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Australia reopens its borders

November 1, 2021

Australia reopened its borders Monday, permitting citizens to return and exit the country. Foreign workers in Australia remain unable to do so though.

https://p.dw.com/p/42PxC
A woman who arrived on a flight from Los Angeles is embraced by a loved one in Syndey
Emotional scenes unfolded at the Sydney airport as the first quarantine-free flight from Los Angeles in 18 months arrived MondayImage: Rick Rycroft/AP/picture alliance

Australia relaxed international travel restrictions Monday permitting those vaccinated to travel and families to reunite after 18 months of closed borders due to the pandemic.

With some of the world's strictest COVID-19 border controls, foreign tourists have been barred from entry and citizens were effectively unable to come and go unless they secured rare permission to do so and paid a hefty price.

The COVID-19 travel restrictions prevented Australians from seeing family and friends. Now vaccinated Australians who test negative for the coronavirus can travel without a permit or the need to quarantine.

At present though, foreigners are not granted the same rights as Australian citizens, permanent residents, and their immediate families.

Move towards open borders

The move towards more open borders signals a transition from a COVID-zero strategy towards living with the virus, though cases are much lower than countries comparable to Australia.

Australia has recorded just 170,500 infections and 1,735 deaths over the duration of the pandemic in no small measure due to its punishing restrictions and serious lockdowns.

On Monday, regular passengers arrived in Sydney in the wee hours from Singapore and Los Angeles for the first time since early 2020. They were greeted by tearful friends and relatives whom they had not seen since the pandemic began.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison called it a "big day for Australia," posting on Facebook Australia now "ready for take-off!"

Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg told the Australian Broadcasting Corp, "It's a day for celebration."

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce at a press conference last month with a Qanttas plane and Prime Minister Scott Morrison behiind him
Qantas CEO called the first international flights back to Australia "a long time coming"Image: Joel Carrett/AP/picture alliance

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said it was "a long time coming," adding, "It's wonderful to see Australians able to reunite with loved ones after such a long time apart."

Brand new day

Ethan Carter, who has been out of Australia for two years, told Reuters after he landed on the Qantas Airways flight from Los Angeles, "I have come home to see my mum 'cause she's not well."

He added, "It's all anxious and excitement and I love her heaps and I can't wait to see her."

On Monday, there are 16 scheduled international flight arrivals in Sydney and 14 scheduled departures.

According to the foreign ministry, 47,000 Australians abroad wish to return home.

Before now, those who did gain permission to enter Australia had to pay eye-watering prices for airline tickets, and were then forced to spend thousands of dollars on a 14-day quarantine in a hotel room.

While Monday's policy changes signal greater openness, rules have only been dropped for the country's two largest Australian cities, Sydney and Melbourne. Over one million foreign residents cannot leave Australia and are unable to see friends or relatives overseas.

ar/aw (AFP, Reuters)