Main image via Anadolu Agency + Quartz
As lockdown measures are slowly eased around the world, many are already thinking of and planning their next overseas trip.
Before you start planning, you may want to take off Australia from your travel list as the country will most likely be keeping their borders closed until 2021.
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With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Australia closed its border both to locals and tourists alike in an effort to curb the spread of the virus.
Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham has advised Australians to consider a holiday at home and travellers to not get their hopes up anytime soon.
Speaking to the National Press Club, he said that it is “most likely” that the border will remain closed until next year, unless under special exemptions for limited business travel and on compassionate grounds.
“But I do, sadly, think that in terms of open tourist-related travel in or out of Australia, that remains quite some distance off, just because of the practicalities of the volumes that are involved and the need for us to first and foremost keep putting health first,” he noted.
When asked if the travel ban would extend until 2021, Senator Birmingham replied: “Honestly, I think that is more likely the case.”
Image via Quartz
However, there may be certain exemptions to this ruling. Australia could allow international students back into the country sooner, as long as they are prepared to serve out a two-week quarantine period.
“There is a certain logic that extends to say that international students and other categories of visitors to Australia who stay here for a longer period of time can more easily be accommodated because we can simply work through the 14-day quarantine periods that have worked so well in terms of returning Australians to this country safely to date,’’ Senator Birmingham said.
"I think those who might not only be international students, but be here for longer-term work purposes or longer-term business and investment purposes, logically you can extend those sort of same safeguards to them and their state," he said.
“I hope that we can look eventually at some of those countries who have similar successes in suppressing the spread of COVID to Australia and New Zealand, and in working through that with those countries, find safe pathways to deal with essential business travel that helps to contribute to jobs across our economies,’’ Senator Birmingham added.
Image via Anadolu Agency
So if you’re thinking of Australia as your next travel destination, you may want to only plan for that travelling to happen in 2021.
Where’s the first place you would travel to if you could? Let us know!
In the meantime, stay safe and stay updated with the latest COVID-19 news here: https://en.syok.my/covid-19
Info via ABC + news.com.au