Australia to lift 18-month COVID-19 travel ban next month

By ROD McGUIRK
Associated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia has outlined plans to lift its pandemic ban on its vaccinated citizens traveling overseas from November. But no date has yet been set for welcoming international tourists back. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says travel restrictions that have trapped most Australians and permanent residents at home over the past 18 months will be removed when 80% of the population aged 16 and older are fully vaccinated. Australia introduced some of the toughest travel restrictions of any democracy in the world on people entering and leaving the nation. Qantas Airways has announced international flights will resume from Nov. 14 to London and Los Angeles. A cap on the number of citizens and permanent residents allowed to return each week has left 45,000 people stranded overseas.