Just days out before Christmas, state and territory leaders have rushed to impose new travel restrictions on travellers from Sydney’s Northern Beaches and Greater Sydney, where a coronavirus cluster is continuing to grow.
The outbreak jumped to a total of 70 cases on Sunday after 30 new positive tests were returned overnight, with the source of the infections still unknown to authorities.
On Saturday, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the Northern Beaches area of Sydney would re-enter lockdown from 5pm on Saturday until midnight on Wednesday.
“Essentially, we will be going back to the restrictions that were in place back in March, just for the local government area of the Northern Beaches,” she said.
The shock spike in cases has prompted new rules for Sydneysiders and NSW residents hoping to travel interstate for the holidays. Here’s what you need to know.
Victoria
Residents of Greater Sydney, including the Central Coast and the Blue Mountains, will be banned from travelling to Victoria from midnight on Sunday with Premier Daniel Andrews declaring the entire region a ‘red zone’.
Anyone who enters the state after that time will be subjected to 14 days of hotel quarantine.
Returning Victorians have an additional 24 hours to make the trip home, where they will be expected to self-isolate for 14 days at home.
Those arriving after midnight on Monday will also be subjected to hotel quarantine arrangements.
Mr Andrews said the significant new step was a “difficult decision, but it is the appropriate decision”.
He said the border closures would remain in place for “as long as they needed to” and would not be lifted when the current Northern Beaches lockdown expires at midnight on Wednesday.
People already in Victoria who have been in the Northern Beaches on or since 11 December should isolate and get tested.
Queensland
Queensland health authorities have also announced the state is shutting its border to residents of Greater Sydney.
From 1am on Monday, 21 December, Greater Sydney will be declared a hotspot.
Anyone who has been in Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and the Illawarra-Shoalhaven People since 11 December will not be allowed into the state without an exemption. If granted, they’ll will be required to go into hotel quarantine for 14 days.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk speaks during a press conference in Brisbane, Sunday, 20 December, 2020.
AAP
Queenslanders will have another 24 hours – until 1am on Tuesday – to get back home but will need to be tested for the virus and self-isolate for 14 days.
“If you are from Greater Sydney, now is not the time to travel to Queensland,” Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Sunday.
Queensland will also reintroduce road checkpoints at the NSW border to enforce the new rules.
The Australian Capital Territory
From midnight on Sunday, the ACT will require anyone coming from Sydney, the Central Coast, Illawarra-Shoalhaven and Nepean Blue Mountains to enter quarantine for 14 days.
“If you are not an ACT resident and have been in any of these places, our message is simple … do not travel to the ACT,” ACT Chief Health Officer Kerryn Coleman told reporters on Sunday.
Anyone in the same household as the traveller will also be required to quarantine, she said.
ACT Health will not be considering exemption requests for non-residents coming from these regions, except in extreme extenuating circumstances, Dr Coleman added.
“I do understand that this will be difficult for many people and we definitely don’t take these decisions lightly.
“While we will not have the restrictions in place any longer than we need to, we need the community to be prepared, this is likely to continue over Christmas and potentially into the New Year.”
Western Australia
Western Australia has reinstated its hard border with NSW given the size of the Northern Beaches outbreak, Premier Mark McGowan has announced.
From midnight on Saturday, the state’s “low risk” rating for NSW was upgraded to “medium risk”, meaning that it would reinstate the same strict measures seen earlier in the year.
The only people from NSW who will be able to fly into the state after 20 December will be those with special exemptions.
Mr McGowan said this has been a “difficult decision” to make given the time of the year.
“I understand this will be devastating news for people looking to meet family for Christmas in NSW,” he said.
The Northern Territory
The Northern Territory has effectively shut its border to Greater Sydney travellers, effective immediately, Acting Chief Minister Nicole Manison said on Sunday afternoon.
People from Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast and the Illawarra will be ordered into 14-day quarantine on arrival in the NT.
“We’ve said that our number one priority is to protect the lives of Territorians, and that if we had to, we would go hard, wide and early,” Ms Manison told reporters. “And we’d act quickly and today we have again.”
She said that the restrictions are effective immediately, leaving passengers on an incoming flight from Sydney with a tough choice.
When they land, they’ll be given the option to go into 14-day quarantine or fly straight back to Sydney.
Tasmania
Health authorities have designated the Northern Beaches Local Government Area a high-risk region, barring any travellers who have passed through there since 11 December from entering Tasmania unless they are an essential traveller.
Tasmania will declare the Greater Sydney area “medium risk” from midnight on 20 December. Anyone who travels to the state from this area will have to quarantine for 14 days.
Anyone already in Tasmania who was in the area from that date is asked to self-isolate immediately and get tested.
The Sydney to Hobart yacht race has been cancelled for the first time in its history, with organisers admitting border restrictions forced by Sydney’s coronavirus outbreak made it impossible to stage.
South Australia
South Australian Premier Steven Marshall announced on Sunday his state will close its border to greater Sydney from midnight on Sunday and checkpoints will be set up to test people for COVID-19 at the NSW road border crossings and at Adelaide Airport.
All people from greater Sydney will have to undergo mandatory 14-day quarantine on arrival in SA, while all Northern Beaches residents will be turned away.
With additional reporting by AAP.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your jurisdiction’s restrictions on gathering limits.
If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
News and information is available in 63 languages at sbs.com.au/coronavirus. Please check the relevant guidelines for your state or territory: NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory, ACT, Tasmania.
