Covid-19: Australia to open to Singaporeans from November 21

Vaccinated Singaporeans will be allowed into Australia from November 21 after Scott Morrison approved the next steps in reopening the nation’s international borders.

Scott Morrison and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Picture: Adam Taylor

Vaccinated Singaporeans will be allowed into Australia from November 21 after Scott Morrison approved the next steps in reopening the nation’s international borders and moved to fast-track two-way travel with Indonesia.

After almost one year of planning between Australian and Singaporean authorities, the Prime Minister on Sunday said welcoming back tourists, students and business travellers would unlock billions of dollars for the nation’s struggling tourism industry.

The travel arrangement with Singapore, which follows an announcement that fully vaccinated New Zealanders will be allowed into Australia on October 31, allows for no quarantine requirements upon arrival into the country.

Mr Morrison – who met with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Rome on Sunday – said “Australia is slinging its doors open to fully vaccinated Singaporean travellers” and described it as another significant milestone in resuming international flights under the national reopening plan.

“It follows the announcement this week that fully vaccinated travellers from New Zealand will be welcomed back in October. This means within weeks Australia will be welcoming tourists from two of our top 10 travel destinations,” Mr Morrison said.

“This is the billion dollar boost that Australia’s tourism industry has been waiting for. Step by step, everything that we know and love about Australia is inching back to normal.”

Mr Morrison met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Rome on Saturday to discuss pathways for resuming travel to Bali, with talks centred on removing quarantine barriers.

A readout released by Mr Morrison’s office following the bilateral meeting said the leaders “discussed the particular benefit of having students return to travel, as well as skilled workers through the Ag Visa program”.

Under the Singapore arrangement, states who have indicated they are prepared to accept overseas arrivals, including NSW and Victoria, will benefit from the loosening of travel restrictions.

Mr Morrison’s announcement, which will prioritise the return of international students, comes after Singapore last week included Australia in its Vaccinated Travel Lanes arrangements.

Before the pandemic struck, Singapore was Australia’s sixth largest international tourism market with more than 417,000 visitors travelling to the country in 2019, pumping $1.1bn into the economy. Of those travellers, 235,000 were tourists, with one in four Singaporeans visiting regional Australia.

Singapore is Australia’s largest trade and investment partner in the ASEAN bloc of countries, contributing $27bn in two-way trade in 2020. More than 72,000 Singaporeans live in Australia, with around 25,000 Australians estimated to be residing on the island nation state before the pandemic.

Following a June meeting between Mr Morrison and Mr Lee at The Istana in Singapore, the pair said allowing students to travel between the countries was a priority.

Qantas resumed some international flights from Monday.