Is Australia about to drop pre-travel COVID-19 testing?
Quick summary
Australia could be about to drop pre-travel COVID-19 testing, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has teased.
Currently, visitors hoping to head Down Under must prove they've had a negative test in the three days before their flight.
However, as the country transitions toward living with COVID-19, the government wants to remove the requirement to entice more tourists to visit.
Speaking at an event in Queensland to promote the Great Barrier Reef and other holiday hot spots that have been hit by the country's border closures, Morrison said that the major rule change was "not far away."
"When it comes to international borders, they're open and there are no caps on flights for people to come," he shared.
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"In the very near future the health minister will be making some further announcements about things particularly involving pre-testing of flights for those getting on flights to come to Australia.
"That will be an important milestone that's not too far away from us now."
The prime minister also announced a $60 million tourism package to lure visitors back to Australia.
"As the world reopens, and travelers get out and see the world again, we want to ensure that at the top of every must-see list is Australia," he said.
Related: Canada dropping testing requirements for vaccinated travelers as of April 1
"I have been listening to tourism industry operators about what they will need to rebuild their international tourist businesses and this funding boost will deliver on these needs."
He said the funding package was designed to get international travelers on planes and in Australia.
"The return of our international tourism market will support hundreds of thousands of tourism jobs, strengthen our economy, and back our world-class tourism operators and the many regions reliant on international visitors, like tropical North Queensland."
Australia has been one of the world's most reclusive nations since the pandemic hit two years ago, with a border policy seemingly cast in solid rock.
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Since March 2020, the country had been all but closed off to foreign tourists, in one of the strictest and most sustained COVID-19 border policies the world has seen during the pandemic. At first, Australia would not even allow its own citizens to leave.
Then, on Feb. 21, 2022, the country finally ventured back out into the wild, throwing open its borders to vaccinated tourists -- so long as they didn't want to go to Western Australia.
Related: I could have entered Australia at any time during the pandemic – here's why I waited until now
A week later, Western Australia -- which had been shut off even to the rest of its own country -- let down its own drawbridge, allowing vaccinated tourists to enter, as well as Australians from other states.
What are the current restrictions to get into Australia?
All international travelers to Australia must show a negative COVID-19 test result before boarding their flight, whether it's a PCR or rapid antigen test. PCR tests must be taken within 72 hours before the flight's scheduled departure, while rapid antigen tests must be taken within 24 hours.
Eligible visitors are also required to complete a Digital Passenger Declaration at least 72 hours before departure, which includes a declaration regarding their vaccination status. They will also be asked to upload their vaccination certificate.
Unvaccinated travelers who qualify for a travel exemption application will be required to quarantine at a hotel.