- Australia closed its borders in March 2020 in response to worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.
- In New South Wales, the number of people fully vaccinated has reached 77.8%, while 91.4% have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
- New South Wales’ economy has been badly damaged by its near four-month COVID-19 lockdown.
<
New South Wales (NSW) Premier Dominic Perrottet announced today that Sydney will open up to fully vaccinated foreign visitors, without quarantine requirement, starting from November 1, 2021.
“We need to rejoin the world. We can’t live here in hermit kingdom. We’ve got to open up,” the leader of Australia’s most populous state said on Friday.
Australia closed its borders in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing entry almost exclusively to citizens and permanent residents who have been required to undergo a mandatory two-week hotel quarantine at their own expense.
Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison said earlier this month overseas travel would return once 80% of people in a particular state were fully vaccinated, but would be available initially for Australians and would require home quarantine.
In New South Wales, the number of people fully vaccinated has already reached 77.8%, while 91.4% have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
However, NSW Premier said it was time to open up to help revive the economy, which has been badly damaged by the state’s near four-month-long COVID-19 lockdown.
“Hotel quarantine, home quarantine is a thing of the past, we are opening Sydney and New South Wales to the world,” Perrottet said.
According to Perrottet, those arriving into Sydney will first have to show proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test prior to boarding a plane to Australia.
The removal of quarantine requirements will aid international travel into Australia and is likely to be welcomed by the tens of thousands of Australians who have been stranded overseas as a result of the policy. There have also been strict quotas on the number of places available to returning travelers in hotel quarantine.
Meanwhile, the Australian Medical Association , which represents the country’s doctors, on Friday warned its modelling showed the country’s health system will not be able to cope with an influx of coronavirus patients after the country reopens.
