International Flights: This Country to Lift 18-Month Travel Ban From Next Month

 After a hiatus of 18 months, Australia has decided to reopen its international border and lift the travel ban from next month, i.e November. On March 20 last year, Australia had introduced some of the toughest travel restrictions of any democracy in the world on people entering and leaving the island nation.

Most Australians have had to argue for rare exemptions from the travel ban to leave the country. There are a few exceptions from the ban including government employees and essential workers. Tourism is never accepted as a reason to cross the border.

Hundreds of thousands have failed to reach relatives’ death beads, missed funerals or weddings and have yet to be introduced to grandchildren because of restrictions aimed at keeping COVID-19 out of Australia. 

When Can Indians Travel to Australia

Though no date has yet been set for welcoming international tourists back, Prime Minister Scott Morrison asserted that travel restrictions would be removed when 80% of the population aged 16 and older were fully vaccinated in the country.

“We’ve saved lives. We’ve saved livelihoods, but we must work together to ensure that Australians can reclaim the lives that they once had in this country,” Morrison said on Friday.

Meanwhile, Sydney-based Qantas Airways had announced international flights would resume from Nov. 14 to London and Los Angeles.

Covishield Approved by Australia For International Arrivals

Australia’s top medical regulator has approved the Covishield vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, Pune for incoming international travellers, a step that is expected to facilitate the return of thousands of Indian students to that country.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s office said the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has advised that Coronavac (Sinovac) and Covishield should be considered as “recognised vaccines” for the purpose of determining incoming international travellers as being appropriately vaccinated.