Vaccinated visa holders to enter Australia after 2 years
Vaccinated travelers from Japan and South Korea will also be allowed to enter Australia as bubble arrangements is starting on Wednesday following a two-weeks delay.
Skilled workers, international students and other eligible visa holders are again allowed to enter Australia almost two years after the country's international border closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Vaccinated visa holders were initially supposed to be allowed to come to Australia without needing to apply for an exemption from Dec. 1.
However, the Canberra government postponed the reopening to Wednesday due to the emerging Omicron Coronavirus variant.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said eligible visa holders includes skilled workers, student cohorts, temporary working, holidaymakers and provisional family visa holders.
Vaccinated travelers from Japan and South Korea will also be allowed to enter Australia as bubble arrangements is starting on Wednesday following a two-weeks delay.
The reopening pause ended on schedule inspite spiking case numbers in some states.
Australia's Chief Medical Officer Prof. Paul Kelly said in a statement that the country is well placed to deal with COVID-19 and its emerging challenges like the Omicron variant.
"Our high COVID-19 vaccination rates and boosters have put us in a very good place, we are well prepared."
Australia's international borders have been closed to all but residents and citizens with a few exceptions since March 2020.