Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has announced Fiji will (re)open its borders to Australia starting from November 11th – joining an entire list of approved travel partner countries ranging from the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Korea, Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, UAE, to Qatar.
Such a development is possible thanks to the Pacific nation’s high vaccination rate. Currently, over 80% of Fijian citizens are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in a “remarkable turnaround” since June; back when it had the world’s highest per-capita infection rate. The government’s introduction of a “no jab, no job” policy in tandem with a vaccine lottery worth FJ$51,000 / AU$33,000, however, sorted it out in relatively quick fashion.
Although the prospect of hitting up Fiji is the closest tourists from Australia will come to quarantine free travel for a long time, certain health protocols will firmly remain in place, For one, you’ll obviously have to be double jabbed with a vaccine from either Pfizer, AstraZeneca Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson.
RELATED: Qantas Schedules International Flights To Resume From December
You’ll also need to test negative for the spicy cough within three days of departure and two days post-arrival. Upon the latter, tourists are required to spend those first two days in their hotel – while still being free to use the facilities + amenities, so don’t sweat it – as well as download the country’s Care Fiji contact-tracing app. The two-day hotel period is expected to be scrapped as Fiji increases its double vaccination rate.
Once you’ve confirmed a clean bill of health, enjoy all the “safe-travel areas” of this tropical paradise to your heart’s content. The exact regions deemed “safe-travel areas” are still being determined, but fear not. Prime Minister Bainimarama has assured the public that they’ll be “large enough for tourists to enjoy the best of Fiji” yet restrictive enough to “protect areas with low vaccination coverage.”
“Our message is simple: Fiji is ready to welcome you back to our shores,” says Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama.
“We are entirely confident in our ability to manage the risk associated with quarantine-free travel.”
Ooh, it feels good to be back. Almost.
