Australia may not fully open its borders to international travelers until the vaccine has been widely rolled out. Health Minister Greg Hunt says the goal is to have community vaccination in Australia by October 2021, and the first rounds of vaccinations have already been underway.
Department of Health Secretary Dr. Brendan Murphy states that Australia’s borders might be closed to most international destinations for most of 2021, depending on the status of Australia’s nationwide vaccination program.
Dr. Murphy told ABC, “I think that we’ll go most of this year with still substantial border restrictions… Even if we have a lot of the population vaccinated, we don’t know whether that will prevent transmission of the virus.”
Australian passport holders, residents and immediate family members are allowed fly back to Australia. However, it’s better to check with the local authorities and the airlines first. If you are based in New Zealand, you will be allowed into Australia as part of the Safe Travel Zone.
