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22 January, 2021

Victoria and Tasmania announce further easing of border restrictions

Bethanga Bridge over a very full hume weir on a crisp still sunny morning.

The relaxing of domestic border restrictions continues apace, with Victoria and Tasmania the latest states to make some adjustments.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and Health Minister Martin Foley today announced that Greater Brisbane and regional NSW, with the exception of Wollongong and the Blue Mountains, will change from an ‘orange zone’ to a ‘green zone’ as part of its new ‘traffic light’ system for domestic travel.

The Greater Sydney local government areas (LGAs) of Blacktown, Burwood, Canada Bay, Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield, the Inner West, Liverpool, Parramatta, and Strathfield will join the rest of Greater Sydney, Wollongong and the Blue Mountains as orange zones.

For now, Cumberland will remain a red zone, meaning people from the Greater Sydney LGA are still not permitted to travel to Victoria without an exemption, exception or essential worker permit.

Those who have already applied for an exemption application will not need to reapply.

Victoria’s updated orange zone listing overrides the previous classification as a red zone and applies to the last 14 days. Anyone who is now in an orange zone and meets the permit criteria can now apply for an orange zone permit from 6pm (AEDT) tonight.

Travel from an orange zone requires people to self-isolate, get tested within 72 hours of arrival and remain in quarantine until they receive a negative result. Travel from a green zone requires people to watch and get tested if they have any symptoms at all.

Travellers to Victoria must also confirm they have not been in the remaining red zone of Cumberland within the past 14 days (other than for transit), have not been in close contact with a coronavirus case and do not have any symptoms.

The Victorian government said exemption applications will no longer be required for those LGAs being downgraded to an orange zone, unless people have also been in a red zone in the last 14 days, and will not be considered.

Meanwhile, Tasmania has changed the status of Greater Brisbane LGAs Brisbane, Moreton Bay, Ipswich, Redland, and Logan from ‘medium risk’ to ‘low risk’.

Image source: Facebook/Hobart Airport

Travellers who have spent time in these LGAs in the 14 days prior to their arrival in Tasmania will not be required to quarantine on arrival.

People currently in quarantine after having spent time in these LGAs in the 14 days prior to their arrival are able to end their quarantine from today.

Furthermore, Tasmania has downgraded the 24 LGAs in the Greater Sydney region from medium risk to low risk.

The state government said 10 Greater Sydney LGAs will remain medium risk at this stage, with travellers who have been in the areas in the 14 days prior to their arrival required to quarantine for 14 days.

Travellers who have not been in Blacktown, Burwood, Canada Bay, Canterbury-Bankstown, Fairfield, the Inner West, Liverpool, Parramatta, and Strathfield in the 14 days prior to their arrival in Tasmania will not be required to quarantine.

People currently in quarantine who have not been in the 10 LGAs are able to end their quarantine from today.

Featured image source: iStock/petercharlesworth

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Border restrictions daniel andrews domestic borders domestic travel Greater Brisbane Greater Sydney LGAs local government areas Martin Foley tasmania tasmanian government travel restrictions victoria victorian government