Australia Puts Iran on Travel Ban Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

Nadler Demands Information From Barr Over Claims of Political Interference

The House Judiciary Committee on Friday sent a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) requesting documents and interviews with former and current department officials over claims of “improper political interference” in the way several department matters have been handled. The committee’s chairman, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), said in his letter (pdf) to Attorney General William Barr that the lawmakers are requesting the information in order to fulfill its oversight responsibility. He is specifically asking the attorney general to turn over documents related to several criminal matters, including the sentencing of Trump associate Roger Stone and former national security adviser Michael Flynn, and the department’s probe into the origins of the 2016 counterintelligence investigation on the Trump campaign. He is also asking for information in other matters such as the…

Australia’s government will implement a ban on travelers coming from Iran.

Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt announced after a National Security Council meeting on Saturday that the new travel restrictions will apply from March 1, and noted a “high death rate” in Iran.

He noted that Iran “has very specific characteristics, unfortunately,” and that the country has “the highest death rate” outside of Hubei province in China that houses Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.

“There is likely at this stage a high level of undetected cases, and therefore those cases won’t be intercepted or identified on departure from Iran,” he said.

Hunt added that the new restrictions are “consistent with our decisions in relation to China.”

The announcement comes after a case was confirmed in Australia in an individual who went undetected for the coronavirus upon leaving Iran.

The ban will stipulate that people cannot travel from Iran to Australia for 14 days—they will have to spend the time in a third country before being allowed into Australia.

The exception is for Australian citizens and permanent residents coming from Iran, but they will still need to isolate themselves for 14 days after arriving into Australia.

The travel advice for those in Australia is to be upgraded for Iran to “do not travel.”

Australia currently has a total of 25 cases of the coronavirus, 15 of which have reportedly recovered, and the rest in stable condition. No deaths have been reported. The cases include nine in Queensland, four in New South Wales, seven in Victoria, three in South Australia, and two in Western Australia.

Iran has an official record of 388 cases of coronavirus and 34 deaths. This is the highest known mortality rate for the coronavirus outbreak outside China if going by official numbers.

The BBC, citing hospital sources inside Iran, has reported the death toll in Iran could exceed 200. The Epoch Times could not independently verify the report.

Australia’s latest announcement comes as the World Health Organization raised the risk of the spread of COVID-19 to “very high.”

Neighboring country New Zealand announced new travel restrictions for Iran on Friday, similar to Australia’s restrictions, after seeing its first confirmed case of coronavirus. The case involves a New Zealand citizen who traveled to Iran recently before returning home.

This article is from the Internet:Australia Puts Iran on Travel Ban Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

Education Department Creates Task Force to Help Parents, Schools Respond to Coronavirus

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced Thursday that her department is assembling a task force to respond to the potential impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on American schools. DeVos made the announcement during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on President Donald Trump’s proposed education budget for fiscal year 2021. When asked by Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.) if there is any coordination between the Department of Education and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that would allow parents and schools to obtain the resources and information they need, DeVos responded that a task force has been set up. It was revealed during the hearing that the task force would be led by Mick Zais, the deputy secretary of education. “I’ve convened a task force within the Department…