The first country to announce the closure of its borders for a full year due to Corona

Officials said today, Sunday, that “Australia is sticking to plans to reopen to the rest of the world as of the middle of next year,” rejecting mounting pressure to end the closure of international borders.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a televised statement, “We will always be guided by medical advice and economic advice,” according to Reuters.

For his part, Treasury Secretary Josh Friedenberg told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the medical advice to keep the borders closed “has served us well during this crisis.”

Australia closed its borders to non-citizens and non-residents in March 2020, and since then it has allowed entry only a limited number of international arrivals, mainly citizens returning from abroad.

The closure of the Australian borders, in addition to general isolation, rapid tracking of cases, and compliance with public health, have resulted in Australia’s measures to combat the virus among the most effective in the world. The total number of injuries is about 29,700, in addition to 910 deaths.