Australia Sets Reopening Date After Sealing Itself Off From the World for 18 Months

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, Australians have been banned from traveling overseas without permission and thousands of citizens have been stranded abroad, far away from their families. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Friday that the travel ban—one of the strictest pandemic measures in the world—is coming to an end. “The time has come to give Australians their life back. We’re getting ready for that, and Australia will be ready for takeoff, very soon,” Morrison said. The international border will reopen in November, and people will be allowed to travel when their state’s vaccination rate hits 80 percent—but travel will not immediately be reopened to foreign tourists. New South Wales, the state where Sydney is located, is set to become the first to cross the 80 percent mark in the next few weeks, according to BBC News.