The country’s two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, have decided to drop quarantine measures at airports
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D-Day. Australia reopened its borders on Monday, November 1, nearly 600 days after they closed. On March 20, 2020, the huge island continent implemented one of the strictest border closures in the world in order to protect itself from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Tens of thousands of Australians living abroad were unable to return to their homeland for 19 months. Thefts were rare and nationals allowed to return had to undergo an expensive 14-day quarantine at the hotel. The country’s two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, have decided to drop these measures and fully vaccinated Australians can now travel without quarantine.
“It’s a big day for Australia”Prime Minister Scott Morrison said, posting a message on Facebook claiming the country was now “ready to take off!”. At Sydney airport, at dawn on Monday, the first passengers to disembark let their joy burst out, which gave rise to poignant scenes of hugs.
The frequency of flights is expected to resume gradually even if the number of passengers on board the first flights was few. Some Australian states where the vaccination rate remains low will remain virtually closed. A mandatory 14-day quarantine will remain in effect.