Border closures, lockdowns and travel restrictions across Australia
One state has become the first in Australia to require a Covid “vaccine passport” for domestic travel. See what other travel restrictions are in place.
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Western Australia has become the first state in Australia to require a Covid “vaccine passport” for domestic travel.
Travellers to WA from NSW will need to prove they have received at least the first Covid jab and will need to return a negative Covid test 72 hours before departure.
NSW arrivals will also have to use the G2G app to allow police to check on the users location via their mobile phone in addition to 14 days of self-quarantine and virus tests on days two and 12.
The tough measures begin on Tuesday, August 17 when NSW is reclassified as “high risk”.
Premier Mark McGowan said the move was tough but fair.
“These are tough measures but they are necessary to protect the state,” he said.
“This hasn’t been done before in Australia. We haven’t actually ever said you have to be vaccinated to travel between the states.
“We’ve done it for overseas countries … but I think it’s entirely fair.”
Mr McGowan also urged other states to introduce similar conditions
“I think this is actually a template for other states to look at should they want to put in place measures to protect themselves from the raging outbreak in NSW.”
It comes as Canberra is the latest part of Australia to go into a snap seven-day lockdown.
The lockdown began 5pm Thursday and has strict public health orders listed below.
Meanwhile, eight areas in rural NSW have been forced into a snap week-long lockdown after a man who travelled to Dubbo tested positive to Covid-19.
The local government areas of Bogan, Bourke, Brewarrina, Coonamble, Gilgandra, Narromine, Walgett and Warren went into lockdown at 7pm on Wednesday.
The stay-at-home orders will be in place until August 19.
“The stay-at-home orders will apply to all people who live in these areas in western NSW or have been there on or after 5 August,” the health department said.
“The rules for this area will be the same as those already in place across Greater Sydney, as well as Dubbo, Tamworth, Northern Rivers, Armidale, Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Port Stephens, Singleton, Dungog, Muswellbrook and Cessnock.”
Lockdown changes have also been announced for regional areas in Queensland and Victoria.
Read on to see the state of play across Australia:
VICTORIA
Anyone entering Victoria from another state must apply for a permit.
That includes all border bubble residents.
Border bubble residents can cross the Victorian-NSW border for six reasons:
- Necessary goods and services, including medical care;
- Care or other compassionate reasons;
- Work (whether paid or voluntary, including for charitable or religious purposes);
- Education (including childcare or early childhood services);
- Receiving a Covid-19 vaccination;
- Organised/community sport and exercise connected to or organised by a club or facility.
The ACT and locked down areas of southeast Queensland, including Brisbane, are ‘red zones’. Victorians can return from these areas but require a red zone permit and must quarantine for 14 days. Non-Victorian residents are not eligible for a red zone permit. The rest of Queensland is a green zone.
South Australia and Norfolk Island have also been categorised as orange zones. People who have been in these areas in the past 14 days and are travelling into Victoria need to apply for an orange zone permit, get tested within 72 hours of arrival and remain in self-quarantine until they get a negative result.
NEW SOUTH WALES
Travellers from QLD, SA and Victoria need to complete a travel declaration to enter NSW.
Anyone who has been to a venue of high concern must follow testing and self isolation requirements.
Sydney locals are banned from travelling to regional NSW until at least August 28, unless it is for an essential purpose, and travellers into Sydney are not allowed without an exception.
QUEENSLAND
Queensland has become the latest jurisdiction to shut its borders to Canberrans.
From 1am on Saturday, the Sunshine State will declare the ACT a Covid hot spot.
Those arriving from the ACT into Queensland after that time will go into 14 days of hotel quarantine.
Queensland residents heading into the state between 5pm on August 12 and 1am on August 14 will need to complete a hotspot declaration form and spend 14 days in quarantine.
Queensland has declared South Australia, Victoria, and NSW Covid-19 hot spots
You cannot enter Queensland if you have been in any of those states in the past 14 days, unless they are a resident or have an exemption. If you meet either of those two criteria, you will still need to complete 14 days of mandatory quarantine.
