Starting next month, on Nov. 1, all fully vaccinated Australian citizens and permanent residents will be allowed to leave the country with minimal exemptions. The move comes as Australia relaxes coronavirus restrictions in response to rising vaccination rates and decreased daily cases.
For more than 18 months, Australians have been unable to go overseas without a government waiver. Thousands of fully-vaccinated Australians living abroad have also been unable to return home due to a restriction on immigration designed to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Many of them are expected to return after quarantine requirements for vaccinated tourists will be lifted in Sydney and Melbourne on Nov. 1. Other cities, which are mainly virus-free or have low daily cases, are anticipated to relax their border restrictions as vaccination rates rise.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Wednesday that the lifting of the travel ban shows that the national plan is working. He added that the vaccination rates are continually climbing across the country.
Meanwhile, Australia's health authority has provisionally authorized the distribution of a booster dose of Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 vaccine for persons over the age of 18, after first-dose immunization rates in those over 16 approached 90%.
Once the government receives guidance from the country's immunization technical advisory panel, federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said the rollout should begin by Nov. 8, further increasing the nation's vaccination rate.
The decision to relax the travel restriction will take effect next week, after Singapore's announcement on Tuesday that tourists vaccinated against COVID-19 from Australia will be allowed to enter without quarantine from November 8.
The third wave of COVID-19 caused by the Delta variant of the coronavirus prompted lockdowns in Australia's two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne. The virus had spread after the cities had gradually eased restrictions after meeting their vaccine goals.
As of this week, Australia had reported a total of 164,000 COVID-19 cases and 1,669 deaths. Compared to other nations, Australia has fared better thanks to its rapid initial response. On Wednesday, Victoria recorded 1,534 new cases, up from 1,510 the day before, while New South Wales reported 304 new cases, up from 282.
