Covid-19 Australia: PM Scott Morrison announces international border opens February 21
Qantas boss Alan Joyce has reacted to Scott Morrison’s massive changes to Australia’s international border. These are the new rules.
National
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Australia will reopen its international borders to all visitors who are fully vaccinated from February 21.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the borders would open after almost two years based on health advice presented to a National Security Committee meeting on Monday.
“The condition is you must be double vaccinated to come to Australia;” he said.
“That’s the rule. Everyone’s expected to abide by it.”
Mr Morrison said it was important people understood the double vaccinated condition for entry to Australia.
“But if you’re double vaccinated, we look forward to welcoming you back to Australia and I know the tourism industry will be looking forward to that and over the next two weeks they’ll get the opportunity both for visitors to be coming and for them to be gearing up to welcome international visitors back to Australia,” he said.
A visa was not enough to ensure entry to the country.
“And I think events earlier in the year should have sent a very clear message to everyone around the world that is the requirement to enter into Australia.”
Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said the tourism industry now had two weeks to prepare for the return of tourists.
“Our tourist providers have had to rely on domestic travellers. Now Australians have certainly stepped up and travelled when they can but as of February 21, we will be welcoming back to Australia international tourists and that is going to be a such a welcome relief for our many tourist providers all around Australia,” she said.
Incoming tourists will not be required to have received a third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, even if the nation’s expert immunisation panel expands the definition to include the booster dose.
Mr Morrison said chief medical officer Paul Kelly signed off on the double dose arrangement, given the “various arrangement” of third doses across the different countries.
The announcement will come as welcome news for the tourism sector smashed by the pandemic.
Asked if he could assure the sector he would not pull the rug from under them prior to the reopening, Mr Morrison indicated it was unlikely.
“The fact is here in Australia, the variant is here in Australia. And for those who are coming in who are double vaccinated, they don’t present any greater risk than those who are already here in Australia,” he said.
“It's a sensible and I think very important move for us to make as we sort of, as best as we possibly can this year drive Australia back to a position of as much normality as we can achieve.”
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has said confirmation of the date now means “Australia is finally back open for business”.
“It’s a great recognition of the success of the vaccine rollout. We can’t wait to welcome international tourists back on board and fly them to Australia once again,” he said.
“This is fantastic news for our people and our customers. There are a lot tourism operators in city centres and the regions that have been doing it really tough over the past couple of years and this will see more tourists come to their town, spend money and get local economies going again.
“We know there are lots of international tourists who want to come to Australia. There are also a lot of business travellers who will finally be able to be in the same room as their customers or local teams after almost two years apart. This means they can now book to come here with confidence.
“We will be looking at our schedules to see if we can restart flights from more international destinations sooner or add capacity to those routes we are already flying. We have the flexibility to ramp up flights in response to demand.”
Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief executive Daniel Gschwind said it was the news tourism operators had been “desperately waiting for”.
“We have been desperately waiting for this announcement and for the day when international borders will reopen to tourists,” Mr Gscwind said.
“It’s not nearly two years since we decided to kick them out and of course...that was a devastating blow.”
Mr Gscwind said the absence of international travellers had cost Queensland approximately $12 billion in accumulated losses.
“That is not just from abstract figures, that is revenue lost to thousands of businesses in our communities across the state and for many it has been extremely difficult to survive without that revenue,” he said.
Mr Gscwind forecasted there would be a “strong flow rather than a flood” of international visitors to the Sunshine State in two weeks.
“It will take a bit of time, it’s a big machine that needs to crank up again,” he said.
“It’s not that far away...most tourists at least would make plans a bit further out than that.
“It will take a bit of time to get tourists back and we have to allow consumers time to have confidence to get on planes, travel through transit airports and all of that has to be rebuilt.
“There is a big job ahead but certainly a welcome opportunity for our industry.”
Mr Gscwind said it was important that the State Government was “on the front foot” and ready to engage with stakeholders to put Queensland in a strong position to attract international flights.
