Key points:

• After a false start, the Wellcamp facility will receive its first guests tomorrow
• Up to 10 unvaccinated travellers will be taken there from Brisbane Airport
• About 500 beds are ready now with another 500 expected to be ready by April

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Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce says Western Australia's strict border rules are "starting to look like North Korea".

WA Premier Mark McGowan scrapped a plan to reopen WA's borders from tomorrow, citing concerns over the Omicron variant.
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Key points:

• The national security committee will meet on Monday to discuss the issue
• Preliminary advice says some international arrival restrictions are no longer necessary
• Ms Andrews says international tourists that do not meet the COVID safety precautions could be deported

International tourists could return to Australia in the coming weeks, with Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews describing the decision as imminent, pending final health advice.

It has been almost two years since the nation's international border was closed and the tourism sector has been hit hard by both the drop in revenue from overseas visitors and domestic border closures. Federal Government's national security committee will meet on Monday to discuss the issue and the latest information from health experts. "That is a priority for us," Ms Andrews told Insiders."We don't have all of the information that we need to be able to take the decision to open, but we are very close."
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Ms Andrews said international tourists who do not meet the COVID-19 safety precautions could be deported, drawing comparisons to tennis star Novak Djokovic's case. "To be able to enter Australia, if you are a non-Australian, you need to have a valid visa and you need to demonstrate that you are fully vaccinated or that you have medical evidence to say that you cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons," Ms Andrews said.
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Scott Morrison and the minister responsible for Australia’s borders have dropped two clues on international travel

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has dropped a big hint that Australia would soon open its international borders, saying it was not “far away”. Mr Morrison said Australia was preparing to open back up to the world, having in recent months lifted restrictions on skilled migrants, backpackers and students. “As many of our states are now moving through and past their peaks, the key issue that we have been examining - and I’ve asked for advice from our health officials - is how that decision could impact on our hospitals, which has been our primary consideration,” Mr Morrison said in Sydney on Sunday. “The previous opening up of the borders has gone very well. “And we are looking forward to be able to make that decision to open up our borders and welcome visitors back to Australia again, as soon as we safely and possibly can.He suggested that the easing of travel restrictions might not be far off, noting: “I really do not believe that is far away.”

It came as Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews on Sunday said that the opening of international borders was “close”.
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By Katina Curtis

Mr Morrison has announced Australia’s international border will reopen to all visa holders who have received two doses of the coronavirus vaccine on February 21.

The borders have progressively been opening since mid-December, with international students and family members of citizens and permanent residents the first allowed to return.

The announcement will be welcome news for the tourism sector, which has gone almost two years without any international arrivals.

“Over the next two weeks they’ll get the opportunity both for visitors to be coming and for them to be gearing up to welcome international visitors back to Australia,” Mr Morrison said.

All foreign visitors to Australia will have to provide proof they are double-vaccinated.

State government caps in quarantine for unvaccinated travellers will continue to apply.

Australia has announced the reopening of its borders to vaccinated tourists and other visa holders for the first time in almost two years.

"If you're double vaccinated, we look forward to welcoming you back," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

Australia will reopen to all fully vaccinated visa holders, welcoming the return of tourists, business travellers, and other visitors from 21 February. These changes will ensure we protect the health of Australians, while we continue to secure our economic recovery. Australia’s health system has demonstrated its resilience throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, including though the recent Omicron wave. With improving health conditions, including a recent 23 per cent decline in hospitalisations due to COVID, the National Security Committee of Cabinet today agreed Australia is ready to further progress the staged reopening of our international border.

Visa holders who are not fully vaccinated will still require a valid travel exemption to enter Australia, and will be subject to state and territory quarantine requirements. Today’s announcement will give certainty to our vital tourism industry, and allow them to start planning, hiring and preparing for our reopening. In 2018-19, tourism generated more than $60 billion for the Australian economy, with more than 660,000 jobs dependent on the industry.

Since the Morrison Government commenced Australia’s staged international border reopening on 1 November 2021 we have seen almost 580,000 arrivals come to Australia including to reunite with loved ones, work or study. The Commonwealth continues to work with States and Territories on the safe resumption of the cruise industry and looks forward to further announcements on this in due course.

