Sydney : Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday said a ban on international travel would be lifted soon, said dpa international.
“Very soon … we will be able to open those international borders again,” Morrison told journalists in Canberra as he announced border changes.
Morrison said that fully vaccinated Australian citizens and residents will be able to travel again to and from states with an 80-per-cent vaccination rate without caps.
“That will start happening from next month,” Morrison said. Fully vaccinated Australian citizens and residents double-dosed with a vaccine recognized by the country’s medicines regulator, the TGA, will be able to quarantine at home for seven days, Morrison said.
People who are unvaccinated or vaccinated with a jab not recognized by the TGA will need to undertake hotel quarantine for 14 days. Caps will continue to apply to them.
“The Government’s intention is that once changes are made in November, the current overseas travel restrictions related to COVID-19 will be removed and Australians will be able to travel subject to any other travel advice and limits, as long as they are fully vaccinated and those countries’ border settings allow,” a government statement read.
The Canberra government was also working towards quarantine-free travel for certain countries, such as New Zealand, when it is safe to do so.
Australia’s international borders have been closed to all but residents and citizens, with a few exceptions, since March 2020, with caps on international arrivals introduced in July 2020.
So far, over 54 per cent of Australians over the age of 16 are fully vaccinated, and about 78 per cent of over-16s have had at least one jab.
