Australia, which has been one of the most restrictive countries in the world when it comes to battling the COVID-19 pandemic, will continue to block international tourists at least into 2022.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison made the proclamation in an interview.
"We will get to international visitors as well, I believe next year," Morrison said when discussing lifting more pandemic restrictions with the Associated Press in a story printed by the Washington D.C. publication The Hill.
Virtually all foreign tourists have been prohibited from visiting the land down under since March of 2020.
Morrison said last week that the country would reopen the border for its citizens and permanent residents.
Morrison hinted that Australia will start relaxing its restrictions in stages. Before admitting international visitors, he said his government is going to look to get international students and skilled migrants into the country first.
Also, the Prime Minister said he wants to first "complete quarantine-free travel for certain countries, such as New Zealand, when it is safe to do so."
As for a date when restrictions will be fully lifted, that remains to be seen as "2022" is obviously vague. The Australian Tourism Export Council wants to have international travel up and running by March of next year to bring the tourism dollars back to the country.
More than 9.3 million tourists visited Australia in 2019, an all-time high. That number dropped 6.5 million in 2020 and is expected to fall further this year.
Morrison announced earlier in the month that fully vaccinated Australians will be allowed to leave the country in November, after the country hits 80 percent fully vaccinated.
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