Hell yeah: As of next week, fully vaccinated people in NSW will be able to enter Victoria without having to quarantine for two weeks.
From 11:59pm on Tuesday, October 19, returning Victorians and NSW locals alike will be allowed to travel to Victoria without needing to quarantine for 14 days.
From then on, if you’re a fully vaccinated person entering Victoria from a red zone, you’ll need a negative test result taken no more than 72 hours before you enter the state. Once there, you must isolate and get tested again within 72 hours and stay isolated until you come back with a negative result.
People who aren’t fully vaccinated must get a test no more than 72 hours before they enter the state, and are then required to quarantine for 14 days and get tested when they arrive and on the 13th day of their quarantine period.
If you are entering Victoria from an orange zone and are fully vaccinated, you no longer are required to get tested and isolate until you receive a negative result. All you need is a valid permit, however, these new changes do not apply to not fully vaccinated people.
So, while that doesn’t guarantee that us fully vaxxed legends in Greater Sydney can go down to Melbourne for a cheeky weekend just right now, it does mean that people can prepare to go for a week and see their friends and family.
These changes come from the advice of Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton as the state continues to reach its vaccination targets. As of today, 88 percent of Victorians aged 16 and over have received one dose of the vaccine while 63 percent have received both doses.
Fully vaccinated people in NSW will be allowed to enter Victoria without quarantining for 14 days from October 19 #springst @theheraldsun pic.twitter.com/GqBeefVB0h
— Mitch Clarke (@96mitchclarke) October 15, 2021
“Our border settings are changing as we move towards a managed easing of restrictions and people who are fully vaccinated have a right to reduced requirements because they present reduced risk,” said Victoria’s Minister for Health Martin Foley.
“Victoria and New South Wales have been through so much over the last few months, and we’re pleased that more families will now be able to reunite and more people will be able to travel in a safe way.”
Prior to today’s announcement, entering Victoria from a red zone was only available to Victorian residents stuck outside of the state, and quarantine was required for 14 days regardless of whether people were fully vaccinated or not. People in orange zones had to get tested within 72 hours after entering the state and isolate until they received a negative result.
Between this, international travel, and the changes to ACT and NSW borders, everything really feels like it’s going back to normal.
