After two years of closed borders, Australia welcomes the world back

"If you're double-vaccinated, we look forward to welcoming you back to Australia," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said at a media briefing in Canberra.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks to the media during a press conference in Canberra, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022. Morrison said that the county's border would reopen to all vaccinated visas holders from Feb. 21. Picture: Mick Tsikas/AAP Image via AP

Australia said on Monday it will reopen its borders to vaccinated travellers this month, ending two years of misery for the tourism sector, reviving migration and injecting billions of dollars into the world No. 13 economy.

The move effectively calls time on the last main component of Australia's response to the Covid-19 pandemic, which it has attributed to relatively low death and infection rates. The other core strategy, stop-start lockdowns, was shelved for good in December.