Travellers from Australia will be allowed to enter the European Union (EU) once more, as the region balances its economic recovery with the looming threat of coronavirus.
The Guardian reports the EU’s 27 member states have agreed to welcome punters from 14 nations, owing to each country’s relatively low COVID-19 infection rates.
Australia joins trans-Tasman neighbours New Zealand on the exclusive list, along with nations like Canada, Japan, South Korea, and Serbia.
The move is expected to kick in tomorrow, three months after the EU first closed its borders to non-essential travel.
Travellers coming from China will join that number if China welcomes EU travellers in return.
Notable exceptions from the list include the US, which has the most recorded COVID-19 cases of any nation. Brazil and India remain off the list, too.
Travel between the UK and the EU is still on, by the way. Despite the whole Brexit thing, the UK is still being treated as a member of the EU’s single market.
While you might be thinking it’s a ripper time to head halfway across the world, you may still have some difficulties getting there.
First up, the Federal Government’s international travel ban remains in place, with all travellers hoping to leave Australia requiring an exception from the Department of Home Affairs.
Qantas has announced its international flights aren’t expected to return until July 2021, and other carriers have cut their services to and from Australia.
The easing of border restrictions could be reversed based on case numbers and a whole host of other metrics, too.
Just because it’s now a smidge easier to roam around Bavaria, it doesn’t mean you can flaunt social distancing guidelines down here in the meantime.
