Sydney to scrap vaccinated travelers' quarantine

The Australian city of Sydney announced plans on Friday to let in fully vaccinated travellers from overseas.

Up until now, thousands of Australians living abroad have been unable to return home because of a strict cap on arrivals.

The plans are set to come into effect from next month and will also mean that new arrivals will not need to quarantine.

Following the announcement, Prime Minister Scott Morrison stressed that initially, it would just be Australian citizens and permanent residents who will benefit.

"We're not opening up to everyone coming back to Australia at the moment. I want to be clear about that. We going to take this forward in a staged and careful way as we have done in all these things."

"It's for the Commonwealth government, the Federal Government to decide when the border opens and shuts at an international level and we will do that. In the first instance it will be for Australians, Australian residents and their families."

The decision comes as New South Wales state, of which Sydney is capital, is expected to reach an 80% first-vaccination dose rate on Saturday

On the streets of Sydney, many agreed it was time to live with COVID-19, but some were worried the move was too abrupt.

"I think yes we should let people in if they're double vaxxed and they've tested negative, but I'm a bit concerned that you go from two weeks hotel quarantine to zero quarantine.You know at least maybe a few days at home."

"It is good, it is good, maybe a few months ago I would have thought it's a bit scary but it's been so long for so many people, we need to be reunited with our families."

Qantas Airways is now bringing forward the restart of international flights from Sydney to London and Los Angeles by two weeks to November 1.

It's also considering bringing forward the resumption of flights from some other places that had been expected in December.