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- From November 1, all fully-vaccinated Australian citizens and permanent residents will be able to leave the country without a special exemption
- More than 18 months after Australia shut its borders to the world, residents will no longer have to apply for an exemption if they wish to leave the country
- While anyone will be able to leave from November 1, only citizens, permanent residents and their immediate families can return
- Prime Minister Scott Morrison said this couldn’t be possible without people getting vaccinated, with 74.1 per cent of people aged 16 and over double inoculated
- This news comes the same day major supermarkets across the country announced they will begin selling COVID-19 rapid antigen tests by early next month
From November 1, all fully vaccinated Australian citizens and permanent residents will be able to leave the country without a special exemption.
More than 18 months after Australia shut its borders to the world, Australians no longer have to apply for an exemption if they wish to leave the country.
While anyone will be able to leave Australia from November 1, only citizens, permanent residents and their immediate families can return.
Some states such as Sydney have scrapped quarantine for returning travellers, while states with lower vaccination rates still have mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison credited this milestone to Australia’s vaccination rate, with 74.1 per cent of people aged 16 and over double vaccinated.
“Today I can tell you that Australia’s first dose vaccination rate is now higher than the United Kingdom, so well done Australia,” Mr Morrison said.
“I can now announce today that last night the Health Minister signed off on the fact that from November 1, Australians who are double vaccinated will be able to travel overseas.”
Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said more travel restrictions for non-citizens will be eased as vaccination rates increase.
“Before the end of the year, we anticipate welcoming fully vaccinated skilled workers and international students,” Ms Andrews said.
One location travellers can visit is Singapore, which announced yesterday that from November 8, fully vaccinated Australians will be able to enter the country without quarantining.
This news comes the same day major supermarkets across the country announced they will begin selling COVID-19 rapid antigen tests by early next month.
