Minister: Not yet ready to open borders

Karen Andrews, Home Affairs Minister, wants international borders to be open as soon as possible. However, Australia is not in that position at the moment.

Minister: Not yet ready to open borders

News Corp newspapers reported that the Morrison government's national security committee will meet Monday. It's expected to decide to reopen Australia for tourists in two or three weeks.

Ms Andrews stated that while we don't have all the information we need to make the decision to open, we are very close," she told ABC's Insiders on Sunday.

"We are in the process of opening, and will continue talking to health professionals. We will continue to work with the territories and states, and will open our international borders for tourists as soon as we get their approval.


 

This is because NSW had 7893 COVID-19 deaths and 28 more virus-related deaths. Victoria, however, was home to 7169 new infections and six deaths.

In late 2021, NSW announced a new support program for schools affected by the school virus safety measures.

Treasurer Matt Kean stated that businesses such as overnight camps and music education providers now have access to a 14 million grant program.

Mr Kean stated that the grants would provide eligible businesses and not-for-profit organisations one-off payments equaling 40% of their declines in Term 4 2021 revenue compared to previous year, up to $15,000

Only five percent of Australians have never had the COVID-19 vaccine. This makes Australia one of world's most-vaccinated nations.

Greg Hunt, the Health Minister for Australia, said that 95 percent of Australians over 12 years have received at least one vaccine.

Hunt stated that the country's protection level is "right at the forefront of the highest global vaccine rate".

He said, "Very significant, over the course if today we will also pass 1 million children between 5 and 11 years old having had a vaccine."

He said that this rate of vaccinations for children is also among the highest in the globe.

This milestone was achieved on the same day that more than 2000 protestors against the vaccine mandate marched through Canberra, which was monitored by police.

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