Sydney will allow in fully vaccinated travellers from overseas from 1 November without the need for them to quarantine, it was announced on Friday.
The restrictions will initially benefit vaccinated citizens.
The move comes as NSW edges towards the 80 per cent first dose vaccination rate on Saturday, ahead of the rest of Australia, bringing forward the expected return of overseas travel by several weeks.
“We need to rejoin the world. We can’t live here in hermit kingdom. We’ve got to open up,” New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet said.
Australia closed its borders in March 2020 due to the pandemic, and up until now, entry was allowed exclusively to citizens and permanent residents who are currently required to undergo two weeks of hotel quarantine at their own expense.