After months of struggling with Coronavirus, Australia is on the road to recovery. Qantas is rescheduling its flights and rolling out the red carpet for the fully vaccinated Aussie ex-pats. Daniel Andrews, the prime minister of Victoria, announced that his state would shelve all quarantine requirements for the fully vaccinated Aussie ex-pats. The curse of quarantine prevented tourists from enjoying their stay at a new destination. Therefore, withdrawal of quarantine would be a positive move to woo back the tourists. They are considered to be the backbone of many countries.
News AU quotes him saying: “From November 1, international travelers returning to Melbourne or coming to Melbourne, coming to Victoria for the first time, will not have to quarantine.” They would be free to lead normal lives with no fears of hotel quarantine. This is because of the availability of adequate protection. Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce welcomed the move and said it’s “great to see Melbourne reopening.” The airline of Australia took prompt action to bring forward flights from Melbourne to Singapore and London. Australia had hoped to reopen its international borders by Christmas. That is becoming a reality.
Reopening post-pandemic a challenge for Australia
Double vaccination and a negative COVID test are essential for those flying into Melbourne.
Implementation of such measures will help to keep a check on the entry of people. As Daniel Andrews says: “This means that we will reduce our hotel quarantine program down to just a handful of hotels.” In his opinion, the time has come to “normalize” living with COVID. News AU adds that the vaccination status of most Victorians is satisfactory.
Some sections of people will be exempt from quarantine. They will include children below 12 years of age and genuine health conditions that prevent them from receiving the vaccines.
The national plan was about safe opening up of Australia
Prime Minister Scott Morrison explained that the national plan was a safe opening up of Australia.
It would mean families could come together again. Normalcy would return with kids back in schools. In short, it would mean the reunification of the country. News AU goes on to add that thousands of fully vaccinated Aussies will return home even as others take off for their long-awaited holidays. The Prime Minister was all praises for the vaccination rates across Australia.
Australia breaks free from the shackles of quarantine
Relaxation of quarantine rules of Victoria is on the cards for fully vaccinated international arrivals. Such travelers can enter the state without spending two weeks in hotel quarantine. The cap on fully vaccinated Australians returning home will cease to exist. However, there will be a cap on the number of unvaccinated or unverified international travelers.
This will be in line with that of New South Wales. Fully vaccinated persons of Melbourne can move about quarantine-free into New South Wales. Earlier this week, Melbourne began to welcome vaccinated residents of Sydney quarantine-free. Coronavirus played havoc with the Travel sector, especially the airlines. They innovated to remain visible and introduced a new concept of “flight to nowhere.” One airline went to the extent of converting a couple of stationary aircraft into restaurants. It wanted the people to remember when they took to the air for business or pleasure because flying was the preferred option.
