Everything You Need To Know About QLD And SA’s New Border Rules

Australians are waking up to some unexpectedly good news this morning, with the announcement that Queensland and South Australia will be relaxing their border restrictions as the country continues to flatten the COVID-19 curve.

The ABC reports that South Australia’s Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrior has confirmed that the state will reopen to New South Wales travellers after 14 days of zero community transmission. 

Queensland is set to allow entry to over 150,000 people living along the state’s southern borders, and will continue to ease restrictions from Friday if there continue to be low – or no – new cases in New South Wales. Here’s everything you need to know about QLD and SA’s new border restrictions:

Can I Travel To Queensland?

QLD Border Restrictions:

📌 From 1am on Thursday, October 1 QLD’s border zone will expand to include Byron, Ballina, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Glen Innes council areas.
📌 Border residents can apply for a border pass and travel around QLD for any purpose, and Queenslanders can travel to those places. pic.twitter.com/Hqjx4wCvgJ

— Queensland Health (@qldhealth) September 22, 2020

ACT residents will be able to travel to Queensland from September 25, granted there are no new cases in the nation’s capital. If travelling to the ACT from Victoria, Queensland or Greater Sydney, there are still rules around visiting high-risk areas.

NSW residents living in a further 41 postcodes will be able to travel to Queensland from October 1, after applying for a border pass. Some of these newly added postcodes include Byron Bay, Ballina, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Glen Innes. QLD residents will also be able to travel to these areas.

Can I Travel To South Australia?

SA Border Restrictions:

From 24 September people entering SA from NSW will not need to quarantine for 14 days. People currently in quarantine and people arriving before midnight tomorrow will still have to complete the full 14 day quarantine period, because they present a different health risk. pic.twitter.com/GTuO3W3q9Q

— SA Health (@SAHealth) September 22, 2020

NSW residents who have completed an online approval form will be able to enter South Australia from midnight Wednesday, September 23, and will no longer have to enter a 14-day quarantine period. However, if you’re currently self-isolating after entering SA from NSW, you’ll have to finish the fortnight quarantine. 

Victorian residents hoping to visit South Australia will only be granted entry if they are an essential traveller or live within 40km of the SA border, according to ABC.

Can I Travel To Other Australian States?

Sadly, Victorian residents are still prohibited from travelling to other states and territories unless they hold an exemption, are an essential worker, or live on a state border. 

If you want to visit Tasmania, you’ll need an exemption as a seasonal or FIFO worker – however, there have been considerations to ease border restrictions by the end of October.

It’s a similar situation for those hoping to enter Western Australia. Unless you are an exempt traveller, you must enter a 14-day quarantine period on entry.