International Travel for Aussies will not Return to Normalcy Until 2024, Expert Warns

Deloitte economist Chris Richardson believes that international travel, both inbound and outbound may not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024.

The novel coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, has pulled the world to a state of sleep mode, where several restrictions were imposed on both domestic and international travel. As the vaccination rollout is progressing steadily in many countries, several restrictions imposed on international travel have been lifted. However, a new report has warned that international travel, both inbound and outbound may not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024 in Australia.

Quarantine to be Continued for Incoming Travelers

Deloitte Access Economics' quarterly business outlook suggests that the process of returning back to normalcy will take time, and it will not happen very soon. Deloitte economist Chris Richardson asserted that there could be some sort of quarantine for incoming travelers for quite some time.

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"That keeps international travel - both inbound and outbound - pretty weak in 2022, and it may not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024," said Richardson.

Vaccine Rollout in Australia Not Progressing As Per Plans

Last week, health authorities in Australia recommended that the vaccine developed by Astra Zeneca should be given only to people above 50 due to the risk of blood clotting. With the new revelation, the government has since secured an additional 20 million Pfizer vaccine shots that are expected to reach the country from abroad later this year.

Richardson also added that Australia's economy has shown signs of revival, but a rise in interest rates could happen only after some years.

Coronavirus: Latest Statistics

Even though countries like the United States have started showing signs of flattening the coronavirus curve, nations like India are choking due to the second wave of the pandemic. In February, there were only 10,000 daily positive cases in India, and now, this figure has crossed 1,50,000.

According to the latest updates, there are more than 136 million recorded positive cases in the world, and the death toll has already crossed 2.9 million. As some countries are witnessing a rise in coronavirus positive cases, medical experts believe that it is not time to relax, and people should follow strict social distancing measures to stay away from the pandemic.

Related topics : Coronavirus
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