COVID-19: Australia needs to be confident before opening borders

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Australian High Commissioner John Feakes during an earlier interview with The Fiji Times in Suva. Mr Feakes says Australia will not open quarantine-free travel to Fiji until it is confi dent that COVID-19 is under control in the Land Down Under. Picture: FILE

The Australian government says it will really need to be confident that COVID-19 is suppressed in Australia before opening quarantine-free travel to Fiji.

Australian High Commissioner to Fiji John Feakes said Australia was committed to exploring quarantine-free travel arrangements with Fiji, but only when it was safe to do so.

He said while Australia recognised that reopening travel would be a huge boost to the Fijian economy; it was also cognisant of the fact that there were risks associated with allowing Australians into Fiji.

“We recognise that reopening travel with Fiji will have a profound effect on Fiji’s economy and local employment and look forward to the day we can announce the resumption of travel,” he said.

“Our overriding priority is to ensure we protect the health and safety of Fijians. Fiji has shown strong leadership, which has resulted in a COVID-contained country and we hope to keep it that way.”

Mr Feakes said the Australian government was holding regular talks with Fijian officials about how to safely reopen travel.

Meanwhile, Minister for Trade and Tourism Faiyaz Koya had earlier said Fiji’s talks with Australia and New Zealand to establish a travel bubble were still continuing.

He said Fiji’s vaccination program could assist in our borders reopening.

“Quite a few people have actually registered for the vaccine and I urge all Fijians to get registered so that we can get the vaccines to them because it is a very important tool for us if we are going to open up our borders,” he said.

“We’ve seen Australia and New Zealand just open up a bubble and we are still having our discussions with them.”

Mr Koya said at least 630,000 Fijians needed to be vaccinated to ensure the country was protected against the virus.

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