cases. This is unfortunately the hub of all international imports.

Melbourne is currently in lockdown for the next six weeks, and we know many of you have questions about how this will effect travel arrangements into and around Australia.

We wanted to reach out to address some of those questions.

• A flight diversion is in place for 2weeks ending July 15^th meaning no international passenger aircraft are to land in Melbourne while the government reassesses the quarantine plan for people arriving and isolating for 14days.

Not all flights will be affected by the diversion as it pertains to flights carrying passengers and many we know are cargo only, however it would be wise to check with the airline to confirm this directly on the status of your flight that it is still destined for Melbourne

• Lockdown in Victoria is for 6weeks which for us means travel only for essential purposes including work, food, exercise, or medical care.
• Animals can still come into Australia (provided they are not going to be diverted) as quarantine is operating as normal
• Owners who want to collect their pets from quarantine should be okay to do so if they are not coming from a lockdown zone of which there are 32 areas. Clients should know if their suburb is included. If they are in those zones we encourage a delivery service to be arranged on their behalf. As transporters we are permitted in an out of these zones while of course practicing social distancing and other measures to keep safe.
• The lockdown has meant cutbacks on domestic flights to and from Melbourne so please check with your teams you are working with on the status of these flights as they may have changed. Some flights should still be running but this does also mean high competition for limited spaces so book ahead as best you can. Please note there is still potential for last minute flight cancellations so to be aware of this when booking.
• Dogtainers has road services available as an option for the east coast and into Adelaide so please get in touch if you need to utilize these services where flights are no longer an option.

More information can be found at:
https://www.agriculture.gov.au/import/industry-advice/2020/105-2020
https://www.agriculture.gov.au/import/industry-advice/2020/45-2020
https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/restrictions-restricted-postcodes-covid-19