Australia Fully Reopens Borders After Two Years

Australia on Monday fully reopened its international borders to travelers who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, nearly two years after it closed due to the pandemic.

More than 50 international flights will arrive in the country on Monday as the tourism and hospitality sectors look to rebuild after being severely affected by COVID-19 restrictions.

Tourism is one of Australia’s largest industries, with a volume exceeding A$60 billion (US$43 billion) and employing about five percent of the country’s workforce. But this sector was paralyzed after the country closed its borders in March 2020.

Australia’s openness to tourists is the clearest example yet of the government’s shift from a strict approach to eliminating Covid-19 to living with the virus and vaccinating people to reduce the number of deaths and severe symptoms.