Sydney, Nov 1 (BUS): Australia eased its restrictions at international borders on Monday for the first time during the coronavirus pandemic, allowing some of its vaccinated public to travel freely and reunite several families, sparking an emotional embrace at airports.
After more than 18 months of some of the world’s toughest border policies for the coronavirus, millions of Australians are now free to travel without a permit or need to quarantine upon arrival in the country, Reuters reported.
While travel is initially limited to Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate families, he lays out a plan to reopen the country to international tourists and workers, both of which are necessary to revitalize an overwhelmed nation.
Passengers of the first flight from Singapore and Los Angeles arrived in Sydney early in the morning, many greeted by friends and relatives with tears they had not seen for months. Passengers were also greeted by airline staff who held signs and were gifted with Australian wildflowers and chocolate biscuits.
“Slightly terrifying and exciting, I came home to see my mother because she is not feeling well,” said Ethan Carter, after landing on a Qantas Airways flight from Los Angeles.
“So it’s all anxiety and excitement and I love its piles and can’t wait to see it,” he said, adding that he had been out of the country for two years.
In Melbourne, a Singapore Airlines plane is sprayed with a water cannon in celebration as it lands on the tarmac after landing.
In one of the world’s toughest responses to the coronavirus pandemic, Australia closed its international borders 18 months ago, barring foreign tourists and banning citizens from exiting or arriving unless they were granted an exemption.
Strict travel rules have effectively banned many Australians from attending important events, including weddings and funerals, as well as preventing people from seeing family and friends.
The relaxation of travel rules in the states of Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory comes as Australia shifts from a strategy of managing the COVID-zero pandemic to living with the virus through massive vaccinations.
While the Delta outbreak has kept Sydney and Melbourne in lockdown for months until recently, cases of COVID-19 in Australia remain well below many similar countries, with about 170,500 infections and 1,743 deaths, as of October 31.
About 1,500 people were scheduled to travel to Sydney and Melbourne on Monday, according to the Barra aviation industry group.
However, the change in travel rules is not uniform across the country, with different vaccination rates and health policies in states and territories.
Western Australia, which includes one of the world’s largest iron ore regions, remains largely isolated from the rest of the country – and the world – as the country tries to protect its virus-free status.
And while Thailand and Israel were due to receive vaccinated tourists from Monday, foreign travelers are not yet welcome in Australia, except for those from neighboring New Zealand.
“We still have a long way to go in terms of the recovery of our sector, but allowing fully vaccinated Australians to travel without quarantine will provide a model for bringing back students, business travelers and tourists from around the world,” Sydney Airport CEO Jeff Colbert said.
Singapore citizens are the next group to be allowed entry, as of November 21.
Australian officials on Monday added India’s Covaxin and China’s BBIBP-CorV, made by Sinopharm, to a growing list of acceptable vaccines, increasing the number of people who will be allowed to travel to Australia without being quarantined.
Unvaccinated travelers will still face quarantine restrictions and all travelers need proof of a negative COVID-19 test before boarding.
Australia previously only allowed a limited number of citizens and permanent residents to return from abroad, with a mandatory 14-day quarantine period in a hotel at their own expense. There have also been some exemptions for foreign travelers on economic grounds, including, arguably, some Hollywood stars.
MI