The Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) has issued a Circular setting out the COVID-19 vaccination procedures for Departments and Agencies sending staff overseas.
Circular 2021/05 COVID-19 Vaccinations for Commonwealth Officials Travelling Overseas states that given the high risk of COVID-19 exposure, overseas travel is only recommended for individuals who have been fully vaccinated with a vaccine recognised by the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
“Travelers should also have received their second vaccination a minimum of two weeks prior to travel,” the Circular says.
“Many international destinations have high numbers of COVID-19 cases and are subject to relatively greater risk of community transmission.”
It says this situation places Commonwealth officials travelling overseas at a high risk of being exposed to a variant of COVID-19 in the course of their employment.
“When travelling alone or as part of an official delegation, Commonwealth officials are at high risk of being exposed to the virus which can make them seriously ill and lead to hospitalisation, be further transmitted amongst the delegation and imported into the Australian community,” the Circular says
“This risk is amplified by the ongoing emergence of new COVID-19 variants that are more transmissible and have been associated with more severe disease.”
The Circular recognises that an unvaccinated official might need to undertake official overseas travel for essential purposes as identified by the Agency head or because they could not be vaccinated for medical reasons.
“In these circumstances, the Agency head is expected to manage the risk against the necessity of the travel,” it says.
The Commission’s Circular 2021/05 can be accessed at this PS News link.