Australia’s border will finally reopen after two years of closure from the rest of the world, PM announces floods country in just a fortnight with tourists – but all travelers must be double-vaccinated
- Scott Morrison indicated on Sunday that he expects a reopening date to be in place soon
- Nick Cotsworth says time is right to reopen border to expand tourist
Australia’s borders will finally open to international tourists on February 21, after nearly two years of closure to keep out Kovid-19.
But visitors should be double-vaccinated or put at risk like tennis star Novak Djokovic who was sent home last month.
The condition is that in order to come to Australia, you will have to get a double vaccine. That’s the rule. Everyone is expected to follow it,’ Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
‘But if you’ve been double vaccinated, we look forward to welcoming you to Australia and I know the tourism industry will look forward to it.’
Australia’s borders will finally open to international tourists on February 21, after nearly two years of closure to keep out Kovid-19. Pictured: A passenger at Sydney airport
Visa holders who have not been vaccinated will need a travel exemption and will be subject to state and regional quarantine requirements.
Since the international border reopened late last year, only Australian citizens, permanent residents and their families, along with skilled migrants and students, have been able to enter, provided they have been fully vaccinated.
What follows is the call for the borders to be reopened for tourists omicron The number of cases across the country appears to have come down, despite still a large number of deaths.
Former Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Cotsworth said the time was right to reopen the border to tourists.
Former Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Cotsworth (pictured) said the time was right to reopen the border to expand tourists
“It’s a really important sign for Australians that things are back on their way to normalcy,” he told the Nine Network.
‘The fact that we are going to vaccinate people, students and tourists visiting the country, it is a safe policy and it is the right time to do it.’
Dr Cotsworth said the high vaccination rates across the country mean it is safe to allow tourists back into Australia.
“We can safely open the borders to those who have completed their primary course,” he said.
News of a possible imminent reopening for travelers has been welcomed by the tourism sector, which has been hit hard by the pandemic and border closures.
Tourism and Transport Forum chief executive Margie Osmond said she would like to see a date for reopening as soon as possible.
An international student wears a hazmat suit as she arrives at Sydney airport
“It’s comfortable with the government, but we need a date, so we’ve got a little bit of notice to start things off,” she told ABC TV.
‘We need at least a couple of weeks, and the most important thing here is to understand that it is a step-by-step process.’
Meanwhile, Mr Frydenberg has announced that the government will provide tax breaks for businesses and individuals who need to use rapid antigen tests for work purposes.
He told an Australian industry group event that COVID-19 testing expenses would be tax deductible for testing done while attending the workplace.
“We will also ensure that fringe benefit tax is not levied by employers where COVID-19 tests are provided to employees for this purpose,” he added.
On Monday, 14 people died in NSW and seven in Victoria.
The latest number of cases showed there were 7347 new infections in NSW and 8275 in Victoria.
The country’s international border was closed to non-Australians in March 2020 (Pictured: Australians wait to fly to Sydney at LAX in November)
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