Australia has scrapped the hopes of reopening the country to foreign visitors this year. The country has officially extended its travel ban on overseas travel until December.
The “human biosecurity emergency period” was originally slated to end on September 17 but will now, unfortunately, remain until December 17.
According to the country’s health minister, Greg Hunt, the decision was taken ‘in line with medical advice.
The new rule applies to those living in Australia, who have been unable to travel abroad from early as 2020 unless given a rare (or essential) exemption, but the travel ban makes it more difficult for those who are desperate to visit family & friends before 2022.
Inbound & outbound travel restrictions are set to be removed when 80 percent of those travelling are fully vaccinated. However, Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan and his Queensland counterpart Annastacia Palaszczuk have refused to commit to opening their borders when the target is met.
According to Gladys Berejiklian, the state premier of Australia’s New South Wales, the one-hour limit on outdoor exercise for residents in areas of concern in Sydney would also be scrapped.
This comes after NSW reported 1,288 new cases and seven deaths on Thursday.
Qantas, the flag carrier of Australia, had hoped to resume flights to the UK in December using the A380 superjumbo to meet the rising demand for travel to & from Australia.
The airline is now in the process of selling tickets to Los Angeles, Singapore, and Vancouver from December 18, a day after the travel ban on overseas travel expires.
What are your thoughts on Australia extending the travel ban on overseas travel?
Do you think more countries should impose a travel ban to restrict overseas travel (regardless of the vaccination status of travellers) until remnants of the delta variant are no longer an ongoing threat?
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