Jetsetters out there, here’s some good news for you! Australia will reopen its borders to tourists from February 21, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Monday, ending Australia’s longest-running pandemic travel restrictions that were introduced to stem the spread of Covid-19.
After almost two years, the international borders will reopen to fully vaccinated tourists from February 21. While its borders have been opened since late 2021, entry has only been allowed for citizens, permanent residents and their families. It later expanded to international students, backpackers and migrant workers.
This move would be a welcome boost to Australia’s tourism sector which had been largely impacted due to the virus and the loss of international travellers. Prime Minister Scott Morrison highlighted that arriving visa holders have to be double vaccinated to come to Australia. Those who are not fully vaccinated will require an exemption and will be subjected to the relevant state and territory quarantine requirements.
Australia shut its borders back in March 2020 to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic among its citizens. During that time, Australians were barred from leaving the country, and only a few visitors have been granted exemptions to enter.
Since then, Australia has been pursuing a staggered border reopening since late 2021 allowing skilled migrants and international students to enter the country. Morrison said the decision to reopen borders to tourists was sensible, with intensive care cases in hospitals declining across the country. The past week, Australia has seen a slowdown in daily infections and hospital cases, reporting just over 23,000 new infections on Monday, the lowest tally for 2022 and far away from a peak of 150,000 hits around a month ago.
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