Australia's two largest states ease more COVID restrictions
(VOVWORLD) -New South Wales and Victoria, which account for more than half of Australia's 25 million people, on Friday further relaxed COVID-19 restrictions.
 A woman takes a test for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a testing centre in Sydney, Australia, January 5, 2022. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy |
The decision comes as Australia reopens its international borders on Monday after nearly two years of closure.
From Friday, singing and dancing will be resumed at night clubs in Sydney, the capital of New South Wales and Melbourne, the capital of Victoria. Indoor venues in Sydney and elsewhere in New South Wales can comfortably receive guests, and medical checks by scanning QR codes only need to be performed in venues with a higher risk of infection.
From next Friday, the mandatory mask wearing policy will only apply on public transport and closed spaces at airports and hospitals. The hotel quarantine period for unvaccinated international travelers will be shortened from 14 days to 7 days in both New South Wales and Victoria.