Victoria Covid travel restrictions for each state and territory
Following the announcement that Victoria’s Covid-19 infections have spiked, another state has closed their border to travellers.
Queensland has become the next state to slam their border shut alongside Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania following the Victorian outbreak and subsequent seven day lockdown.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced on Twitter that “anyone arriving into Queensland today [Thursday] who has been in Victoria in the past 14 days must observe the same lockdown conditions as Victoria”.
Ms Palaszczuk, who initially declared just the City of Whittlesea local government area as a hot spot, said the whole state now falls into that ‘hot spot’ category.
Earlier, Premier Mark McGowan announced that his state would also lock out Victorian travellers.
Speaking to media, Mr McGowan said as of 10am AWST Thursday, Victoria will be designated a ‘medium risk’ jurisdiction.
It means travel to WA for anyone who has been in Victoria since May 16 will no longer be permitted.
West Australians will be able to return home, but must serve 14 days self quarantine.
Tasmania’s Premier Peter Gutwein has also thrown the gates shut, announcing that from 2pm Thursday, anyone who has been in Victoria in the past 14 days will not be able to enter the state.
The health department said Victoria is now considered a high-risk area, people will only be allowed into the state from Victoria if they are approved as an essential traveller.
Following the announcement that Victoria’s Covid-19 infections have spiked again overnight, with health authorities confirming 11 new local cases recorded to 8pm on Wednesday, the state will now enter a seven-day lockdown.
From 11.59pm Thursday, all of Victoria will move into lockdown restrictions, with just five reasons to leave home.
These include to leave home to get food and supplies, authorised work, care and caregiving, exercise for up to two hours each day with one other person, and getting vaccinated.
Currently, there are now 34 active cases in Victoria, with 26 of those linked to the new clusteroutbreak.
RELATED: Follow the latest Covid-19 developments
States and territories across Australia have started to impose travel restrictions as a response.
Here’s where each state stands:
Victoria
With new lockdown measures in place, Victorians will not be allowed to move around the state unless it is for one of the five listed reasons, being:
– Shopping for necessary goods and services
– Authorised work or permitted education
– Exercise for up to two hours with one other person
– Caregiving, compassionate or medical reasons
– To get vaccinated
A 5-kilometre limit will be in place for travel away from your home for shopping and exercise.
RELATED: Melbourne Covid-19 outbreak spikes as lockdown fears grow
NSW and ACT
The state’s health department said everyone arriving in to NSW – whether by air, rail or road – who has been in Victoria will now face new restrictions.
On Thursday, Premier Gladys Berejiklian has demanded anyone in NSW who has been to Victoria must follow the stay-at-home measures that would have applied if they were still south of the border.
The rule will apply to anyone who has been in Victoria since 4pm on Thursday and who is in NSW or travelling there.
“This means anyone arriving in NSW who has been in Victoria since 4pm todaymust remain at their home or place of residence in NSW for the seven-day duration of the Victorian measures,” NSW Health wrote in a statement.
Those people will only be allowed to leave those residences for shopping for essential things, medical care, caregiving, outdoor exercise or essential work and education.
People who are subject to Melbourne’s seven-day lockdown announced on Thursday should not enter NSW.
People arriving in NSW from Victoria should complete a declaration saying they haven’t been to any exposure sites.
For NSW residents planning to go to Victoria in the coming days, the Berejiklian government has asked them to reconsider their plans unless the trip is absolutely essential.
Any non NSW or ACT residents who have visited a close contact site, are not allowed to enter either NSW or the ACT at this time.
If nonresidents have visited a casual contact site, they must have proof of a negative COVID-19 test before travelling to NSW.
NSW residents have a little more flexibility, meaning those who live in NSW and have been to either close or casual contact sites in Greater Melbourne must immediately self-isolate for however many days are left of the 14 days since they visited that site.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has urged NSW resident to avoid travel to Great Melbourne at this time.
Similarly, ACT Health said any residents who have already arrived or plan on entering the ACT and have been to one of the close contact exposure locations in Melbourne at the dates and times specified must immediately quarantine for 14 days since last attending the venue and also get tested for Covid-19, regardless of symptoms.
Non-ACT residents who have been to one of the sites are not allowed to enter the ACT unless they obtain an exemption before arriving.
