AMN/ WEB DESK
Western Australia has reopened its borders nearly two years after first sealing them to international visitors and other Australians because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Australian state is the last to drop its travel entry ban, four months after the nation’s biggest city Sydney welcomed back international travel. Western Australia insisted its policy was needed to stop the virus spreading. But critics attacked it for separating families in the same country.
The state was dubbed a hermit kingdom for the hardline policy. Its Premier Mark McGowan was compared to North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un by the boss of Australian airline Qantas last month. Alan Joyce later apologised for his remarks.
Authorities said they expected more than 8,000 arrivals on the first day of the state’s re-opening.