Key points:

• People need to have had two doses of a COVID vaccine to be allowed in
• Any unvaccinated travellers will have to apply for an exemption before they travel to Australia
• The government shut the international border in March 2020

Almost two years after the government closed Australia to the world, the international border is set to reopen to those who are fully vaccinated.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said after new medical advice, the new border rules would come into place on February 21. "The condition is you must be double vaccinated to come to Australia," he said. "That's the rule. Everyone is expected to abide by it." The news will be welcomed by tourism bodies, which have been crying out for movement on the border closure that has hampered some businesses.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said unvaccinated travellers would still need to apply for a travel exemption to come to Australia and have to undergo hotel quarantine if they were granted permission to enter the country. Mr Morrison said the government's definition was that people need to have a full course of a vaccine, which in most cases is two doses but for some international vaccines is only one, to be considered vaccinated.
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COVID restrictions have impacted travel to Australia since early 2020 but later this month, the country's borders will finally open to all international visitors again.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the national cabinet has decided "Australia will reopen our borders to all remaining visa holders on February 21 of this year."

There's still a vaccination requirement
"The condition is you must be double vaccinated to come to Australia. That's the rule. Everyone is expected to abide by it," Mr Morrison said. "You will need to provide that proof of vaccination. Your visa is one thing but your entry into Australia requires you also to be double vaccinated." Currently, only Australian citizens, permanent residents, their family members and some vaccinated visa holders can travel to Australia.Visitors from New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and Japan have been exempt from the restrictions for several months already.

What about unvaccinated travellers?
Proof of medical exemption is required if you're unvaccinated, Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said. "To be clear, we are absolutely welcoming back fully vaccinated visa holders. For those who are not vaccinated, they will have to provide proof that there is a medical reason that they cannot be vaccinated," she said. Unvaccinated travellers will have to undergo hotel quarantine if they are granted permission to enter the country.

What about arrival caps in each state?
The Home Affairs Minister said international travellers would "be subject on their arrival here to the relevant state and territory quarantine requirements".

As for arrival caps, Mr Morrison said: "The state-based cap arrangements on arrivals and the state-based quarantine arrangements will continue and it will be up to state governments to alter those, as they see fit, which has always been the case." "They'll continue to put in place the caps they have at their airports. "Some have none at all, like in New South Wales. Others do. "They'll do that based on where their capacity is at this given point in time. "As we know COVID-19 has not been experienced similarly in all parts of the country. "Western Australia is very different to New South Wales. And as a result, the arrangements are different between those two parts of the country."
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Proof of vaccination
You will need to prove your vaccination status when you check-in for your flight.

Australia Travel Declaration
Complete an Australia Travel Declaration (ATD) at least 72 hours before departure. The ATD requests details that are considered to be critical health information. You must be able to show evidence that the critical information was completed before boarding the aircraft.

This is an enforceable requirement. A person who fails to comply with the requirement may be liable to a civil penalty (fine) of 30 penalty units (currently $6,660 AUD). This is set out in section 46 of the Biosecurity Act 2015. Travellers who do not make the declaration before they board their flight will be delayed when arriving in Australia.

When filling out the ATD you will need to:

• provide your contact details, including a contact phone number in Australia
• make a declaration in relation to your vaccination status
• make a declaration regarding your last 14 days travel history
• make a declaration that you are aware of the quarantine and testing requirements that apply in the state or territory you are landing, and the penalties for non-compliance
• acknowledge that when you check-in for your flight, you must present evidence of:
  • a negative COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) or NAAT test taken within 3 days of your flight’s scheduled departure to Australia or
  • a medical certificate as evidence of a negative Rapid Antigen Test taken under medical supervision within 24 hours before your flight’s scheduled departure.

You can find more information about pre-departure testing at the Department of Health. You can also find information about exemptions from pre-departure testing.

Penalties will apply for giving false and misleading information, including potential criminal prosecution for providing false or misleading information. This is set out in section 137.1 of the Criminal Code Act 1995. Travellers may also have to undergo hotel quarantine at their own expense.

There are some caveats, however. All arrivals will be required to have a negative COVID test prior to touching down in Australia and tourists may not be able to freely enter all Australian states and territories without quarantining.