Australia could keep its borders closed until the end of 2022

Australia could keep its borders closed until the end of 2022 because the new wave of COVID-19 infections in the world destroys any hope of a short-term reopening, the Tourism Minister announced on Friday. The increase in cases in India shows the The need to maintain border restrictions to keep the spread of the virus low in Australia, Minister Dan Tehan said. Since 20 March 2020, Australia has maintained drastic border controls. It is “very difficult to determine” when they will be possible. reopen the borders, Tehan told Sky News. “The most optimistic estimate would be in the middle or second half of next year.” Before the pandemic, around a million travelers entered the country each month for short stays. Now they are around 7,000. Anyone arriving from abroad must undergo a 14-day quarantine in a hotel. The recent opening of an air bubble with New Zealand has been difficult and has been suspended among the cities affected by an increase in the number of cases caused by failures in quarantine devices Australia has recorded 29,886 cases of infections since the beginning of the pandemic, most of which were detected in quarantined hotels Vaccination starts slowly: only 2.5 million doses have been administered in a country of 25 million inhabitants. Each person needs two. The prospect of closing borders for almost three years will deal a serious blow to the tourism industry, which accounts for 33 billion euros ($ 40 billion) a year. “The hope would be that we could create some more air bubbles , but we are in the middle of a pandemic, “said the official.”A lot will depend on how the global pandemic is managed.”