Flight Centre CEO Graham ‘Skroo’ Turner said the Federal Government’s announcement on Monday was “better late than never”.
“It’s a bit hard to fathom why we haven’t allowed international tourists in until now,” Mr Turner said.
“It’s a bit strange as to why it was delayed for so long...but it’s good news that it is now open.”
Mr Turner predicted the first to snap up airfares to Australia would be a flurry of friends and family, followed by tourists coming from the UK, USA, Europe and Canada in “three to four weeks”.
In more good news for travellers, Mr Turner said he anticipated the cost of airfares would drop as the world opens up.
“I think airfares will become more and more competitive as airlines put that capacity on,” he said.
“They have been relatively expensive from some destinations mainly because of the caps of people allowed into Australia, they couldn’t fly full aircrafts for some time.
“But I think you’ll see as the capacity comes back the airfares will get cheaper.”
Mr Turner said it felt like Australia was starting to see the “beginning of the end of the pandemic”, but it could take another year for leisure travel to return to normal.
“It will take some time,” he said.
“We believe it will take, for leisure to get back to pre-covid levels, it could take 12 months and business a couple of years.”
NSW COVID CASES DECLINE
Daily coronavirus infections in NSW are at their lowest since Christmas with the state recording 7437 new infections on Monday.
Hospitalisations and ICU admissions are also easing since the staggering Omicron peak in mid January.
Another 14 people have died with Covid-19, while 2099 patients were in hospital with the virus and 137 in ICU, down from 2321 and 147 respectively on Sunday.
Monday’s update from NSW Health is another drop from Sunday’s 7893 new infections, the lowest daily total since December 28.
The state recorded 8389 infections on Saturday and 10,698 new cases on Friday.
Monday’s numbers included 3917 positive results from rapid antigen tests and 3520 from PCR tests.
Each household with a child enrolled in school in 2021 are now eligible to apply for the five $50 vouchers through the Service NSW app as a “thank you” for their efforts in homeschooling during the Covid-19 lockdown.
The vouchers have been brought forward a month and can be spent on accommodation, entertainment and recreational activities, such as the cinema or zoo, until October.
Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello is encouraging parents to make the most of the vouchers.
“We’re encouraging parents and all adults in NSW to take advantage of these various vouchers because they are so good in helping to stimulate the economy,” he said.
“And ultimately helping in particular small businesses that have done it so really hard over the last few years.”
Up to one million families will benefit from the vouchers and can be used seven days a week, including public holidays.
In addition, travel vouchers in the Stay NSW scheme will be available from February 21 allowing all residents over 18 to apply for one $50 voucher to use at registered accommodation across the state.
VIC: 8275 CASES, SEVEN DEATHS
Victoria has recorded 8275 new cases and seven Covid deaths in the past 24 hours.
There are now 638 infected people in Victorian hospitals, with 72 in intensive care and 26 on ventilators.
Victoria’s pre-Omicron peak for Covid hospitalisations was 851 in October when the state was battling a surge in Delta infections.
However, the figure is dwarfed by the 2099 people in NSW who are in hospital with Covid.
More than 93 per cent of eligible Victorians are fully vaccinated and the state has 59,801 active cases.
A total of 16,338 PCR tests were taken on Wednesday and 13,486 vaccines were administered at state hubs.
It comes after the state government revealed it will spend $1.4 billion on more ambulance officers, respiratory clinics and personal protective equipment.
It will also extend the “surge allowance” paid to frontline doctors, nurses and paramedics.
“They care for us – and we’ll back them 100 per cent,” Mr Andrews said on Sunday.
The state has seen a steady decline in Covid infections in recent weeks, with authorities now believing the state has passed its Omicron peak.
Health Minister Martin Foley said there was no doubt Omicron had put extra pressure on health and ambulance services.
