Australia plans to open its border to Singapore amid the third wave of COVID-19

Following a meeting with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the G20 summit in Rome, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed the return of quarantine-free travel on Sunday, which means that the international border between Australia and Singapore will reopen to fully-vaccinated travellers. Morrison stated that Australia is to open its doors to fully vaccinated Singaporean visitors, which would be a big boost to their tourism economy.

The announcement comes after Australia announced that fully-vaccinated tourists from New Zealand will be welcomed back in October. Furthermore, for the first time since March 2020, Australians who have received two Coronavirus vaccine doses will be permitted to leave the country freely from Monday. Last week, the federal government amended the Human Biosecurity Determination, a rule enacted in March 2020 to limit international travel during the coronavirus pandemic, to eliminate the requirement for fully vaccinated Australians to seek permission to leave the country.

Australia reported over 1,600 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases

As the country continues to battle the third wave of infections, Australia reported over 1,600 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases and ten deaths on Monday. There were 1,471 new cases and four deaths reported in Victoria, the country's second-most populated state. According to the Department of Health, as of Sunday, 88.2% of Australians aged 16 and over had received one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 77.2 per cent were fully vaccinated.

In the meanwhile, in Singapore, despite the fact that 84 per cent of the country's population has been completely vaccinated, the country has over 4,000 new COVID-19 cases, including 536 from migrant workers. On October 29, the Ministry of Health announced 16 Coronavirus-related fatalities and 4,248 new illnesses. Those who died ranged in age from 44 to 90 years old and had a variety of medical issues.

Coronavirus has claimed the lives of 380 people in Singapore

According to the latest report, the coronavirus has claimed the lives of 407 people in Singapore. The government stated that since the outbreak began, the country has documented nearly 2 lakh COVID-19 cases. The Health Promotion Board (HPB) is offering a 30 Singapore dollar e-voucher to people who refer unvaccinated elders aged 60 and above for vaccination.

(With inputs from ANI/ PTI)

(Image: Unsplash)