Australian state border restrictions

[jrfsp]

NT new rules in November:

Red (Covid Hotspot) - Vaccinated, 14 days home quarantine. Unvaccinated, banned.
Orange- Vaccinated - home quarantine until negative test received (didn't specify unvaccinated. Maybe banned also?)
Green - No restrictions

Not much of an opening, but better than nothing.

Interesting I wouldnt be surprised if this is what WA and TAS do too. Maybe even QLD/ SA to a lesser extent.

 

[justinbrett]

At least there is now an avenue for someone in NSW/VIC/ACT to get sanitised for onwards travel to the hardline states like WA and potentially others.

Christmas may be back on if you can afford the 2 weeks extra leave and diversion into Darwin.

It will also be interesting if they're still classifying whole states as hotspots or if they'll go back to individual LGAs.

 

[mviy]

It will also be interesting if they're still classifying whole states as hotspots or if they'll go back to individual LGAs.

That would certainly be interesting. My LGA in VIC has above average vaccination rates and should reach vaccination targets well ahead of the state. It has low cases and really shouldn't be considered a hotspot despite being in Metropolitan Melbourne in my view.

 

[exceladdict]

It will also be interesting if they're still classifying whole states as hotspots or if they'll go back to individual LGAs.

As someone who does want to travel interstate for work, I am hoping this becomes the case if it allows at least some opening up (or more relevant, returning after travel). But we'll wait and see.

 

[jakeseven7]

That would certainly be interesting. My LGA in VIC has above average vaccination rates and should reach vaccination targets well ahead of the state. It has low cases and really shouldn't be considered a hotspot despite being in Metropolitan Melbourne in my view.

LGAs are far far too broad though in covid normal life.

We have example suburbs within some LGAs that have zero cases and vax rates 20% higher than other suburbs in the same LGA….

They will have to move to postcodes at least…. Suburbs?

 

[oznflfan]

NT new rules in November:

Red (Covid Hotspot) - Vaccinated, 14 days home quarantine. Unvaccinated, banned.
Orange- Vaccinated - home quarantine until negative test received (didn't specify unvaccinated. Maybe banned also?)
Green - No restrictions

Not much of an opening, but better than nothing.

Sort of goes against the grain of full opening at 80%. Above is on basis we do get to 80% by November.

OK with it state based, at least if I go to Melbourne for a visit I won't have HQ and $3,000 bill as max of Home Quarantine for vaccinated.

Watched his whole press conference, and NOTHING stated about international. If for example he effectively 'copied' his green/orange/red traffic light with same for international travel I would be ecstatic:

Green - Travel Bubble i.e. NZ - same as prior - no quarantine at all.
Orange - Low risk - i.e. as Trehan stated, Japan, South Korea, UK - home quarantine until negative test.
Red - High risk - Brazil/Iran/Malaysia - even USA really - home quarantine 14 days.
*All above only if vaccinated of course.

 

[Virgin Bart]

On my reading of NT's proposed traffic light system people residing in Melbourne or Sydney would never be able to travel to NT without 14 days quarantine... Or am I missing something??

 

[oznflfan]

On my reading of NT's proposed traffic light system people residing in Melbourne or Sydney would never be able to travel to NT without 14 days quarantine... Or am I missing something??

It'll change next year, but effectively yes. Yet to see classification of green/orange/red. If sensible and green under 5 day average of say 50 per day, orange under 500 per day and red above 500 per day?

It's all a mess across Australia right now. Didn't Scomo say he wanted everyone at the same table at Christmas?

I thought opening at 80% was exactly that, opening, this NT style not so much.

 

[N860CR]

On my reading of NT's proposed traffic light system people residing in Melbourne or Sydney would never be able to travel to NT without 14 days quarantine... Or am I missing something??

Correct. And this is the issue with some of these states. They’ve made bold statements about “not reopening at 80%” and in the territories case introduced a traffic light system. They are not telling us when they will move on from that. 90%? 100%? 100% including babies still in womb?

It’s amateur, popular politics and as a member of a certain group of people who represent all of these problem states, I just say I’m pretty embarrassed.

 

[Seat0B]

It's all a mess across Australia right now. Didn't Scomo say he wanted everyone at the same table at Christmas?

It sure is. And despite some glimmers of hope a few weeks back, it seems to be just getting worse and less clear by the day. I need to travel domestically for work and to see family, and frankly, I would not really be willing to risk it in the near future, under these conditions, with the elvel of uncertainty and lack of clarity, and the history of immediate, knee jerk border lockouts.

I thought that getting to 80% fully vaxxed was supposed to alleviate all this, but it just looks like the power crazy state leaders (that's all of them) just cannot let it go.

Post automatically merged: Sep 15, 2021

Correct. And this is the issue with some of these states. They’ve made bold statements about “not reopening at 80%” and in the territories case introduced a traffic light system. They are not telling us when they will move on from that. 90%? 100%? 100% including babies still in womb?

It’s amateur, popular politics and as a member of a certain group of people who represent all of these problem states, I just say I’m pretty embarrassed.

snap

 

[drron]

I actually agree with Mr.Gunner.The NT has just over 30% of it's population that are indigenous.They are our most at risk group.So there is certainly a Health reason behind his statement.
All of this doesn't prevent our external borders opening.It doesn't matter what the individual State or Territory want to do with their borders if they have reached the over 80% of16+ fully vaccinated then the external borders under the plan will gradually open.Those from the States that want to have a higher rate before opening could certainly get cranky with their leaders but at this stage those who want to go OS could just fly to Sydney and go OS from there.

