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THE AUSTRALIAN government will reopen its borders to all visa holders from 21 February, but travelers must meet the requirement that they have been vaccinated twice. The statement was made by the country’s Prime Minister (PM), Scott Morrison, Monday local time.
“It has been almost two years since we took the decision to close the border to Australia. The National Cabinet has decided that today Australia will reopen our borders to all remaining visa holders on February 21 this year,” Morrison said after a meeting of the federal national security committee.
Quoted from Sputnik News, Monday (2/07), he added that the double vaccination requirement is a rule that ‘everyone must obey’.
“If you are double vaccinated, we look forward to welcoming you back to Australia and I know the tourism industry will be looking forward to it,” Morrison said.
But for now on, until February 21, Australia remains closed to foreign travelers. Australia will only allow entry for personal, business, educational and humanitarian purposes.
Since November 2021, Australian authorities have allowed fully vaccinated citizens to travel overseas and return without undergoing quarantine. However, it limits international traffic to two airports in Sydney and Melbourne.
Citizens who are not vaccinated also have the opportunity to return to their homeland, but are required to undergo a two-week quarantine period.
Australia has implemented strict lockdown rules during the COVID-19 pandemic, including travel bans. The country has over the past few months reported one of the lowest-scoring COVID-19 death rates in the world. [sources/photo special]
