Australia postpones opening: here's the new date
Everything seemed ready for the resumption of flights to Australia. Instead, in recent days the government in Canberra has [...]
Australia
Everything seemed ready for The resumption of flights to Australia. Instead, in recent days the government in Canberra has had to pull the brake. Now the danger is the new variant Omicron of Covid-19 that forced a rethink of plans to reopen.
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It was initially expected that Australia might start to become more easily visited again by early December, but the news about the pandemic have imposed a postponement of a few days so that the current situation of contagions can be better assessed.
Plans to reopen
Last Nov. 21, Prime Minister Scott Morrison had given good news regarding the resumption of travel to the Oceanic country: Australia reopened to the tourists from Singapore, one of the areas of the world where Covid-19 is most under control, without quarantine and also for tourism purposes.
"This is another significant milestone in our gradual approach to a safe reopening to the world," Morrison had said enthusiastically, claiming that within weeks the country would also reopen its doors to travelers from two other nations in the top 10 areas from which most tourists come.
Thus, the national plan for tourism recovery included the reopening to visa holders from Japan and South Korea, as well as skilled workers and international students, as of December 1. All without a quarantine requirement upon entry into Australia.
The plan for a slow reopening to the foreign visitors fully vaccinated immediately seemed like a good approach to revitalizing tourism, in safeguarding public health. But within a week or so, things changed.
When will Australia reopen?
The onset of the new variant Omicron of Covid-19 has alarmed several governments around the world, including Australia's. On the advice of medical officer Paul Kelly, the National Security Committee agreed it was best to slow down the process of reopening the borders.
So on November 29, the reopening was officially made slip forward two weeks. "A necessary and temporary decision," Morrison explained. He added that this will ensure that the necessary information can be gathered to know more about the variant.
We will have to wait at least until December 15 to see the start of that opening announced in recent weeks. In the meantime, Australia hopes to regularly host the tennis Open scheduled for Jan. 17-30, 2022.
