Health

Australia to lift ban on citizens leaving the country

Sydney, Australia, Oct 27 (EFE).- Australia is to lift a ban on residents and citizens leaving the country without permission, the government announced Wednesday.

Those fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will be able to travel overseas from Monday, according to a joint statement from the ministries of health and home affairs.

Unvaccinated people or those who have only had one dose must be approved for a travel exemption.

“Our first priority is Australian citizens and permanent residents and today we are delivering on that by removing restrictions on fully-vaccinated Australians traveling out of Australia,” Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said in the statement.

“I look forward to further easing restrictions over coming weeks and months as more and more Australians become fully vaccinated. Before the end of the year, we anticipate welcoming fully vaccinated skilled workers and international students.”

Australia closed its borders in March 2020 with the aim of curbing the pandemic, which included a ban on the population traveling abroad.

The progressive reopening of international borders, which does not yet include tourists, is part of a national plan based on the immunization of 80 percent of Australia’s target population, while the various states and territories advance at different speeds.

According to official forecasts, only the states of New South Wales and Victoria, which account for more than 40 percent of the country’s population, and the Australian Capital Territory will meet the 80 percent vaccination target by that date.

Therefore, for the moment, trips abroad can only be made from those regions and on their return, fully vaccinated people would not be quarantined.

Australia, which has a travel bubble with New Zealand’s South Island, will launch another air corridor with Singapore on Nov. 8.

The Oceanian country, which has fully vaccinated 74 percent of its target population, has accumulated more than 162,000 Covid-19 infections and more than 1,650 deaths since the start of the pandemic. EFE

wat/tw

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