Australia reopens international borders for first time in pandemic

FILE PHOTO: People sit in the arrivals section of the international terminal of Kingsford Smith International Airport in Sydney, Australia, March 21, 2020. REUTERS/Loren Elliott

MELBOURNE/SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia eased its international border restrictions on Monday for the first time in the pandemic, allowing some of its vaccinated public to travel freely and many families to reunite, sparking emotional embraces at Sydney's airport.

After 18 months of some of the world's strictest coronavirus border policies that banned citizens from coming back into the country, and leaving it, unless granted an exemption, millions of Australians in Victoria, New South Wales and Canberra are now free to travel.