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ABC News
ABC News
Health
Alexis Moran

What you need to know about Australia's border opening to all international arrivals

The international border will open to fully vaccinated visa holders on February 21. (AP: Marta Lavandier)

COVID restrictions have impacted travel to Australia since early 2020 but later this month, the country's borders will finally open to all international visitors again

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the national cabinet has decided "Australia will reopen our borders to all remaining visa holders on February 21 of this year."

Here's what you need to know about the border reopening.

There's still a vaccination requirement 

Scott Morrison says Australia will open its border to all international visitors.

"The condition is you must be double vaccinated to come to Australia. That's the rule. Everyone is expected to abide by it," Mr Morrison said.

Currently, only Australian citizens, permanent residents, their family members and some vaccinated visa holders can travel to Australia.

Visitors from New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and Japan have been exempt from the restrictions for several months already.

What about unvaccinated travellers?

Proof of medical exemption is required if you're unvaccinated, Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said.

Unvaccinated travellers will have to undergo hotel quarantine if they are granted permission to enter the country.

What about arrival caps in each state?

The Home Affairs Minister said international travellers would "be subject on their arrival here to the relevant state and territory quarantine requirements".

As for arrival caps, Mr Morrison said: "The state-based cap arrangements on arrivals and the state-based quarantine arrangements will continue and it will be up to state governments to alter those, as they see fit, which has always been the case."

"They'll continue to put in place the caps they have at their airports.

"Some have none at all, like in New South Wales. Others do.

"They'll do that based on where their capacity is at this given point in time.

"As we know COVID-19 has not been experienced similarly in all parts of the country.

"Western Australia is very different to New South Wales. And as a result, the arrangements are different between those two parts of the country."

Will you ever need three doses of a COVID vaccine to be considered fully vaccinated? 

"The answer to that is no," Mr Morrison said.

"It will be two [doses]. There are various arguments around the world for three doses. Two doses is what the Chief Medical Officer says is sufficient."

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