NSW-Queensland border community residents can only cross the border for a permitted purpose – a full list can be found here.
Anyone entering the state must complete a Queensland entry pass.
More information can be found here.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Travellers from NSW, Victoria, parts of Queensland and the ACT are barred from entering SA.
There are exceptions however for essential travellers or those that have an exemption returning from NSW.
All non-SA residents who have been in Victoria for the previous 14 days are not allowed to enter SA, except those in the 70km border buffer zone.
Anyone who has been in Queensland in the previous 14 days is not permitted to enter SA.
WA and NT travellers are allowed but must have Covid tests on day 1, 5 and 13, and must self-quarantine until receiving their first negative result.
For more information, visit covid-19.sa.gov.au.
TASMANIA
The ACT, NSW and Victoria have been declared ‘high risk’ zones and therefore no one from these states can enter Tasmania unless they have special permission.
People that have entered high risk locations anywhere in Australia are not allowed to enter Tasmania – including Tasmanian residents.
Tasmanian residents that have been in locked down areas of Brisbane and southeast Queensland can apply for an essential traveller permit and complete 14 days quarantine on arrival. Tasmania is open to parts of Queensland.
NT, SA, and New Zealand are all currently deemed low risk.
More information can be found here.
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
Canberrans will only be able to leave their homes for seven reasons when lockdown begins on Thursday.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr confirmed the changes after the ACT recorded its first case of Covid-19 in more than a year.
From 5pm, Canberrans can only leave home for the following reasons:
– to undertake essential work or study, if you cannot work or study from home or remotely
– to attend usual childcare arrangements, where parents or guardians need to undertake essential work or study
– to shop for essential groceries, medicine and necessary supplies
– to attend to medical or health care needs including compassionate requirements, and looking after the vulnerable
– to attend usual childcare arrangements, where parents or guardians need to undertake essential work or study
– to attend a facility to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, where you are eligible for a vaccination in the ACT, an appointment has been booked, and you are not in isolation or in quarantine
– to exercise outdoors, limited to one hour per day
General retail will be closed and hospitality venues will only be able to operate takeaway services.
Mandatory mask wearing will also be reintroduced. They must be worn everywhere outside a person’s home unless they are undertaking “rigorous” exercise.
Mr Barr said the short and immediate lockdown is the best path to avoiding a longer lockdown.
RETURNING FROM OUTSIDE OF ACT
The Australian Capital Territory is currently open to every state and territory. But you may need to quarantine after arriving from certain regions, or abide by the public-health orders of the state or territory you just left.
ACT residents should reconsider interstate travel at this time. Canberrans shouldn’t be travelling to any areas subject to quarantine or stay-at-home requirements.
For each state see the health restriction checker website.
NORTHERN TERRITORY
The ACT, NSW, the locked down areas of Brisbane and southeast Queensland and Greater Melbourne have been declared hot spots.
Anyone who has been in these areas in the past 14 days or attended a public exposure site cannot enter unless they have proof of residency, qualify for an automatic exemption or have received CHO approval.
Transit through Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Cairns airports is still allowed.
All interstate arrivals to the Northern Territory must fill in a border entry form.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Anyone that has been in NSW, Victoria, SA and QLD in the past 14 days is not allowed to enter WA unless they have an exemption.
ACT travellers also face restrictions: they must complete a declaration, enter 14 days of quarantine and get tested.
Arrivals from Tasmania, the NT and NZ are deemed ‘very low risk’ and therefore do not need to quarantine. However they do need to complete the mandatory G2G pass registration and declaration.
NEW ZEALAND
The trans-Tasman bubble has been closed due to the soaring number of cases of the Delta strain in NSW. The quarantine-free travel arrangement between Australia and New Zealand has been paused until September 18.
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Originally published as Border closures, lockdowns and travel restrictions across Australia
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