Australia reopen borders to international travellers

Sydney Opera House, Australia, 31 December 2021

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Australia implement some of di world strictest border controls during di pandemic

Australia don announce di reopen of dia border to tourists wey don collect vaccine plus odas wey get visa for di first time in almost two years.

“If you dey double vaccinated, we dey look forward to welcoming you back,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison tok.

Di reopening, wey go happun on 21 February, go be beta news for many sectors including international education.

Australia bin get some of di world strictest border controls throughout di coronavirus pandemic.

For March 2020, di goment closed di borders.

E prevent most foreigners from entering di kontri plus restrict total number of pipo wey dey enta di kontri to help fight Covid.

Some international students and skilled migrants don get permission to enter di kontri country since last December.

On Monday, Oga Morrison say pipo wey go enta Australia wen di borders fully reopen go need to provide proof of vaccination: “Dat na di rule. Everyone dey expected to obey am,” im tok.

Travellers wey no collect vaccine but get medical reason for am go still need to apply for travel exemption and, if successful, go need required to quarantine for hotel.

Melinda de Boer, 44, from Switzerland, tell BBC say she dey finally planning to travel go Melbourne to see her mama, wey get breast cancer last year.

“Her grandchildren neva see her for nearly three years. We dey hope to go for di October or December holidays,” she tok.

Madam De Boer say she dey reluctant to book flight for now and dey “worry about di airlines and di plenty pipo wey go go.”

Since start of di pandemic, Australia don implement strict measures to help fight spread of Covid infections – dem even ban dia own people from leaving di kontri last year.

Although di kontri don dey open, di state of Western Australia (WA) still get tight measures. E still dey closed to non-residents, including pipo from oda parts of Australian states, unless dem get permission to enta.

Plans bin dey to open WA borders to interstate and international tourists dis month, but dem postpone di plan indefinitely due to di Omicron variant.

Do far, Australia has so far don report more dan 2.7 million cases of coronavirus and more dan 4,240 Covid-related deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Nearly 80% of the population dey fully vaccinated.