SYDNEY: Sydney is scrapping mandatory quarantine for overseas travelers from next month, officials said Friday, signalling a faster-than-expected end to tough coronavirus restrictions.
Australia’s borders have been closed for the last 19 months to prevent the spread of Covid-19, stranding tens of thousands of Australians overseas and leading critics to dub the country a “hermit state.”
Currently, anyone who enters Australia has to qualify for an exemption to travel and fork out many thousands of dollars to be locked in a hotel room for 14 days.
New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet said that, from November 1, fully vaccinated travelers to the state will have to test negative before getting on the plane, but would not have to quarantine at all on arrival.
“For double vaccinated people around the world, Sydney, New South Wales, is open for business,” he said. “Hotel quarantine will be a thing of the past. This is a significant day for our state.”
Sydney’s 100-plus-day lockdown lifted last week and lingering rules are gradually being phased out.
Under a national post-pandemic road map, borders were to gradually reopen in November, with only Australians and permanent residents allowed in with mandatory home quarantine.
Perrottet’s comments indicate those restrictions will be scrapped faster than planned — with tourists able to come to Australia too and quarantine requirements removed altogether.
The last 19 months have been devastating for Australia’s tourist industry, with visitor numbers down 98 percent since before the pandemic, according to Tourism Australia statistics.
The announcement also raises the prospect that Sydney residents will be allowed to visit Paris but not Perth, as Western Australia’s borders with the rest of the country remain closed.
Sydney to scrap hotel quarantine for overseas visitors
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Sydney to scrap hotel quarantine for overseas visitors
Australian state parliament reconvenes to push through stricter gun laws after Bondi mass shooting
- The state parliament was recalled for two days from Monday to debate the firearm legislation, which would cap the number of firearms a person can own at four
SYDNEY: Australia’s New South Wales state parliament was recalled on Monday to vote on proposed new laws that would impose major curbs on firearm ownership, ban the display of terror symbols and restrict protests, following a mass shooting at Bondi Beach.
The state parliament was recalled for two days from Monday to debate the firearm legislation, which would cap the number of firearms a person can own at four, or up to 10 for certain groups, such as farmers.
There is currently no limit to firearm ownership if the reason can be justified to police, and there are more than 50 people in the state who own more than 100 guns, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. said in a report, citing police data.
One of the alleged Bondi gunmen, Sajid Akram, 50, was shot dead by police and owned six firearms. His 24-year-old son Naveed Akram has been charged with 59 offenses, including murder and terrorism, according to police.
Fifteen people were killed and dozens injured in the mass shooting at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on December 14. The attack has shocked the nation and sparked calls for tougher gun laws and heightened efforts to stop antisemitism.
The proposed legislation would also give police more powers to remove face coverings during protests or rallies. The state government has vowed to ban the chant “globalize the intifada” which it says encourages violence in the community.
Jewish leaders on Sunday called for a royal commission, the most powerful type of Australian government inquiry, to be set up to investigate the attack at Bondi.
The opposition Liberal Party leader Sussan Ley backed those calls on Monday, and told a news conference that she has called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to meet with her to review the terms of reference for a royal commission.
ALBANESE APPROVAL DIPS
Albanese has faced mounting criticism from opponents who argue his government has not done enough to curb a rise in antisemitism. He was booed by sections of the crowd during a memorial event in Bondi attended by tens of thousands of people on Sunday, one week after the shooting.
Albanese’s government has said it has consistently denounced antisemitism and highlighted legislation passed over the last two years to criminalize hate speech and doxxing. It also expelled Iran’s ambassador earlier this year after accusing Tehran of directing antisemitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne.
“You’ve seen us crack down on hate speech. You’ve seen us criminalize doxxing. You’ve seen us be very clear about counterterrorism laws banning Nazi salutes and so forth,” Foreign Minister Penny Wong told ABC Radio on Monday.
A poll conducted for the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper among 1,010 voters released on Monday found Albanese’s approval rating slumped 15 points to -9 from +6 at the beginning of December, the lowest since his resounding election win in May.
Authorities on Monday started clearing flowers, candles, letters and other items placed by the public at Bondi Beach.
The tributes would be preserved for display at the Sydney Jewish Museum and the Australian Jewish Historical Society, authorities said.
Thirteen people remain in hospital, including four in critical but stable condition, health officials said.
