Australia Reopens Its International Borders To Travelers Who Have Been Vaccinated Against COVID-19 After Two Years

JAKARTA - Australia has reopened its international borders to travelers who have received the COVID-19 vaccine, after nearly two years of being closed due to the pandemic, so people can reunite with family and friends starting Monday.

More than 50 international flights will reach the country throughout the day, including 27 landing in Sydney, its largest city, as the tourism and hospitality sector seeks to rebuild after being hit by COVID-19 restrictions.

"This is a very exciting day, a day I've been looking forward to for a long time, since I first closed those borders right at the start of the pandemic," Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters in the tourism-reliant state of Tasmania. .

After being away from loved ones for months, there are many emotional citizens who can reunite, including Cindy Moss who traveled from the US state of Kentucky to see her daughter.

"I haven't seen her in a long time and it's a big thing to be here. So I'm very happy," Moss said after hugging his daughter in a trembling voice.

Tourism is one of Australia's largest industries, worth more than A$60 billion, employing around 5 per cent of the country's workforce. However, the sector was crippled after the country closed its borders in March 2020.

Once a champion of its COVID-19 response strategy, Australia went from tight controls and relentless lockdowns since late last year, to starting living with the virus after achieving higher vaccination rates.

Previously, skilled migrants, international students and backpackers had been allowed to fly to Australia since November in staggered reopening drills.

Meanwhile, passengers flying to Sydney were greeted from the air with 'Welcome Back World!' painted on a sign near the runway, while people in kangaroo costumes greeted travelers, as a DJ played music from a van emblazoned with a banner that read "you were worth the wait".

"It's a party here, music playing, smiles on people's faces, they're going to be dancing soon, I'm sure," Tourism Minister Dan Tehan told broadcaster ABC from Sydney Airport, as he handed travelers a jar of Vegemite, a food spread that became a staple. Australian icon, as well as a stuffed toy koala.

Tehan said he hoped for a "very strong" rebound in the tourism market, with Qantas looking to fly more than 14,000 passengers to Australia this week. Virgin Australia said it saw a positive trend in domestic bookings, while continuing to assess demand for international flights.

To note, Australia's total has recorded around 2.7 million confirmed cases of infection since the appearance of the Omicron variant in late November, with deaths reaching 4,929.

Meanwhile, more than 17,000 new cases and 17 deaths were registered as of midday on Monday, with data from the Northern Territory to be reported to follow.