Politicians, doctors react as NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet ends quarantine for fully vaccinated travellers

The decision to throw out any and all quarantine for fully vaccinated travellers in NSW has been praised by some - but many have reacted with anger.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has found himself in hot water today for a number of decisions he made to drag the state out of its coronavirus lockdown.

But the one kicking up the most debate was Mr Perrottet’s announcement NSW would be scrapping any version of quarantine for fully vaccinated Australians and travellers arriving in the state from November 1.

“There is absolutely no reason, if you are fully vaccinated, whether you are a returning Australian or tourist, that you should have to hotel quarantine,” he told reporters today.

“This will be a boon for most people coming home and it will be a boon for our tourism industry.

“We can’t live here in a hermit kingdom. We’ve got to open up, and this decision today is a big one, but it is the right want to get New South Wales connected globally.”

Just hours after Mr Perrottet made the announcement foreigners would be welcome, Prime Minister Scott Morrison shut down the idea.

“We are not opening up to everyone coming back to Australia at the moment. I want to be clear about that. We will take this forward in a staged way as we have done in all these things. It is for the Commonwealth and federal government to decide when the border opens and shuts at an international level and we will do that,” he said.

“In the first instance it will be for Australian residents and their families. We will see how that goes and then we will move to other priorities set out as being skilled migration as well as students coming to Australia and then we will move onto the challenge of dealing with international visitors to Australia. Everything all in good time. We are not rushing into this.”

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet. Picture: Adam Yip

Australians landing in NSW from November 1 will need to return a negative PCR test before boarding their flight and will need to show proof of their double vaccination.

“For double vaccinated people around the world, Sydney, New South Wales is open for business. We want people back. We are leading the nation out of the pandemic. Hotel quarantine, home quarantine is a thing of the past,” the premier said.

Sydney International Airport will be open for business next month. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Christian Gilles

The decision to do away with quarantine - when a number of states and territories across Australia are not even open to NSW yet and have lower vaccination rates, has already been slammed.

Dr Kerryn Phelps, who served as the member for Wentworth until 2019 and was also the former president of the Australian Medical Association, guessed NSW’s decision “would not end well”.

NSW abandoning international quarantine, a Commonwealth responsibility the government has shirked, in turn abandoning the National Plan for #Covid control. This will not end well @RealOzSAGEhttps://t.co/ihZzJC0XUS

— Prof Kerryn Phelps AM (@drkerrynphelps) October 15, 2021

Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley urged everyone to “take a chill pill” as journalists questioned when Victoria may have similar arrangements.

“We have just announced an integration of our domestic permit and travel system to closer integrate the ACT, Victoria and New South Wales as a significant part of that,” he said.

“We are already part of the national trials for home-based quarantine and when those trials are finished and when we go through a proper assessment, I am sure we will have more to say.

“Everyone needs to take a chill pill. We are not aware of the full details of a media release hot off the printer from the New South Wales government. We will go through that. We wish New South Wales, as we always do, every success, and Victoria will go about its business in the national context, understanding it's the Commonwealth who control international borders, not the states.”

Queensland’s chief health officer Dr Jeanette Young also confirmed NSW’s decision to kill quarantine hadn’t been discussed at Natinoal Cabinet.

The health minister says the NSW announcement makes vaccination even more critical for Queenslanders:

"If you get your vaccination today it is going to be five to six weeks before you are fully covered by that vaccine."

— @MartySilk (@MartySilkHack) October 15, 2021

Despite the chaos, others on social media embraced the announcement.

Im so stoked for EVERY SINGLE FAMILY wanting to come back to Australia. News that you can do so from Nov.1 to NSW without quarantine (providing ur double vacced) is the best Friday news. Thanku NSW Gov for helping families reunite!!

— Charlie (@charlietech) October 15, 2021

Meanwhile the premier confirmed a raft of new freedoms will kick in for fully vaccinated NSW residents from Monday.

Mr Perrottet said NSW is likely to hit its 80 per cent double dose vaccine milestone tomorrow, triggering a range of easing restrictions from next week.

Some of the new freedoms will include having 20 visitors to a home, standing and drinking at the pub, 3000 people at ticketed outdoor events, density limits will be removed for hairdressers and other personal care services and there will be no limit on the number of fully vaccinated guests at weddings and funerals.

Originally published as Politicians, doctors react as NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet ends quarantine for fully vaccinated travellers