On Monday the 7th of February, the excellent news was announced that Australia will reopen to vaccinated travellers this month.
After almost 2 years of tight restrictions throughout the course of the pandemic, Australia will reopen on the 21st of February. This comes after the earlier relaxation of restrictions for some international students and skilled migrants in December.
In March 2020 Australia set in place some of the world’s strictest border control in reaction to the Covid pandemic. There have been some minor changes for Australian citizens in that time, however, February 21st will be the first time that fully vaccinated international travellers will be allowed entry.
Australia will reopen to vaccinated international travellers in reaction to the Omicron variant of Covid becoming a dominant strain in Australia. The Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, said, “The variant is here in Australia. And for those who are coming in who are double vaccinated, they don’t present any greater risk than those who are already here in Australia.”
The new restrictions for fully vaccinated international arrivals from the 21st of February will be as follows:
- All travellers must provide proof of a full course of vaccination.
- Arrivals will need proof of EITHER:
– A negative PCR test taken up to 72 hours pre-departure; or
– A negative supervised rapid test taken up to 24 hours pre-departure.
Unvaccinated travellers with medical reasons will need to apply for exemption and quarantine in a hotel upon arrival once the application is approved. You can find out more about the restrictions for entering Australia after February 21st on the Foreign Travel Advice website.
After nearly 2 years, it is excellent news to see Australia will reopen in February. Travellers and travel businesses alike are excited to plan some great holidays abroad, and the Australian Tourism Board is bustling, ready to welcome back international travellers.
So, if you’re looking forward to booking your next great holiday, don’t wait, get in touch with a travel business registered with PTS now for 100% financial protection through trust. Or, if you’d like assistance choosing one of the lovely PTS members to book with, you can contact PTS directly on 0207 190 9988.
And if you’d like to learn more about your consumer protection with PTS and how the Package Travel Regulations protect your holiday booking, check out our pages and articles.
