For the majority of 2020, Australians have been encouraged to travel inside our country’s borders for the sake of our health. But things may be changing in the near future, according to Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Speaking to reporters on November 10, Morrison hinted at the future of international travel, suggesting that our borders may open up for less-restricted travel to certain countries in the coming months.
Unsurprisingly, New Zealand is first up due to its stellar track record with the COVID-19 pandemic, along with a handful of countries in Asia that’ve handled the pandemic relatively well compared to the rest of the world.
“We continue to hold these discussions with countries like Japan, we have had them before with Korea, specific nations of course, New Zealand has already been opened for travel into Australia without quarantine arrangements,” Morrison revealed.
“I think we proceed cautiously. There are countries that are doing far better than what we are seeing in Europe and the United States.”
As predicted, there’s no point getting our hopes up for a getaway to Europe or the U.S. any time soon, seeing as they’re still trying to lower their increasingly high number cases.
“The situation in Europe and the United States is awful… and obviously that presents great risks for people coming in from those parts of the world to Australia,” he stated.
“But out of many parts of Asia, particularly in North Asia, places like Taiwan and I would also say provinces of China, Singapore, we, you know, are looking at what alternative arrangements could be hard to channel visitors through appropriate quarantine arrangements for low risk countries.”
To sum it all up—and for you to make sure your travel visas are in check—it’s looking like Australia might open its borders to parts of China, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan first.
Following New Zealand, Morrison’s discussions with Japan and South Korea look to be headed in the right direction.
A handful of other islands in the Pacific have also handled the pandemic impressively, with some avoiding it all together. Which may mean that they’ll be added to our travel list once we’re given permission to dust off our passports and head to the airport.
Since it’s currently unknown when this will become a reality, international travel is set to be discussed at the upcoming National Cabinet meeting on November 13.