 

[justinbrett]

NT has more people leaving than arriving over Christmas (locals usually escape for Christmas down south).

Tourism is not a great loss that time of year.

 

[oznflfan]

All of this doesn't prevent our external borders opening.It doesn't matter what the individual State or Territory want to do with their borders if they have reached the over 80% of16+ fully vaccinated then the external borders under the plan will gradually open.Those from the States that want to have a higher rate before opening could certainly get cranky with their leaders but at this stage those who want to go OS could just fly to Sydney and go OS from there.

I'd rather fly O/S from Darwin, heaps cheaper, don't have to potentially double quarantine. Interesting what will come out of National Cabinet this Friday and over next month. If all states agree to same O/S quarantine requirements? Not sure if feds can put more force on uniform requirements, I know they have little pull on state border requirements.

 

[antycbr]

I'd rather fly O/S from Darwin, heaps cheaper, don't have to potentially double quarantine. Interesting what will come out of National Cabinet this Friday and over next month. If all states agree to same O/S quarantine requirements? Not sure if feds can put more force on uniform requirements, I know they have little pull on state border requirements.

They should just repeal the Biosecurity Act controls and clear people across the border. What happens after that should be the responsibility of the state. You wanted to run quarantine, you own it.

 

[N860CR]

They should just repeal the Biosecurity Act controls and clear people across the border. What happens after that should be the responsibility of the state. You wanted to run quarantine, you own it.

The legislation may well find itself in a bit of hurt anyway if anybody challenges it. It wouldn’t be hard to argue that the biosecurity threat has been largely eliminated by vaccination and a blanket ban on departures is no longer justified. Ditto for arrivals. I return to Australia from Yellow Fever hotspots usually twice a year. Haven’t been forced into quarantine yet. As a matter of fact, few customs officials even know what the yellow book is.

 

[nutwood]

The legislation may well find itself in a bit of hurt anyway if anybody challenges it. It wouldn’t be hard to argue that the biosecurity threat has been largely eliminated by vaccination and a blanket ban on departures is no longer justified. Ditto for arrivals. I return to Australia from Yellow Fever hotspots usually twice a year. Haven’t been forced into quarantine yet. As a matter of fact, few customs officials even know what the yellow book is.

Really, this is the crux of the matter. The world has been living with nasties for many years. Countries calmly assess the risks, put controls in place and get on with life. Covid's biggest success has been to become a public virus, totally under the management of politicians.

 

[oznflfan]

On my reading of NT's proposed traffic light system people residing in Melbourne or Sydney would never be able to travel to NT without 14 days quarantine... Or am I missing something??

First off I am vaccinated, have been for months. Once NSW and VIC hit 80% and open up, COVID will run on tap for years in the community.

Just thinking they just today pushed Bathurst 1000 back to December, might go and watch it for the first time, or no, if NSW permanent hotspot due to say 100+ cases, never visiting NSW again - 14 days home quarantine for me on return.

Maybe go to MCG March next year for Round 1 AFL at the G, hang on, Melbourne almost definitely more than 100 cases per day in perpetuity. Can't go there either - 14 days quarantine.

The more I think about this, the more stuck I am in NT.

Depending on oversea's travel bubbles OR low risk countries and home quarantine requirements, looks like it will be 10 times safer going oversea's than interstate. If UK is a travel bubble country with 30,000 daily cases, no quarantine, but go to MCG for the weekend and their 100+ cases and I have to 14 day quarantine.

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[nutwood]

Thinking this through; the NSW side of our business is surely but steadily going down the gurgler as we can't complete work we've contracted to do. Under these hypothetical border arrangements, I could go to NSW, do what needed to be done and head off OS. Spend a couple of weeks in Europe and come back to Tasmania. All sweet. As the Europe trip is a necessary corollary to the NSW work, this should tick the boxes as a legitimate tax deduction.
I'm thinking the family are going to like this one!

 

[jakeseven7]

Thinking this through; the NSW side of our business is surely but steadily going down the gurgler as we can't complete work we've contracted to do. Under these hypothetical border arrangements, I could go to NSW, do what needed to be done and head off OS. Spend a couple of weeks in Europe and come back to Tasmania. All sweet. As the Europe trip is a necessary corollary to the NSW work, this should tick the boxes as a legitimate tax deduction.
I'm thinking the family are going to like this one!

And my Uncles family business (not the one I work in mind you) is also going down the gurgler because we are exposed heavily to tourism / hospitality and events all across Australia but particularly in WA, QLD, VIC and Tassie which are catatonic right now. Some hotels are in single digit occupancy even in Perth.

 

[nutwood]

And my Uncles family business (not the one I work in mind you) is also going down the gurgler because we are exposed heavily to tourism / hospitality and events all across Australia but particularly in WA, QLD, VIC and Tassie which are catatonic right now. Some hotels are in single digit occupancy even in Perth.

That's a harder one as it sounds as though it relies on everyone being able to travel and move about. Unless some radical mindset changes occur, it's hard to see free travel across Australia any time soon, regardless of vaccination rates. Even if they threw open the borders tomorrow, there'll be a small but significant portion of the population who won't be comfortable travelling for a while.
The grass may be greener on the other side of the fence but the extension of this seems to be that the Covid situation is always worse somewhere else. If it's not another State, it's another suburb. If you went to that suburb, it'd be the next street.