Sydney, Oct 28 (BUS) – Australia on Thursday eased travel advice related to the novel coronavirus for several countries including the United States, Britain and Canada as it prepares to reopen its borders next week for the first time in more than 18 months.
Australia will lift its overseas travel ban for fully vaccinated residents from November 1 following a strong uptake of COVID-19 vaccines, as Sydney and Melbourne, its largest cities, look to welcome foreign travelers without quarantine, Reuters reported.
“The changes announced today are a vital next step in reuniting Australian families and safely reopening Australia to the world,” Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in a statement on Thursday.
Payne said updated country-specific travel advice will help Australians access travel insurance more easily.
As Australia begins to ease travel restrictions due to the Corona virus, Victoria on Thursday recorded the deadliest day in the Delta outbreak with 25 deaths and 1,923 cases, the largest rise in infections in four days. Neighboring New South Wales, home to Sydney, recorded 293 new cases, down from 304 on Wednesday.
Despite Delta Wave, national coronavirus numbers remain relatively low by global standards, with around 166,000 cases and 1,694 deaths.
Australia is gradually easing strict restrictions in Sydney and Melbourne, aided by rising levels of vaccination after a third wave of infections fueled by a highly contagious delta variant has spread rapidly across its southeast.
However, the relaxation in travel rules is not uniform across Australia, as the country’s states and territories have different vaccination rates and health policies.
Under the updated Travel Advice Framework, the ‘Do Not Travel’ guidelines established for all destinations in March have been removed. But no destination below ‘Level 2 – High Caution’ will be selected.
MI