When do the borders open in Australia?
Australia expects to have 80% of its adult population with the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine by December 2021, to reopen international borders.
Australia expects to have 80% of its adult population with the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine by December 2021. A condition imposed by the Australian National Cabinet to reopen international borders, in its plan to release the restrictions established by the pandemic.
Qantas Airlines is banking on resuming international flights by December this year.
Australia expects to have 80% of its adult population with the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine by December 2021. A condition imposed by the Australian National Cabinet to reopen international borders, in its plan to release the restrictions established by the pandemic.
According to Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce, Australia will likely reach this goal by December this year, allowing for careful planning of opening flights to some international destinations.
In the first stage, the airline seeks to once again establish operations to low-risk destinations with a high level of vaccination such as New Zealand, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, Fiji, and Singapore.
Flights to destinations with a low vaccination rate such as Johannesburg, Bali, Manila, and Jakarta will have to wait to open after April 2022.
Qantas has reported losses of $1.83bn so far in the fiscal year 2020-2021 and its CEO, Alan Joice, blamed restrictions on the entry of tourists and international students among other travellers, which significantly reduced air traffic. Let us remember that a year of prohibition of international flights and 330 days of restrictions on local flights have been completed.
The company was seriously affected by the situation of the pandemic that has been going on for almost two years, and especially by the restrictions applied by the Australian Government. This situation led the company to present to the federal government its plan to resume international flights last August, a plan that depends on the performance of the vaccination program in Australia
Some students will be able to enter New South Wales before the end of the year They must have all doses of one of the Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson or Moderna vaccines.
If these projections are met, it is estimated that by mid-December the flights between Australia and New Zealand will summarize, as well as the Travel Bubble between New Zealand and Australia, which consists of being able to make trips to and from New Zealand without quarantining. This treaty is currently on hold due to the closure of the borders between the two countries.
This is also great news for students from Singapore, as a Travel Bubble / Travel Bubble agreement was being negotiated with that country. Taking this possibility into account, the agreement will allow students to enter Australia from Singapore.
To help reach this 80% vaccination goal, Qantas will ensure that all its staff is vaccinated and openly promote vaccination among the Australian public, who have been waiting to travel since last year.
As a strategy, they seek to take the example of other countries such as the United States, or entire continents such as Europe, which already began a few months ago with the reopening of their international borders. If these countries can open their doors, what is it that we lack?
On the other hand, Alan Tudge, the Australian Minister of Education, reported that despite the fact that Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, and Darwin are going through prolonged lockdowns or quarantines, different Pilot Tests are being presented in order to facilitate the return of students to Australia.
States such as South Australia and New South Wales have already presented their projects to the Australian Government, and have obtained the approval of both the governors (Premieres) and the health authorities in these States. Although these projects were stopped due to the new Delta variant, the Minister of Health assures that they are adequate to move towards the opening.
It remains to await the final decisions of the Australian Government regarding the opening of the borders, which we hope will be positive. We are sure that international students are eager to enter Australia in search of this incredible experience.
It remains to await the final decisions of the Australian Government regarding the opening of the borders, which we hope will be positive. We are sure that international students are eager to enter Australia in search of this incredible experience.
