Overseas arrivals capped in NSW to prevent virus spread
Sydney has placed strict new rules on returning overseas travellers as its hotel quarantine system reaches breaking point.
NewsWire
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No more than 450 people will be allowed to enter Sydney after landing from an overseas flight each day under new caps that come into effect at midnight on Saturday.
The new caps, granted by the Federal Government, will limit incoming overseas flights to no more than 50 people per plane, and a maximum of 450 each day.
They were brought into effect after Victoria and Queensland announced they would be charging passengers for their hotel stay, causing many would-be travellers to redirect themselves to NSW for their mandatory two-week quarantine.
“It is crucial that the volume of returning passengers not overrun the capacity of NSW Health to meet and assess every international passenger at Sydney Airport and not exhaust Health, Police and ADF resources to manage our quarantine hotels,” NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said.
Travellers planning to return to Australia via Sydney have been encouraged to check their flights with the airline, signalling potential flight changes or cancellations for some passengers.
There’s now pressure on Sydney’s quarantine facilities following the 2 week suspension of international ✈ï¸'s to #Melbourne. If you’re scheduled to fly into #Sydney in the coming weeks, confirm your travel plans with your airline as passenger limits on incoming flights will apply.
— Smartraveller (@Smartraveller) July 3, 2020
NSW Health have ramped up testing during hotel quarantine stays, with returned travellers now undergoing a coronavirus swab on Day 2 and Day 10 of their 14-day quarantine.
Virus numbers have remained low in NSW, but have spiked in Victoria as a result of mismanaged quarantine, forcing some Melbourne suburbs to return to lockdown.
On Saturday, the state announced 108 new cases, the second-highest level since the pandemic began.
Travellers from those postcodes have been banned from NSW, and face an $11,000 fine or six months jail if they try to enter the state.
Checkpoints have been established at airports, train stations and police on highways and byways have been encouraged to check the origin of Victorian number plates to ensure they are not from the locked-down communities.
Screening is also operating on domestic flights and interstate trains originating in Melbourne.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has requested no more flights from overseas land at Melbourne until the outbreak is under control, and has been granted an exemption until July 14.
Originally published as Overseas arrivals capped in NSW to prevent virus spread