NSW is reportedly set to allow international travel as early as November 1, just weeks after the state is opening up post-lockdown.
In a Facebook livestream on Sunday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he was in talks with NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet to bring the date forward for vaccinated people to travel internationally — which obvs is amazing news for those of us waiting to be reunited with loved ones across the border.
Previously, it seemed that states would reopen for international travel when they hit 80% fully vaccinated, which is probably going to happen around mid-November. But earlier today, Perrottet said he wanted to resume international travel ASAP, and that a home quarantine program might be ready by the end of October.
“We can’t live as a hermit kingdom on the other side of the world. If people are double vaccinated it makes complete sense for them to return to Australia in better settings than being cramped up in a hotel for two weeks,” he said, per The Guardian.
The seven-day home quarantine will only be an option for “Australian citizens and permanent residents fully vaccinated with a vaccine approved for use in Australia or recognised by the TGA”.
9 News has reported that NSW is set to remove international traveller caps by November 1, with News.com.au reporting similarly, though this is yet to be officially confirmed by the state government.
Even so, that date seems to be in line with NSW deputy Stuart Ayres‘ claims that international traveller caps would either end or be “substantially lifted” by then too.
“Sydney and NSW is a globally engaged city and a globally engaged state, lots of Australians still haven’t been able to come home,” Ayres said on Sunday, per The Guardian.
“We know hotel quarantine is fast becoming redundant, [it’s] not sustainable into the future. I want the police commissioner out of the tourism business [and] that means we’ve got to phase out of hotel quarantine.”
Well, either way, it looks like international travel is going to restart for vaccinated people pretty soon, so ring up your loved ones stuck outside of Australia and let them know!
