Australia to reopen its borders to vaccinated international travelers

Novak Djokovic left Australia on a flight to Dubai 1:25

(CNN) -

Australia will open its borders to fully vaccinated international travelers from the end of February, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Monday after a meeting of the government's national security committee.

"The Homeland Security Committee and Cabinet have today decided that Australia will reopen our borders to all remaining visa holders on February 21," Morrison said, speaking outside parliament in Canberra.

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Australia, which has been closed to most travelers since early 2020, has been slowly relaxing its restrictions since November through travel programs with New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and Japan.

Currently, citizens, permanent residents and their families, along with international students, backpackers and migrant workers can enter the country although they must show proof of having two doses of an approved vaccine.

The same rule will apply to tourists, unless they qualify for a medical exemption.

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

And he added that state quarantine limits will continue and that those limits will continue to be determined by state and territory governments.

The Djokovic case

In January, world No. 1 men's tennis player Novak Djokovic had his visa canceled amid a debate over his vaccination-exempt status.

He was eventually deported and was unable to compete at the Australian Open.

"Your visa is one thing, but your entry into Australia requires you to also be double vaccinated and I think the events at the beginning of the year should have sent a very clear message, I think to everyone around the world, that that is the requirement to enter Australia," Morrison said.

The prime minister added that a further reopening of the border would bring a much-needed boost to the country's travel sector.

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"I know the tourism industry will be looking forward to that, and over the next two weeks they will have an opportunity for both visitors and themselves to prepare to welcome international visitors back to Australia," he said.

Covid-19 in Australia

As of February 7, Australia had confirmed 2,727,260 coronavirus cases, of which there were 4,200 deaths.

Last year, Tourism Australia, the national travel and hospitality body, launched an advertising campaign titled "It's our best chance to travel" in newspapers, television, online and on social media.

The campaign encouraged Australians to get vaccinated against covid-19 in order to open national borders and be able to travel again.

Currently, about 80% of eligible adults in the country are fully vaccinated.

CNN's Teele Rebane contributed reporting

Covid-19