Covid-19: Australia announces the imminent reopening of its borders
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrisson on November 22, 2021 in Canberra.
© Lukas Coch / AAP Image via AP
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
With more than 85% of Australia's population over the age of 16 now being vaccinated, Canberra has decided to reopen the country's borders.
The Prime Minister has just announced that almost everyone, provided they are vaccinated, could go to Australia from next month.
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Throughout this pandemic, Australia has distinguished itself by choosing to fold in on itself and close its borders for more than a year and a half.
After allowing at the
beginning of the month, the return, without quarantine
, of Australians and vaccinated permanent residents, Scott Morrison has just announced the opening, in full, of the doors of his country to foreigners, during a press conference in Canberra.
“
From December 1, 2021, eligible visa holders who are doubly vaccinated will be able to come to Australia,
” he said.
The eligible visa categories include cohorts of skilled workers and students, but also holders of a humanitarian visa, a working holiday visa
Economic motivations
The objective is also to support the recovery of the economy, reports
our correspondent in Sydney
,
Grégory Plesse
.
Foreign students, for example, normally contribute 25 billion euros per year.
But also to absorb as quickly as possible the shortage of manpower, which the Australian economy is facing.
That is why Karen Andrews, the Minister of Home Affairs, wants to see several hundred thousand immigrants arrive in the coming months.
“
Our estimate is that 200,000 people will come in the next few months.
This figure could be exceeded.
What is certain is that we will work very actively so that as many people as possible arrive in Australia as quickly as possible,
”she explained.
It must be said that this labor shortage affects all sectors of the economy.
According to the most recent figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, positions remain vacant in 20% of companies in all sectors.
New Zealand Ends Zero-Covid Policy
In New Zealand announced the end of lockdowns and the abandonment of its "zero-Covid" policy.
Australia's closest neighbor will end the three-and-a-half-month lockdown in the country's largest city, Auckland in early December by adopting a new strategy to fight the coronavirus, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Monday who added that New Zealand's policy now would be to contain the Delta variant rather than attempting to eliminate it altogether.
Until now, his government has aimed for a complete elimination of the virus, a so-called "zero-Covid" policy, with strict containment measures, rigorous traceability of contacts and strict border controls.
The disease has killed only 40 people in a population of five million but pressure has increased to
end the lockdown imposed on Auckland
since the Delta variant was detected there in August.
Jacinda Ardern had initially planned to change policy once the country's 90% vaccination rate was reached, but eventually brought forward the reopening when the vaccination level is currently around 83%.
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