Sydney, March 15 (BNA) Australia said on Tuesday it will lift the ban on entry for international cruise ships next month, effectively ending all major COVID-related travel bans after two years and boosting a tourism industry hit hard by pandemic restrictions.
Australia banned entry to cruise ships in March 2020, when they were the source of about 20% of early coronavirus infections in Australia. Ships became a flashpoint in their pandemic response after symptomatic passengers were allowed to disembark in Sydney, many of whom later tested positive.
The federal government has said it will not renew the current ban until after April 17 as the country begins to live with the coronavirus after reaching higher levels of vaccination. Last month, Australia completely reopened its airports to vaccinate international travelers.
Before the pandemic, Australia welcomed more than 600,000 cruise ship passengers through its ports from about 350 ships in 2019, according to official data, and is a major source of revenue for the country’s A$60 billion ($43 billion) tourism industry.
“I can’t wait to see our cruise terminals once again filled with incoming international passengers, get this important to industry and ship shape and get back on the water again,” Home Affairs Secretary Karen Andrews said in a statement.
More ease in restrictions comes amid a threat from the highly contagious BA.2 sub variant of the Omicron coronavirus strain, which authorities have warned could double daily infections in the next four to six weeks.
Despite calls from health experts to reimpose some restrictions, including making masks mandatory in enclosed spaces, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said over the weekend that the country was prepared to live with COVID-19 as if it were the common flu.
More than 31,000 new cases and 21 deaths were reported by Tuesday afternoon, with South Australia and the Northern Territory due to be reported. Australia’s total has reached just over 3.2 million confirmed cases and 5,612 deaths.
MI