Australian border to reopen after 18-month closure 

Sydney: Australia will reopen its international border from next month— allowing vaccinated travellers into the country for the first time after 18 months.

As per reports, Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra are currently in lockdown due to outbreaks of the virus.

In March 2020, Australia banned most foreign nationals and directed its citizens to seek official permission to leave the country and now it is preparing to reopen to the world. 

Under government’s directives, international passengers will be able to quarantine at home for seven days rather than the current 14-day mandatory period in hotel isolation.

However, travellers who are not vaccinated, or who have received a drug that is not recognized by Australian authorities, will be required to undergo 14 days in official quarantine.

The concerned officials are also working toward quarantine-free travel with other countries, including New Zealand.

In the meantime, there will be no travel restrictions for fully vaccinated Australians entering or leaving the country, although major airlines have warned they are not yet ready for a swift increase in flights. 

Australian government is planning to gradually ease restrictions when double-dose vaccination rates reach 70% and beyond. They are currently just over 55%.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday that Sydney, the New South Wales state capital, would most likely be the first city to allow international travelers back.

Domestic travel could still be restricted, he warned.

Western Australia and Queensland are threatening to keep their internal borders closed to other parts of the country with high delta variant infections.

Since the pandemic started, Australia recorded 105,000 coronavirus cases with over 1,200 fatalities.