NITN | @notintownlive | 05 Oct 2021, 07:43 am
Australia | Covid-19
Image: Wikimedia Creative Commons
Canberra/NITN: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said the country will not welcome international tourists until next year, while the returns of skilled migrants and overseas students will be given higher priority.
During an interview to Australia-based Seven Network television on Tuesday, Prime Minister Morisson said that Australian citizens and residents, who are vaccinated, will be able to travel overseas and return.
"The first priority is Australians, and the next priorities are skilled migrants that are very important for the country and who are double vaccinated, as well as students who are coming and returning to Australia for their studies," Scott Morrison told Seven Network.
"We will get to international visitors as well, I believe next year," Morrison added.

Talking about the vaccination roll out in the Oceanian country, Scott Morrison said, "Australia's vaccination programme is running very strongly, and today we have reached the 'milestone' of 80 percent of the eligible population— aged 16 and older— having received first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine."
"When we get to 70 and 80 percent vaccination (double doses), then we will also have treatments in place into the future so we can ensure the pressure comes off the hospitals, we can live with the virus," the Prime Minister said in the interview.
"We can ensure Australians can take their lives back. We've saved lives, saved livelihoods, and I want to see Australians now take their lives back," Morrison added.
Last week, PM Morrison outlined plans to allow vaccinated Australian citizens and permanent residents to fly overseas and to ease border restrictions from November, as the country is all set to move from a strict zero-Covid strategy to a model of living with the virus.
Related article: Australia reveals plan to resume international travel, ease border restrictions
The move comes more than 18 months after Australia closed its borders to the world to contain the spread of Covid-19, imposing quotas on arrivals.
Due to the Australian government's decision, thousands of citizens had been stranded overseas and those able to make the journey had to undergo a mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine.
- Living in Dubai? Invite Your Loved Ones and Enjoy Benefits Worth Over AED 3,000
- For the first time, South City Mall steps from spectator to participant in Kolkata's Durga Puja tradition
- Tatkal Ticket Booking Gets an Upgrade with IRCTC's New Website: What Indian Travellers Need to Know
- 30 Days, No Visa: Thailand Continues Visa-Free Entry for Indians With New Limit
- Jordan Keeps Airspace Open Amid Regional Tensions, Budget Airlines to Resume Flights in October
- Travel Smarter: The CityPASS Hack That Saves Money and Time Across the US and Toronto
- Indian traveller visits Sri Lanka for 7 days—What she discovered surprised her
- You Don't Need Internet Abroad to Use Google Maps. Here's How
- Abu Dhabi to Fujairah in Less Time as UAE Rolls Out First Passenger Train
- Going to Greece Soon? Don't Miss This Big Payment Update
Tata-owned Air India, India’s leading global airline, and Saudia, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand strategic cooperation between the two airlines.
JFK Millennium Partners (JMP), the company selected by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey to build and operate John F. Kennedy International Airport’s new world-class Terminal 6 (JFK T6), and Air India on Tueday announced that the airline has chosen T6 for its operations beginning in 2028.
Emirates has introduced a new flexible payment solution for customers in India, allowing travellers to book flights across its global network and pay through affordable monthly instalments.
