From November 1 onwards, fully-vaccinated international tourists can stay in Sydney, Australia, without quarantine. By Naina Atri
After over a year of stringent border regulations, Australia is finally moving towards opening up to international travellers. The Premier of the New South Wales state, of which Sydney is the capital, announced, “We need to rejoin the world. We can’t live here in a hermit kingdom. We’ve got to open up,” as reported by Reuters. Thus, mandatory quarantine is no longer required, provided that international fliers show their proof of complete vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test.
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The announcement was made after a decision was taken to gradually open up to overseas travel once New South Wales reaches an 80 percent first-vaccination dose rate. According to Al Jazeera, 77.8 percent of the state has been fully vaccinated while 91.4 percent have received one COVID-19 vaccine dose. This puts NSW ahead of the rest of the country in terms of vaccination rates and allows it to slightly speed up the revival of international travel. “Hotel quarantine, home quarantine is a thing of the past, we are opening Sydney and New South Wales to the world,” said Premier Dominic Perrottet, as reported by the media house.
Australia had shut down its borders in March 2020 and had only allowed citizens, along with permanent residents, to enter, who then had to pay for the mandatory quarantine. The move is thus welcomed by travellers for whom the quarantine regulations made entry into Australia difficult, such as the quota on the number of hotels available for quarantine. Citizens who were unable to enter Canberra, Australia’s capital city, are now expected to go back home via Sydney, reports Reuters.
The office of Prime Minister Scott Morrison has not yet made a statement about the New South Wales plan, as reported by The Mint.
Related: Vienna Airport Offers COVID-19 Tests For Passengers To Avoid Mandatory Quarantine
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