Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said that the country will remain shut for the foreseeable future.
The PM said in an interview with media that there is no "appetite" among Australians to re-open the country's borders to international travelers as COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the world.
The government has previously said that the borders will re-open once the adult population has been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Controls on gatherings are being extended for another week in Sydney and neighboring areas after health officials said they were unable to identify how a man in the community caught COVID-19.
The protective measures the country take include limiting the maximum number of people allowed into homes to 20, while singing and dancing in all indoor venues except those hosting weddings will be banned. Masks will be compulsory on public transport and indoor venues, such as theaters, hospitals and aged care facilities.
In the meantime, Morrison said the government was continuing to work on how vaccinated people could be given greater freedoms. "The next big step that can be taken is that Australians who are vaccinated, based on clear evidence that this prevents transmissibility, are able to travel and return to Australia without having to hotel quarantine, and ideally we only have to engage in some sort of home quarantine of a less restrictive nature," he said.
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