Minister Dan Tehan said a wave of cases on the Indian sub-continent showed Australia’s near blanket ban on arrivals was still essential to keep the country Covid-free. Since March 20, 2020, Australians have been barred from travelling overseas and a hard-to-get individual exemption is needed for foreign visitors to enter the country. Vaccination rollout has been slow, with just 2.5 million vaccines administered in a country of 25 million people, each needing two doses. The prospect of the country being closed for almost three years will come as a hammer blow to the US$40-billion-a-year tourism industry. “It’s going to very much depend on how we are able to deal with the global pandemic.”

Source: Dhaka Tribune May 07, 2021 03:45 UTC