Sydney: Quarantine Scrapped for Fully Vaxxed (But There’s a Catch).

Australia’s biggest city will scrap quarantine from November 1. But It ONLY APPLIES TO fully vaccinated Australian CITIZENS and their families, not tourists.

Fully vaccinated Australians returning from overseas will no longer be forced to quarantine under changes to be introduced within weeks, but tourists will continue to be locked out for now.

From November 1, costly hotel and home quarantine will be abolished for Australian citizens, residents and their families as the NSW state government takes the first tentative steps to revive the ailing tourism industry.

Qantas quickly announced it would bring forward international flights by a fortnight to November 1 as a result of the changes. Virgin Australia said it would commence return flights to Fiji from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane from December 16 – a week earlier than planned.

Arrivals will need to do a PCR test before boarding a flight and will need to prove their double-vaccination status.

Travellers who have not received their COVID-19 jabs will still be allowed into NSW but will have to complete 14 days hotel quarantine, with a cap of 210 unvaccinated travellers welcomed into the state each week.

People who transit through Sydney would also still be subject to quarantine arrangements in other states.

Australia’s international border has been shut to tourists since March 2020 with only Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family members allowed to enter.