“Our doctors, nurses and paramedics have done a magnificent job as our front line of defence against the pandemic and we’re backing them by providing the support they deserve,” he said.
QLD: 4701 CASES, 19 DEATHS
More than 350,000 students returning to Queensland classrooms today will be unvaccinated, as the state records 4701 new infections and 19 deaths.
The state’s daily infections have plummeted to their lowest since early January, while hospitalisations and ICU admissions also continue to ease.
There are 663 people with the virus being treated in hospital and 43 in intensive care.
Chief health officer Dr John Gerrard said of 19 of the deaths announced on Monday, one person had received a booster vaccine, and 10 were in aged care.
Queensland is behind other states in vaccinating children between the ages of 12 and 15
and lags behind in five to 11-year-olds.
One in four children aged 12 to 15 are unvaccinated, while just 39 per cent of kids in the younger cohort have had their jab.
Children on Monday returned to in-person teaching following a two-week delay in reopening schools in Queensland.
Dr Gerrard said outbreaks in classrooms was inevitable but assured parents shutdowns would only be an option if the situation became dire.
“This is not 2021 … there are no major plans to shut down schools, we want to be able to control this virus as a classroom level,” Dr Gerrard said.
“The greatest risk would be for children to spread it to their unvaccinated or unboosted grandparents”.
There are 200 Queensland aged care facilities grappling with active Covid outbreaks.
Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles said evacuating nursing homes would be a last resort.
“If you think about moving people who have mobility issues, many of whom have dementia and other issues, moving them from their home can be very dangerous for them.” he said.
“Of course, in an emergency situation, the state and our ambos and our health services know what to do and can do it, but it should not come to that,”
FOURTH BOOSTER SHOT NECESSARY, SAY EXPERTS
A leading vaccinologist says a fourth dose will likely be necessary to protect against Covid-19 after six months.
However, health experts are divided on how long protection from one booster dose will last.
Medical experts told The Australian that a third booster shot offers proven “returns” when it comes to immunity although evidence on the benefits of a fourth dose – as rolled out in Israel – is still emerging.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation is currently weighing whether to recommend a second booster shot, but some experts have warned against rushing into a fourth dose.
Infectious disease expert Paul Griffin said while a three-dose course of vaccinations, combined with the high infection rate in the community, would provide adequate protection for at least six months, it depended entirely on what new variants emerged next.
“I really think we wouldn’t consider doing it any shorter than six months,” he told The Australian.
“But it depends on the situation; I think protection will last long enough, well beyond six months, provided we don’t see a new variant that does change that situation.”
Dr Griffin said the Covid-19 booster shots would likely end up being a yearly ritual, and could even be combined with a flu jab in the future.
“We’ll need additional doses, probably not stopping at four,” he said. “It’s too early to know what it will look like. There is obviously a lot of activity in terms of making variant-specific boosters, such as an Omicron-specific booster.
“We see that protection jumps up with that third dose but we may have to use another booster in the future against a new variant. “In terms of the logistics of protection, bringing forward the boosters comes at a slight cost of the longevity of protection – it was right to get people protected against Omicron but how long that protection lasts is slightly reduced.”
National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance director Kristine Macartney agreed and said with immunity from a third shot likely to last three or four months, it was likely more booster doses would be necessary.
She said the winter months may also increase the need for certain people to receive a fourth shot.
“We are going to need additional boosters over time, but it’s going to depend on the Australian context … every country looks at their own epidemiology, their own population immunity and vaccine uptake and factors like if new variants have emerged,” she said.
“Having an extra vaccine dose will be suitable for certain members of the population before winter but it is not a decision to be made now but closer to the time.”
The Doherty Institute’s Terry Nolan said Australians urgently needed to present for their third booster shot at much higher rates – with just 43.5 per cent of NSW’s eligible population and 43 per cent of Victoria’s having received their third shot – before the question of a fourth was considered.
Originally published as Covid-19 Australia: PM Scott Morrison announces international border opens February 21
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