Australian state to end quarantine for vaccinated travelers

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s most populous state New South Wales says it will end hotel quarantine for vaccinated passengers when scheduled international flights restart from Sydney within two weeks. The government says vaccinated travelers who test negative to COVID-19 before flying to Sydney will be spared 14 days in hotel quarantine from Nov. 1. The major relaxation of the state’s pandemic restrictions, which makes entering Australia easier for travelers, was announced four days after Sydney came out of a 106-day lockdown. Qantas Airways has brought forward scheduled international flights by two weeks to Nov. 1. Only Australian permanent residents and citizens are free to enter Australia.