Covid has affected all phases of life. The travel industry had to face the most distress since countries had to close their borders due to covid. This initiative was to stop the spread of the virus from country to country. Now, as the world is adjusting to post-covid times and realizing the damage it has done to the tourism industry, most countries have decided to reopen their borders. Most countries, including Australia, took this decision with only vaccinated tourists and visa holders in mind.
Australia’s Prime Minister’s Decision To Reopen The Border
Prime Minister Scott Morrison recently made a statement to welcome double-vaccinated people in his country. The reopening will be good news for many sectors, including education. During the pandemic, the Australian government implemented extremely strict border control restrictions; in March 2020 when the government shut down the borders, many foreigners were not allowed to enter the country. To help fight Covid, there were also limitations on the total number of arrivals in the country.
Despite the restrictions, some international students and skilled migrants were permitted to enter the country. With the restrictions easing down, Prime Minister Mr. Morrison has made it clear that those who want to enter the country should show proof of vaccination. He further added that he wants everyone to abide by the rules when the restrictions are removed. If there are unvaccinated travelers who have a medical reason for not getting the vaccination, they should apply for a travel exemption. Once their exemption gets approved, they will be required to quarantine at a local hotel for the desired number of days.
Melinda de Boer, a 44 old woman from Switzerland, told the BBC that she was planning to travel to Melbourne to visit her mum and that her children hadn’t met their grandmother for almost three years. She stated that she is looking forward to going in the October or December holidays. Ms. De Boer is reluctant to book her flight as she’s worried about the masses of people going and the services of the airlines. This is just one example of how Covid affected the lives of people who live miles apart from their loved ones. With most countries laying off restrictions, many people are now hopeful of meeting their loved ones.
Since the start of the pandemic, Australia has implemented strict restrictions to help reduce the spread of Covid. It even banned its people from leaving the country in the past year. Even though most of the country is opening up, the state of Western Australia still experiences strict measures. Western Australia is closed for non-residents at the moment. The restriction extends to people from other Australian states unless they have an official permit to enter.
There were plans to open Western Australia’s borders for international and interstate tourists in the coming month. However, this policy was postponed indefinitely because of the Omicron variant. According to the data from John Hopkins University, Australia has reported 2.7 million coronavirus cases and more than 4,240 covid deaths. Almost 80% of the Australian population is vaccinated, according to the stats.