Sydney, Europe Brief News – Australia has ended this week one of the world’s longest coronavirus-related border closures.
Western Australia, which covers one-third of the nation’s land area, closed its borders to most international and interstate travellers in 2020. This aims to slow the spread of COVID-19.
In order to enter the city, travellers will need to receive full vaccination and complete a travel pass.
The move came more than a week after the Australian federal government began granting visas to vaccinated tourists and four months after Australia’s biggest city, Sydney, began its staged reopening of quarantine-free travel.
Western Australia had successfully stopped the local spread of the coronavirus throughout the pandemic, by contact tracing and isolating carriers, until the highly contagious Omicron variant arrived this year.
The state now reports more than 1,000 new infections every day.
“Australia finally returns together,” Qantas Airways Chief Executive Alan Joyce said. “This day has been a long time coming.”
Before the pandemic, the country welcomed 9.3 million visitors, with tourist spending hitting 44.6 billion Australia dollars ($32b) in 2018-19.
Between March 2020 and March 2021, international tourists dropped to practically zero, inflicting losses of 40.7 billion dollars.
The return of tourists, who can enter Australia quarantine-free so long as they are double-vaccinated, comes after the government lifted restrictions on skilled migrants and international students in November.
While Australia has re-opened its border, restrictions will remain in New Zealand until it is “well beyond” the Omicron peak.
Prime Minister Jacinda Arden said that cases are likely to peak in March. So, she will keep COVID-19 rules in place.
