Australia’s overseas arrivals must now declare vaccine status

People travelling to Australia will now need to declare their vaccination status, bringing us one step closer to a resumption in international travel.

As of 16 July, the Australian Travel Declaration (ATD), which must be filled out 72 hours prior to entering Australia, now asks overseas arrivals if they have received a COVID-19 vaccine and whether they have ever been diagnosed with COVID-19.

Announcing the changes earlier this month, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the information would help state governments manage quarantine operations for vaccinated and non-vaccinated travellers.

“Obviously, those who are vaccinated have a much lower risk of infection than those who are not vaccinated.”

Arrivals who have been vaccinated will be asked when they got the jab, in which country and how many doses they have received.

ABC News noted that arrivals will also be asked if they had ever had COVID-19, and if so, when and where they were infected.

This follows the National Cabinet’s decision to trial home quarantine for fully-vaccinated Australians returning from overseas in near future, beginning with South Australia.

If successful, other states are expected to follow suit.

In the next stage of the government’s COVID-19 roadmap, vaccinated Aussies are expected to have more flexibility around international travel including quarantine free travel once a certain threshold of vaccination is met.

At the moment, anyone entering Australia from overseas must undergo a 14-day quarantine period at the Howard Springs facility in the Northern Territory or at a hotel quarantine facility.

Featured image source: iStock/Chalffy