When Victorians can travel interstate to New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia
Victorians can travel to New South Wales from November 23 without the need to quarantine, as South Australia and Western Australia reveal dates when we can visit.
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Victorians will be allowed into NSW from November 23 without needing to quarantine.
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed the border will be dropped at 12.01am on that date.
The confirmation follows a meeting of the NSW covid cabinet and a conversation between Ms Berejiklian and Victorian premier Daniel Andrews.
“Our policy in NSW is to keep moving forward and operating in a COVID-safe manner – the reopening of the NSW/Victorian border is another step in the right direction,” Ms Berejiklian said.
Victoria recorded its fifth straight day of no new community COVID cases and no deaths on Wednesday.
Ms Berejiklian’s intention to ease border restrictions on November 23 is in contrast to the Queensland Premier’s staunch policy of reviewing her state’s border at the end of every month.
Following her re-election on Saturday, Annastacia Palaszczuk indicated that the policy would remain in place, meaning residents of Sydney and Victoria are to be locked out of Queensland until December.
It comes as South Australia’s Premier Steven Marshall announced a slew of changes to COVID restrictions.
On Tuesday, Mr Marshall confirmed restrictions would ease first with those living in Victorian border communities, who he said had been “doing it tough for some time”.
Residents in border communities will no longer need to be tested for COVID-19 on a weekly basis in order for them to enter South Australia.
Border restrictions between the states are set to ease within just two weeks, assuming nothing goes awry in Victoria.
Mr Marshall said while the 70km “buffer zone” on either side of the border would remain, authorities were considering expanding it.
“We’re still waiting to see what the full implications of the increased mobility will be but we’re giving an advanced notice that within two weeks we'll be able to go into a situation that will allow home-based isolation in South Australia.
“In the first instance, we’ll go back to the 14 days of isolation which is what we had with NSW until about 3-4 weeks ago and then if we can see (14 days of no community transmission after the mobility restrictions have been eased) then we’ll look at easing restrictions further.”
Western Australia will finally reopen its borders to all states and territories from November 14, but some restrictions will remain for people from NSW and Victoria.
Premier Mark McGowan says it is the right time to move to a new “controlled interstate border” after a fall in COVID-19 cases across the country.
For the past six months, the only people allowed into WA have been required workers and those granted limited exemptions on compassionate grounds.
Under the new regime, anyone will be let in so long as they complete a G2G application and adhere to health requirements.
People who have recently been in NSW and Victoria will be required to enter self-quarantine at a suitable premises.
They will also be required to undertake COVID tests on day 11 of their quarantine period and upon arrival if deemed necessary.
Arrivals from all other states and territories — deemed “very low risk” jurisdictions — will not be required to quarantine but must undergo health screening, a temperature check and prove they haven’t recently been in NSW or Victoria.
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