Vaccinated travelers from other countries could be able to spend their winter holidays in Australia, as the latter plans to reopen its borders by Christmas, the country’s Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Dan Tehan, has confirmed.
“I do empathize with the Australians who have been denied the opportunity to travel overseas this year,” the Tourism Minister pointed out during a talk organized by the National Press Club of Australia, VisaGuide.World reports.Tehan went on to say that such a decision is another reason why persons should get vaccinated against the Coronavirus while stressing that “we have to stick to the national plan that will see our international border open up — at this rate by Christmas at the latest.” Earlier this week, Tehan revealed some requirements that should be met so the country could open its doors to international travelers.
“It’s incredibly important that we’re doing that preparatory work,” he said. One of those action items is passing the 80 percent national vaccination rate. As of September 22, about 38 percent of Australians had received both doses of a coronavirus vaccine,” Australia’s Tourism Minister pointed out.Based on the data provided by the World Health Organization, Australia has reported a total of 88,710 COVID-19 infection cases and 1,178 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. The same source shows that a total of 1,643 people in Australia have tested positive for the Coronavirus in the last 24 hours, and 11 people have died. Due to the virus’ rapid spread, authorities in Australia have imposed entry bans and other preventive measures in order to protect citizens and prevent another surge in the number of COVID-19 infections. The national vaccination process has been considered essential by authorities in Australia; therefore, the country’s tourism board launched a domestic ad calling on citizens to get vaccinated.
“We need to claim back our way of life so that we can visit friends and relatives, get back into the workplace, get our kids back to school, travel domestically and internationally again, and welcome the world back to enjoy all that Australia has to offer,” Managing Director of Tourism Australia, Phillipa Harrison, pointed out in this regard.Australia’s government has clarified that international travelers wishing to enter Australia once the country relaxes its entry rules must present valid proof that shows that they have been fully immunized against the virus in order to be permitted to enter the country. Previously, the country’s government announced that it is planning to launch a digital vaccination document, following the example of other countries worldwide, in order to help its citizens to travel to other countries. Such a decision was unfolded by the Liberal Party of Australia earlier this month, while the country’s government chose Accenture in order to deliver the digital vaccination document, also known as the Digital Passenger Declaration (DPD).