Australia is expected to reach vaccination coverage on Tuesday, which will allow the country to begin reopening – 80% of the population at least 16 years old will have received a second dose of Covid-19 vaccine, Morrison said.
Last week, the Prime Minister outlined a plan to allow vaccinated citizens and residents to fly abroad from November. This will be the first time since Australia imposed a particularly strict travel ban in March last year.
Morrison said on Tuesday that the next priority group after Australians will be skilled migrant workers and students who will be allowed to arrive in Australia earlier than tourists.
Due to the constraints of the Covid-19 pandemic, immigration to Australia has been at its lowest level since World War II. The pandemic has also had a catastrophic impact on Australian universities, which are heavily dependent on tuition fees for international students. The education industry is worried that international students will enter universities in other countries if the Australian border is not opened to them soon.
The Australian Tourism Export Council, whose pre-pandemic industry earned A $ 45 billion a year from international tourists, wants international tourists to return to Australia by March next year.
