Australia To Lift International Travel Ban In November

Australia is racing ever faster toward reopening its international borders, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday announcing that bans on international travel will be lifted in November, a month ahead of schedule.

The shift will allow states that have reached the 80% vaccination rate to welcome immunized overseas visitors, while Australians will be able to travel abroad with no restrictions on destination. Tourism Minister Dan Tehan had said in September that these new rules would be implemented by Christmas at the latest.

“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 limit” Morrison said in a statement Friday.

The current caps on the number of arrivals allowed into Australia will also be lifted, and returning vaccinated Australians will only have to undergo a shortened seven days of home quarantine. The country’s Therapeutic Goods Administration has also advised that Sinovac and Covishield should be recognized vaccines, marking a shift from the government’s earlier stance.

The government will start facilitated commercial flights for Australians overseas, into states and territories that are undertaking home quarantine trials, Morrison later said at a press conference in Canberra.

(Source: Bloomberg)

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