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Changes to state border arrangements are coming in thick and fast today, with Victoria this morning announcing it would permit fully vaccinated travellers from New South Wales to enter the state from Wednesday 20 October.
Anyone from a NSW ‘red zone’ will be permitted to enter Victoria from next Wednesday so long as they have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and have received a negative PCR test result no more than 72 hours prior to departure.
Once travellers enter VIC, they must isolate until they receive another negative test within 72 hours of arrival. From there, they’re free to go ahead and explore Victoria as long as they abide by local restrictions.
VIC Minister for Health Martin Foley said the changes could be made thanks to the high rates of vaccination across NSW.
“As the risk profile between the two Staes changes and as we get both states moving towards a more integrated reopening position we’ve got further announcements to make,” he said.
“These changes are made on the advice of the public health team and the chief health officer and come as the Victorian community rapidly approaches and passes today 88 per cent of our population aged 16 and over having received at least one dose and 63 per cent having two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.”
The new rules also apply for anyone coming from ‘orange zones’ under Victoria’s traffic light border system.
These announcements come as Victoria today reports 2,179 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and six deaths attributed to the virus.
Updated at 11.53am AEDT on 15 October 2021.
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