Covid Australia: Border ban lifted to foreign tourists within weeks

International tourists will arrive in Australia before the end of the month with the government set to announce the borders reopening — with sources saying current health advice made this likely within two or three weeks.

International tourists will be back in Australia before the end of the month with the federal government set to announce a return date as early as Monday.

Cabinet’s National Security Committee will meet on Monday to decide when tourists and general business visitors will be allowed to return, with a senior government source saying they expect it to be within “two or three weeks”.

It will be a lifeline to a struggling tourism sector which is enduring its second summer closed to international visitors on top of the Omicron outbreak that has kept some domestic travellers at home.

Government sources said the committee would act on the advice of the Chief Medical Officer and Australian Health Protection Principal Committee.

The first tourists allowed back into Australia since March 2020 are expected to arrive by air rather on ships.

International tourists are expected to be allowed back in Australia within weeks. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gaye Gerard

The opening of Australia to cruise ships will require the agreement of the states which control ports and, despite ongoing discussions between state and federal authorities, none of them have indicated they are prepared to do so.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said last month that he hoped Australia’s borders would re-open to tourists, “well before Easter” which this year falls on April, 17.

But Government sources said the preliminary health advice was that with 93.65 per cent of the population over the age of 16 double dosed some current international arrival restrictions may already no longer be proportionate or necessary.

Health authorities are also happy with the high take up of booster shots – more than 8.8 million of which have been given – along with the improvements in treatments. of high quality clinical care including a wider range of COVID-19 treatments being approved for use by the TGA, and ongoing use of proportionate public health and social measures in the community.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said they have been following health advice. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Andrew Henshaw

The move to reopen Australia’s borders to tourism comes as figures show Omicron numbers are falling across all states and territories except Western Australia.

Similarly while between 70 and 100 people are still dying every day, hospitalisations and ICU admissions are believed to have peaked.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said Australia’s staged reopening plan was based on health advice to keep the community safe.

“It’s encouraging to see how our health system is responding to Omicron,” she said.

“We know parts of our economy continue to be under pressure, including our important tourism sector. Like tourism operators across the country, we want to see visitors return as soon as it’s safe to do so.”

She said the government would “continue to work in partnership with the states and territories as we safely reopen, and look forward to reopening our international border further when the health advice supports it”.

As part of a push to make international travel easier and reduce pressure on testing capacity in other countries, Health Minister Greg Hunt recently increased the number of test types accepted for pre-departure testing to include PCR tests administered within the previous three days, or a RAT test within 24 hours of travel.