Hull sisters kept apart by Covid reunited 18 months on

Carla Dyson and her sister Nicki were reunited after nearly two years apart

A woman who has not seen her family for nearly two years because of Covid travel restrictions has described their reunion as "the best thing ever".

Carla Dyson, who lives in Melbourne but is from Hull, last saw her family on her wedding day on 23 December, 2019.

Since March 2020, Australia has banned its citizens from leaving the country as part of its Covid strategy.

But, after being granted a travel exemption, she flew to the UK to see her sister at the weekend.

The 31-year-old said: "When I told [my sister] Nicki we were coming home she cried for a whole day.

"It was one of the best days of my life coming back and seeing her in the airport. It was just incredible."

Since being back home the pair have been doing lots together including a trip to Hull Fair

Her sister, 34, said she "would have given anything to get her back" over the last 18 months.

"I feel like I'm alive and I know it sounds dramatic but that is genuinely the best way of describing it," she said.

Since March 2020, Australia has imposed strict border controls, barring most foreigners from entering the country and putting a cap on total arrivals to combat Covid. It has also enacted frequent city and state-wide lockdowns.

Melbourne's current lockdown is expected to lift at the end of the month, by which point it will have spent 267 days in lockdown, making it the most locked-down city in the world.

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• The Australians who are trapped in the UK

In August, Carla Dyson posted on Instagram how long it had been since she had seen her family

Make-up artist Mrs Dyson said the tough restrictions had taken their toll on her mental health.

"I would normally fly home once a year to see my family so it's been so tough being trapped and having no option to leave.

"Mentally it's really affected me and when we found out the travel exemption had been granted I couldn't believe it."

Mrs Dyson said she also plans to visit her parents in Spain, where they live, before returning to Australia in January.

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