Oct 1, 2021: Australia is slowly preparing to reopen its borders, the country’s prime minister, Scott Morrison has announced. 

Morrison announced at a press conference on Friday that Australians will be able to return home and travel abroad “in weeks” as 80 per cent of vaccination targets have been met.

In his words, “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.”

Officials say the state of New South Wales (NSW) is more likely to achieve the 80% vaccine target than other states, and could become a “test bed” to allow Australians to leave the country.

According to Finance Minsiter Simon Birmingham, “There will be a cautious and step-by-step approach to what has been done,” 

Currently, the government has set a border ban until December 17. The new ruling could mean that the sanctions will be lifted at least a month in advance.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, an estimated 210,679 Australians were approved by the Home Office to fly abroad, while 122,131 applications were rejected.

Families are split across continents, with citizens stranded abroad and foreigners stranded in the country unable to see friends or relatives.

Fully vaccinated Australians will be allowed to go home sometime in November without having to go through the mandatory quarantine in hotels costing thousands of dollars. Instead, they will be able to stay at home in quarantine for seven days on their return home.

Without immunizations, Australians will have to go through 14 days of quarantine in hotels or special facilities.