Australia’s prime minister announced that its borders are open for those tourists who have been “double vaccinated” as of the 21st of February.
QUICK FACTS:
- Travel to open again in the Land Down Under as Australia says it will allow tourism from the “double vaccinated” beginning on the 21st of February, according to Breitbart News.
- Prime Minister Scott Morrison made his announcement on Monday at a press conference saying after two years that the border closures will be lifted.
- The border will be open to “visa holders” and Australia has already begun to allow freer movement within the country since November, according to Morrison at the press conference.
- Currently only those considered “immediate family members” have been allowed to enter the country, starting last November.
- Morrison emphasized that “The condition is, you must be double vaccinated to come to Australia. That’s the rule. Everyone’s expected to abide by it.”
MORE ON AUSTRALIA’S COVID POLICIES:
- Australia’s policy change has come after almost two full years of closed borders with some of the most aggressive COVID-19 restrictions in the world.
- Australian nationals have been almost entirely unable to come and go from the country since March 2020, which left citizens stranded overseas.
- More recently the country attempted to enact a “Covid-zero” policy that was abandoned after it failed to stop the spread of the Omicron variant, a policy that The Guardian called “naive.”
BACKGROUND:
- Australia’s hit to tourism due to isolation measures has put a halt to a tourism industry that brought in $60.8 billion to the Australian economy in 2019, according to Budget Direct.
- It’s been estimated that the COVID-19 restrictions have cost Australian businesses around $2.6 billion every month that the border was closed according to Finance 24.
