‘Today we rejoined the world’: hugs, tears and Vegemite as Australia reopens international borders

Emotional scenes at Sydney airport as families, friends and lovers reunite after 704 days of Covid restrictions

• Get our free news app; get our morning email briefing
• Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates

There were tears, DJs, Vegemite and drag queens as families, friends and lovers reunited at Sydney airport after the resumption of all international travel to Australia.

While a number of expert bodies including the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the European Council have warned against travel to Australia due to soaring Covid-19 case numbers over summer, the federal government has vowed to keep the borders open.