Australia is discussing plans to reopen travel with Singapore, Japan, South Korea and several other South Pacific countries, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on October 11, Bloomberg reported.

The plans are expected to build on an existing agreement that Australia already has with New Zealand, which allows New Zealander tourists to visit certain parts of the country without having to undergo quarantine.

Speaking at a press conference, he stated, according to Reuters:

“There are a number of countries that have performed well on the health front, and Australia and those countries are one of a handful of countries that have had the same level of success."

Discussions have been held with Vivian Balakrishnan

Morrison added that he had held talks with his counterparts in Japan, South Korea and with the South Pacific nations, while Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne had been to Singapore to discuss the matter.

The meeting with Payne on October 8 was highlighted by Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan in a Facebook post, which also touched on other matters such as vaccine multilateralism and bilateral cooperation.

Excluding the state of Victoria, Australia's local incidence rate for Covid-19 infections is 0.02 per 100,000, excluding those from the state of Victoria.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) stated, "the risk of importation from these countries is low."

An earlier discussion by Minister for Transport Ong Ye Kung and Australian Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack in September had laid out the details and steps for Australian visitors entering Singapore.

Caution still the order of the day

Morrison stressed that caution was still the order of the day however, with Reuters further quoting him as stating:

"But we have to go cautiously on this - very, very cautiously. COVID-19 hasn’t gone anywhere. It’s still there. And it is no less aggressive today than it was six months ago."

Bloomberg further highlighted that the Australian state of Victoria is currently witnessing a rise once again in local transmission of Covid-19, as a result of security failures at hotels set aside for quarantine.

Australia reported a total of 19 new cases on Oct. 11, with 12 of the new cases from Victoria. The state also recorded one death.

As such, the date to lift Victoria's lockdown on Oct. 19 has since been postponed.

Thus far, the country has reported a total of 27,264 cases, and 898 deaths.

Out of these figures, 20,281 cases have been recorded in Victoria, along with 810 deaths.

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Top photo by Nigel Howe via Flickr