For the first time in 20 months, Australian citizens will be allowed to travel in and out of the country again on Monday without mandatory isolation. Sydney Airport, generally the busiest airport in the country, has reunited relatives and friends who have not seen each other for almost two years. Prior to Monday, Australians were allowed to leave the country only with special exemptions from the government. Australian citizens who have been abroad must be isolated at the hotel for two weeks if they wish to return.

He told the Australian newspaper that such isolation was “not an option” for pilot Jasper Singh The Sydney Morning Herald. He works in Singapore and had not seen his wife and three children for more than a year and a half before Monday. If he wants to meet them, he has to be isolated for two weeks in Australia and two weeks when he returns to Singapore. He could not afford it because of the limited number of holidays. “I flew all over the world except myself,” the pilot says.

Sydney Airport reopened on Monday, making New South Wales the first state to vaccinate 80 percent of the population over the age of 16. Melbourne and Canberra airports also opened late, as the states where those cities are located have reached the vaccination limit. Four Australian states, including New South Wales, are urging residents to travel only within state borders despite the relaxation. Tourists are expected to be allowed back into the country later this year.