(CNN) – Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday, 1 October announced plans to reopen the country’s borders to fully vaccinated citizens and permanent residents, changing the model of living with the virus from a strict zero-Covid strategy. moving towards.
Morrison also said that 55% of the country’s people are now fully vaccinated and with the first dose rate approaching 80%, the government is “finalizing plans to reunite Australian families”. Australian workers can travel in and out of our country, and we can work towards welcoming tourists back to our shores.”
“Many countries around the world have now safely reopened for international travel and it will soon be time for Australia to take the next step,” he said.
But as states and territories have struggled in recent months to contain outbreaks of the highly-contagious delta variant, the Australian government said it was forced to re-examine its zero-Covid approach.
Under the plan outlined by Morrison on Friday, Australians and permanent residents will be allowed to quarantine at home – essentially removing the cap limiting the number of people allowed in the country. Those passengers will also face only seven days of quarantine.
Morrison said the move was “anticipated” after the completion of home quarantine tests in two states.
“To reopen safely and stay open safely, first we need home quarantine pilots in New South Wales and South Australia to be able to conclude and be successful so that they can play a large role. “
For those not vaccinated with the approved shot, the 14-day quarantine in a government-managed facility will still continue.
The Medical Goods Administration of Australia had previously approved four vaccines – those made by Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. Morrison said on Friday that two more had been added to the list as of Friday – China’s Sinovac and India’s Covishield.
A government statement said, “Australian citizens and permanent residents who cannot be vaccinated – for example if they are under the age of 12 or have a medical condition – may not be eligible for vaccination for the purposes of their travel. will be treated as such.”
Last Christmas, an estimated 39,000 Australian residents were unable to return to the country to celebrate the holiday.
While opening the new border would allow them to return, Morrison was less clear about whether those who are not citizens or permanent residents would be able to visit the country.
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