Travelers arriving in Australia from abroad will no longer be required to pass a COVID test before to boarding their aircraft to the country.
Following discussions with the CEOs of Qantas and Virgin, as well as with the Chief Health Officer, Health Minister Greg Hunt announced the move on Thursday, February 14.
“At the present, in order to enter Australia, someone must undergo a pre-flight examination,” he said.
In light of the fact that the immunization and masking criteria have not changed, strong medical opinion suggests that this is no longer necessary, especially given the fact that access to and improvement of these tests are still a difficulty in certain countries.”
On overseas flights, masks will still be needed to be worn by passengers.
The new policy will go effective on April 17th.
In addition, price gouging regulations for rapid antigen tests (RATs) will be repealed on the same day.
Mr Hunt has stated that more than 509 million quick antigen tests have arrived in Australia from across the world.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) will carefully monitor the supply of RATs.
Under present regulations, Australian citizens and permanent residents are permitted to enter the country even if they have not had the required vaccinations.
Other visa holders, on the other hand, must be immunized in order to enter, unless they have been given an exemption.
Cases of COVID-19 are decreasing throughout the east coast, with Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland all reporting decreases during the last 24 hours.
