Australia has announced the reopening of its borders to vaccinated tourists and other visa holders for the first time in almost two years. The decision will end two years of misery for the tourism sector, revive migration and inject billions of dollars into one of the largest economies of the world. The reopening, on 21 February, will be welcome news for many sectors including international education. The move effectively calls time on the last main component of Australia's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which it has attributed to relatively low death and infection rates. The other core strategy, stop-start lockdowns, was shelved for good in December. The country had taken steps in recent months to relax border controls, like allowing in skilled migrants and quarantine-free travel arrangements — "travel bubbles" — with select countries like New Zealand. But the reopening on Feb. 21 represents the first time since March 2020 that people can travel to Australia from anywhere in the world as long as they are vaccinated. "If you're double-vaccinated, we look forward to welcoming you back to Australia," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said at a media briefing in Canberra. Australia has had some of the world's strictest border controls throughout the coronavirus pandemic. In March 2020, the government closed the borders. It barred most foreigners from entering the country and put caps on total arrivals to help combat Covid. Some international students and skilled migrants have been permitted to enter the country since last December. On Monday, Morrison said those entering Australia when the borders fully reopened would need to provide proof of vaccination. "That's the rule. Everyone is expected to abide by it," he said. Unvaccinated travellers who have a medical reason for not being jabbed will still need to apply for a travel exemption and, if successful, will be required to quarantine at a hotel. Since the start of the pandemic, Australia has implemented strict measures to help fight the spread of Covid infections - even banning its own people from leaving the country last year. The country has so far reported more than 2.7 million cases of coronavirus and 4,248 Covid-related deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Nearly 80% of the population is fully vaccinated. — Agencies
