New border rules for Victorians; NSW lockdown changes
Double-jabbed Victorians will soon be able to return from interstate high-risk Covid zones, while three NSW regional areas are set to exit lockdown.
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Victorians stuck in interstate high-risk Covid-19 zones can now come home under new border rules.
Victoria recorded a record 766 new local cases of coronavirus on Thursday, along with four more deaths.
Premier Daniel Andrews said from September 30 Victorians in an extreme risk zone – citing Sydney as an example – were eligible to return home if they were double-vaccinated against Covid-19.
They also needed to show proof of a negative coronavirus test 72 hours before leaving NSW.
Mr Andrews said they would need to do 14 days of quarantine, but that could be done at home.
Victorian authorities have urged residents to get vaccinated in a bid to prevent deaths and severe illness.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard announced on Thursday that the NSW regional areas of Orange and Glen Innes would come out of lockdown from midnight.
Mr Hazzard added that if there were “no major problems”, Narromine would come out of lockdown on Saturday.
NEW SOUTH WALES
Stay-at-home orders for the regional New South Wales towns of Albury, Lismore, Brewarina, and Gilgandra were lifted on Wednesday.
Some restrictions will remain to ensure community safety, NSW Health sad in a statement
Byron, Tweed and Kempsey Shires will re-enter lockdown for seven days after a positive coronavirus case visited NSW’s north.
The lockdown will begin on Tuesday at 5pm, Health Minister Brad Hazzard confirmed.
“Unfortunately we've had some cases in the northern part of the state, in Tweed, and Byron Bay and in Kempsey,” he said.
“And I certainly encourage everyone those areas, take it very seriously. So far those areas have been relatively safe.”
The infected person who visited the area had a not broken any rules by doing so, Mr Hazzard said.
“As I understand it was somebody who had travelled into that area with a proper permit,” he said.
The person had tested negative for the virus upon arrival in Byron Bay.
Fragments of the virus have also been found in sewage catchments in Ballina and Wardell, also in northern NSW.
There are currently no active cases in those areas, sparking fears of more positive tests to come.
The stay-at-home orders will apply to anyone who has been to Kempsey since September 14, and to Byron and Tweed since September 18.
The rules will be the same as the ones that apply in other regional communities under lockdown.
“Everyone in the affected (local government areas) must stay at home unless it is for an essential reason, which includes shopping for food, medical care, getting vaccinated, compassionate needs, exercise and work or tertiary education if you can’t work or study at home,” NSW Health said in a statement.
However the “picnic rule” that came into effect for fully vaccinated people last week will still apply.
That means those people can gather outdoor for exercise or recreation in groups of five as long as everyone is vaccinated.
Byron, Tweed and Kempsey were among the regional communities that benefited from eased restrictions for the fully vaccinated a little over a week ago.
It meant businesses like pubs and hairdressers opened to the double-jabbed under restrictions similar to those that will apply in the whole state once NSW manages to fully vaccinate 70 per cent of the population.
QUEENSLAND
As a result of the NSW regional snap lockdowns, Queensland said these regions would become part of the “restricted” border zone from 1am on Wednesday.
This means nine of the 17 LGAs currently in the border zone are now restricted and people can only enter Queensland for limited essential purposes.
Queensland Health said the lifting of the Lismore and Brewarrina Shire Council lockdowns meant the non-restricted border zone rules could be reinstated from 1am Thursday.
This will mean the City of Lismore and Brewarrina Shire Council residents and Queenslanders travelling to the these areas will be able to cross the border for more reasons.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Entry to South Australia is currently not allowed for travellers arriving from the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and Victoria.
Travellers arriving from the Brisbane and Logan council areas must undergo tests on days one, five and 13 after they arrive in South Australia and isolate until they receive their first negative result.
But change is coming – from September 25, they will only have to fill in a cross-border travel application, which will be approved.
And from September 24, essential travellers (excluding Victorian Cross Border Community Members, emergency services workers and commercial transport and freight workers) will have to show evidence they have received at least one TGA-approved Covid-19 vaccination.
Originally published as New border rules for Victorians; NSW lockdown changes
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