Australia Prepares To Open International Borders, Sydney Trials Home Quarantine Program

Illustration of the Bondi Beach area, Sydney. (Wikimedia Commons/Nick Ang)

JAKARTA - Australia plans to test its home quarantine system for international travelers who have been vaccinated upon arrival in Sydney, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Friday, as plans to reopen borders despite COVID-19 cases have not been resolved.

Australia has closed its international borders since March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, only granting entry to citizens and permanent permit holders, undergoing a mandatory two-week hotel quarantine at their own expense.

"This is the next step in our plan to safely reopen, and keep it open safely", the PM explained, adding the trial could set the standard for the way with COVID-19.

Sydney, which has received more residents returning from overseas than any other Australian city, will pilot a seven-day home quarantine program later this month.

Authorities will use mobile phone apps and facial recognition technology to monitor compliance with some 175 people, including residents, non-residents, and some Qantas flight crew.

"This is very welcome news for our crew who have flown overseas to bring Australians home and essential items under quarantine for the months since the pandemic began", Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce said in a statement.

The use of the technology, which is already being piloted with defense personnel returning in the state of South Australia, has been criticized by privacy campaigners.

Australia's two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, along with Canberra, are under lockdown, keeping about half of its 25 million population at home, to combat the outbreak of the Delta variant that only started last June.

The state of Victoria reported 510 new cases, the majority in the state capital Melbourne, on Friday, the second-highest daily increase this year, and one death. Meanwhile, the State of New South Wales reported 1,284 new cases, mostly in Sydney, down from 1,351 on Thursday, with 12 deaths.

PM Morrison announced the home quarantine trial ahead of a national cabinet meeting, where federal and state leaders plan to discuss vaccine passports and further easing of restrictions.

The federal government's reopening plan is based on Australia achieving a vaccination rate of 70 percent - 80 percent for its adult population. The national rate is currently around 45 percent but is expected to increase with more than 70 percent of people over the age of 16 having received the first dose.

Both New South Wales and Victorian leaders have outlined new freedoms for adults receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, with some restrictions on gatherings and travel in Melbourne set to be relaxed from Friday evening, after Victoria hit its first dose target 70 percent a week early.

However, not all state and territory leaders agree with the reopening plan, with some preferring to stick to the eradication strategy.

For information, launching Worldometers Kangaroo Country recorded 82,000 cases of infection, with 1,141 deaths and 61,869 patients recovered since the Coronavirus pandemic.