Highlights
- Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews is confident Australia will be able to keep its international border open because of high COVID-19 vaccination rates
- Slightly more than 77 per cent of Australians aged 16 and older are double- dosed, while about 88 per cent have had one dose
- Sydney has reopened Australia to the world, and Sydney has reopened the country to each other. We are also allowing people to move freely around regional NSW if they are fully vaccinated
Fully vaccinated Australians are for the first time returning home without having to quarantine as travel restrictions lift for parts of the country.
Victoria and New South Wales are welcoming their first quarantine-free international arrivals since Australia's border snapped shut last year with emotional reunions taking place at several major airports.
"In the main our vaccination rates are incredibly high. I remember a few months ago, or six months ago or so we're discussing vaccination rates now in our cabinet meetings, we never believed we'd get to the position we're in. That's been a great thing from and a great effort from everyone across our state. So we are confident, that doesn't mean there aren't going to be challenges. But the best thing that communities can do, and the best thing everyone can do is to is to is to get vaccinated, that's going to keep you safe, your family and your friends safe. And I'm very confident we've done this in a very measured way. That means we can open up quickly, not go backwards, but open up safely and that's what this is all about," said NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet.
