Australia is planning to reopen to all fully vaccinated visa holders, welcoming the return of travelers and other visitors starting Feb. 21, 2022 after being shut down for almost two years to outside visitors.
These changes will ensure Australia continues to protect the health of Australians, while continuing to secure its economic recovery, said a joint statement from the Hon. Scott Morrison, the Hon. Greg Hunt, and the Hon. Dan Tehan.
With improving health conditions, including a recent 23 percent decline in hospitalizations due to COVID, the National Security Committee of Cabinet has agreed Australia is ready to further progress the staged reopening of its international border.
Visa holders who are not fully vaccinated will still require a valid travel exemption to enter Australia, and will be subject to state and territory quarantine requirements.
This announcement will give certainty to the country’s vital tourism industry, and allow them to start planning, hiring and preparing for the reopening. In 2018-2019, tourism generated more than $60 billion for the Australian economy, with more than 660,000 jobs dependent on the industry.
Since the Morrison Government commenced Australia’s staged international border reopening on Nov. 1 2021, the country has seen almost 580,000 arrivals come to Australia including to reunite with loved ones, work or study.
The statement also states that the Commonwealth continues to work with states and territories on the safe resumption of the cruise industry and looks forward to further announcements on this in due course.
For more information, visit minister.homeaffairs.gov.au or tourism.australia.com/en.
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