Australia eased its international border restrictions on Monday for the first time in the pandemic, allowing some of its vaccinated public to travel freely and many families in an emotional embrace at Sydney’s airport.
After 18 months of some of the world’s strictest coronavirus border policies, which banned citizens from returning to and leaving the country unless exempted, millions of Australians in Victoria, New South Wales and Canberra are now traveling. are free to.
Australia’s biggest airline said a flight from Los Angeles to flag carrier Qantas Airways landed in Sydney at 6 a.m., the first time in months for Australians who had been vaccinated for COVID-19 to get off the plane without any quarantine.
International passengers also reached Sydney early Monday via Singapore Airlines.
Australia’s treasurer Josh Frydenberg told Australian Broadcasting Corp on Monday that the change in travel would help the economy immediately.
“It’s a day of celebration – the fact that Australians can move in and out of our country more freely without home quarantine than if they are double-vaccinated,” Frydenberg said.
Television and social media footage showed tearful family reunions, with strict travel rules previously preventing many people from attending important events, including weddings and funerals.
The relaxation of travel rules is linked to rising vaccination rates in Australia’s two most populous states, New South Wales and Victoria, with more than 80% of people aged 16 and older, as well as fully vaccinated in the Capital Territory .
Australians and permanent residents living abroad can now return, with foreign ministry data showing around 47,000 people are expected to do so.
Most tourists – even those vaccinated – have to wait to arrive in Australia, although vaccinated tourists from New Zealand will be allowed from Monday.
Unvaccinated passengers will still face quarantine restrictions and all passengers will need proof of a negative COVID-19 test before boarding.
However, changes in travel rules are not uniform across Australia, as vaccination rates and health policies vary across country states and territories.
Australia closed its borders at the start of the pandemic and only allowed a limited number of citizens and permanent residents to return from abroad, subject to an exemption and a mandatory 14-day quarantine period in a hotel at its own expense.
But as it turned a COVID-zero pandemic management strategy toward living with the virus through widespread vaccination, borders are slowly reopening.
While the Delta outbreak put Sydney and Melbourne in lockdown for months, Australia’s COVID-19 cases are far lower than many comparable countries, with just over 170,500 infections and 1,735 deaths.