Sydney prepares to scrap mandatory quarantine for foreign travelers

INA-  sources

Sydney will scrap mandatory quarantine for foreign travelers from next month, officials said, signaling a faster-than-expected end to strict restrictions linked to the coronavirus.
 
Australia’s borders have been closed for 19 months to prevent the spread of Covid, which has left tens of thousands of Australians stranded abroad.
                                
Currently, those wishing to enter Australia must request a special permission to travel and allocate thousands of dollars for a 14-day quarantine in a hotel.
 
New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet said that from November 1, fully vaccinated travelers will be required to show a negative Covid test before travel, but will not need to undergo a quarantine upon arrival.
 
“For people who have received two doses of the vaccine around the world, Sydney and the state of New South Wales are open to them,” he explained. “The stone in the hotel will be a thing of the past, and this is an important day for our state,” he added.
 
Sydney last week lifted 100-day lockdown measures, and restrictions linked to the pandemic are gradually being lifted.
 
Under a national roadmap to exit anti-epidemic measures, the borders were to be gradually reopened in November, with only Australians and permanent residents allowed in under self-quarantine.
 
Perrottet’s comments indicate that these restrictions will be lifted sooner than planned, and that tourists will be able to come to Australia as well with the mandatory lifting of quarantine.
 
The past 19 months have been devastating for Australia’s tourism sector with the number of visitors down 98 percent compared to the pre-pandemic period, according to Tourism Australia figures.
 
The announcement also raises the possibility that Sydney residents will be allowed to visit Paris but not Perth, while Western Australia’s border with the rest of the country remains closed.