Health Minister Greg Hunt has warned national borders may not reopen even with 100% vaccination and experts say the economic fallout could be significant Bianca Healey Image: Getty
Health Minister Greg Hunt warns that international borders might not reopen even if the entire population is vaccinated at a news conference on Tuesday.
“If the whole country were vaccinated, you couldn’t just open the borders,” Hunt said.
Indefinitely-closed borders could have major ramifications for Australian businesses and the economy, experts say, as other advanced economies open their borders and resume cross-border commerce more quickly.
A warning from Australia’s Health Minister Greg Hunt that Australia’s borders may not reopen even if the entire population is vaccinated has been met with concern by economists and the wider business community.
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Health Minister Greg Hunt has refused to guarantee Australiaâs borders will open even if the whole country has been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Australiaâs borders have been shut since March 2020 and will remain closed until at least the middle of June, leaving more than 36,000 Australians trapped overseas, unable to return due to caps on the number of quarantine spaces.
Health Minister Greg Hunt suggested Australiaâs international border closures could stay in place even if the entire population had been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
The closure also bans citizens from leaving the country unless they have an exemption or are travelling to New Zealand.
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