Coronavirus live | Australia re-opens to tourists after two-year Covid closure

In the wake of declining COVID-19 cases, many States and Union Territories are scrapping restrictions across the country

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You can track coronavirus cases, deaths, and testing rates at the national and State levels here. A list of State Helpline numbers is available as well.

Australia reopened its borders to vaccinated tourists Monday, nearly two years after the continent nation imposed some of the world’s strictest Covid travel restrictions.

The country closed its borders to almost everyone except citizens and residents in March 2020 in an attempt to slow surging Covid case numbers.

The travel ban -- which also barred citizens from going overseas without an exemption and imposed a strict cap on international arrivals -- earned the country the nickname “Fortress Australia”.

The British government confirmed Saturday that people with COVID-19 won’t be legally required to self-isolate starting next week, as part of a plan for “living with COVID” that is also likely to see testing for the coronavirus scaled back.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said ending all of the legal restrictions brought in to curb the spread of the virus will let people in the U.K. “protect ourselves without restricting our freedoms.”