Queensland
In Queensland, health authorities have now declared the entire state of Victoria as a hot spot.
This means that anyone arriving in Queensland from Thursday who has been in Victoria in the past 14 days must observe the same lockdown conditions as Victoria.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk tweeted that effective from 1am Friday 28 May, anyone arriving from Victoria must go into hotel quarantine.
Northern Territory
As of Thursday morning, the Northern Territory has declared Greater Melbourne and Bendigo COVID-19 hotpots, which means anyone arriving from those areas will undergo mandatory quarantine.
The new rule also applies to anyone who has been in the affected areas in the past two weeks, which extends back to May 12. This means this group needs to get a COVID-19 test and remain in isolation until a negative result is returned.
On Monday, the acting chief health officer Dr Charles Pain outlined a set of testing and quarantine rules for travellers who had already arrived from Victoria and had visited one of the COVID-19 exposure sites.
Essentially, anyone who arrived in the Northern Territory after 12.01am on May 25, 2021 who has visited any of the close contact public exposure sites as stipulated by Victorian health authorities at the specified dates and times must enter mandatory supervised quarantine at their first port of arrival.
Anyone who arrived into the Northern Territory between May 16, 2021 and 12am on May 25, 2021 must immediately get tested and undertake 14 days of quarantine in their home or at a suitable place.
Anyone who arrived into the Northern Territory since May 16, 2021, and until otherwise directed, must self-isolate, get a test and remain in self-quarantine until a negative result is returned.
“I encourage Territorians who have visited Melbourne’s northern suburbs since May 16, 2021 to ensure they are informed of public exposure sites are regular check the Victorian coronavirus website,” Dr Pain said.
Western Australia
As of Thursday morning, Western Australia is putting up a snap border closure to people in Victoria.
As of 10am Thursday, Victoria will be designated a medium risk jurisdiction.
It means travel to WA for anyone who has been in Victoria since May 16 will no longer be permitted.
Premier Mark McGowan said West Australians will be able to return home, but must serve 14 days self quarantine.
South Australia
The South Australian Health department were one of the first states to clamp down on tough border restrictions in response to Melbourne’s coronavirus cases.
The state ordered a hard border preventing anybody from entering the state from Greater Melbourne from 6pm local time on Wednesday, May 26.
SA Police said people who have been to any of the several designated exposure sites as listed by Vic Health at the relevant times during the past week are now unable to enter the state.
The state said anyone who had already arrived prior to the restrictions coming into effect on Tuesday will have to quarantine for 14 days.
The Cross Border-Associated Direction has been updated in SA. People from the city of Whittlesea and those who have been at a Tier 1 or 2 VIC COVID-19 Public Exposure Site are not permitted to enter SA.
— South Australia Police (@SAPoliceNews) May 25, 2021
For more information please visit: https://t.co/ybtlm2PjBWpic.twitter.com/MqIKdaCokp
According to the state’s border rules, essential travellers and anyone who the state deems to be “permitted arrivals” can enter, however they must self-isolate for two weeks and get tested three times.
Tasmania
Tasmania has now listed the entire state of Victoria as a high-risk area, which means anyone who has been there since May 6 will not be able to enter the state.
Tasmania’s health department said people will only be allowed into the state from Victoria if they are approved as an essential traveller.
New Zealand
New Zealand on Tuesday afternoon announced it will pause quarantine-free travel with Victoria for 72 hours due to ‘current unknowns’ with the outbreak in Melbourne.
Chris Hipkins, New Zealand’s Covid-19 Response Minister, announced on Tuesday that an initial 72-hour pause would come into effect as of 7.59pm on Tuesday NZT.
He said the travel pause would remain under “constant review” as it had with other previous pauses.
“While the case announced today is not unexpected as a contact of a case announced yesterday, New Zealand officials have assessed that the most cautious option is to pause the travel bubble with Victoria as there are still several unknowns with the outbreak,” Mr Hipkins said.
“The government understands the disruption this will temporarily cause affected passengers. It was a close call but the correct one given the current unknowns.”
Mr Hipkins said anyone who was currently in NZ who had been to one of the exposure locations listed on the Victoria Health website needed to contact Healthline on 0800 358 5453 as soon as possible to receive testing and isolation advice.
Those who had visited Melbourne since May 11 have also been asked to monitor for symptoms and seek advice if they develop any.
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