Returning NSW residents from Victoria to go into hotel quarantine from Friday

Returning NSW residents from Victoria to go into hotel quarantine from Friday

As of Friday, NSW residents returning home from Victoria will be required to go into 14 days of mandatory hotel quarantine at their own expense.

A strict permit system will also be in place for all flights arriving in NSW from Victoria, with the state only accepting returning residents or people with a valid permit.

The new laws will be effective from 12.01am on Friday.

Speaking to the press yesterday, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the extension of the hotel quarantine scheme came in response to news Victoria had recorded 725 new coronavirus cases and the loss of 15 lives – representing the highest daily totals since the pandemic began.

“In view of the health advice, in view of the escalating situation in Victoria, the NSW government today has decided … to ensure and require that every returning traveller from Victoria goes into the mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine when they get to Sydney Airport,” she said, as reported by ABC News.

The premier said returning travellers would be required to pay for their own quarantine, but there would be exceptions for financial hardship, adding that compassionate grounds – like the death of an immediate family member – would continue to be reason enough to receive an exemption to travel.

All airports in NSW will also close to flights from Victoria, except for Sydney Airport, to control the flow of returned travellers, Berejiklian said.

In a statement, the state government said NSW Health would record the contact details of anyone entering NSW from Victoria. NSW Police will also be conducting regular compliance checks for anyone required to self-isolate.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said NSW is constantly reviewing the situation in Victoria and will adjust the health orders as necessary to protect the state.

“There are only limited reasons anyone from Victoria should be entering NSW and people have been turned back despite being allowed on the plane in Melbourne,” Hazzard said.

The announcement came as NSW recorded 12 new coronavirus infections, and shortly after Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszcuzk announced her state would close its border to NSW and the ACT as of Saturday, citing concerns travellers had breached the state’s border requirements.

According to ABC News, Berejiklian said she did not receive notice that Palaszcuzk had closed her border to NSW, the second time in seven days this has happened.


Featured image source: YouTube/9 News Australia

Latest News