Australia plans staggered reopening of international borders in second half of year

Scott Morrison says Australia is in “no hurry” to reopen international borders, but vaccinated Australians may be able to travel for “essential” purposes in the second half of the year, with the possibility of quarantining at home on return. Just days after saying Australia would “have to get used to dealing with 1,000 cases a week or more” if the international border restrictions were lifted, the prime minister said on Sunday there was no rush to reopen Australia to the world. One of the early questions has been whether vaccinated Australians may be able to undertake quarantine at home, rather through the state hotel quarantine program. There are still more than 30,000 stranded Australians attempting to make their way home, which has created a flight backlog, with hotel quarantine spaces and reduced commercial flights limiting how many expats and returning travellers can get into Australia each week. The prime minister indicated there was the potential for Australians who have received their vaccinations to begin travelling.<br/>