COVID-19 Lockdowns and Restrictions — What it means to you

It’s important to note that situations change often so keep yourselves posted with the latest information with regards to COVID-19. As of writing (23/07/2021), Australia has a total of 1,700 active cases according the Department of Health. All of the statistics written below are from the their website.

Australian Capital Territory (ACT)

Active cases: 0

Travel restrictions (domestic):

•  There are no restrictions if you’re coming from the Northern Territory, Tasmania, Western Australia, and Jervis Bay.
• If you’re an ACT resident coming from New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, or South Australia, you may need to complete an online exemption form 24 hours prior to your arrival in the ACT and enter into a 14 day quarantine (or until advised by an authorised ACT Health personnel, immediately upon arrival.
• For non-ACT residents that had been to New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, or South Australia, in the last 14 days, obtaining an exemption before arriving to ACT is a must. If granted, you may need to immediately quarantine for 14 days at your own expense.
• If you’re transiting through ACT, you should be able to do so freely under certain conditions.

What you can do:

• There currently aren’t many things you can’t do in the ACT.
• Here’s a link to the list of things that you can do.

For more information:
https://www.covid19.act.gov.au/travel/entering-the-act
https://www.health.gov.au/news/health-alerts/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert/coronavirus-covid-19-restrictions/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-for-international-travellers

New South Wales (NSW)

Active cases: 1,482

Travel restrictions domestic: 

• Travel declaration is not required for travellers from the ACT or Tasmania.
• Travellers from the Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, or Western Australia are required to complete a travel declaration and follow the rules for interstate travellers. 

What can you do:

• The state is in lockdown.
• There are strict rules currently in place in NSW.
• Here’s a link to the full list of rules.

For more information:
https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/rules/border-restrictions
https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19

Northern Territory (NT)

Active cases: 5

Travel restrictions domestic:

• If you’re travelling from the ACT, Western Australia, or Tasmania, there are currently no quarantine and testing requirements for you.
• If you’re travelling from New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, or Queensland, you may need to be in a 14 day mandatory, supervised quarantine and do some COVID-19 tests

What can you do:

• Restrictions on what you can’t do had been lifted. 
• Check this link and this one too, for more information.

Queensland (QLD)

Active cases: 31

Travel restrictions domestic:

• All travellers entering Queensland are required to complete a Queensland entry pass 3 days before their travel to the state, with a few exceptions. 
• Non-QLD residents travelling to Queensland from New South Wales, South Australia, or Victoria are not allowed to enter the state unless allowed for a limited range of essential purposes.
• Those allowed to enter need to to complete a 14 day hotel quarantine at their own expense.
• Queensland has a travel category system where travel restrictions are based on risk levels. You can find their map containing those information here.

What can’t you do:

• Currently, there are face mask restrictions in place for South East Queensland.
• This also applies to those who had been in the impacted areas around South East Queensland in the last 14 days.
• Gathering restrictions as well as visitor restrictions for vulnerable person facilities are in place for South East Queensland.

For more information:

https://www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19/current-status/public-health-directions/what-you-can-and-cant-do
https://www.qld.gov.au/health/conditions/health-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19/current-status/public-health-directions/restrictions-impacted-areas

South Australia (SA)

Active cases: 21

Travel restrictions domestic:

• South Australia is in lockdown. They’re currently in a ‘stay at home’ restriction.
• All travellers coming to South Australia are required to complete a Cross Border Travel Registration form.
• Travellers to SA, including South Australian residents are not allowed to enter the state without SA Health approval and the form mentioned above.
• Travellers who had been in the ACT, Victoria, Greater Brisbane, and New South Wales (except Broken Hill) in the past 14 days are not allowed to enter South Australia, with the exception of essential travellers.
• Those who are travelling from the other parts of Queensland are allowed to enter South Australia with no restrictions.
• People travelling from the Northern Territory and Western Australia may come to South Australia without restrictions if they have not been in the restricted areas.
• Essential travellers are: returning SA residents, people relocating, and those escaping Domestic violence.
• Depending on your specific situation, you may need to be tested for COVID-19, wear a face mask in public, and be quarantined for 14 days.

What can’t you do:

• Level 5 restrictions are currently in place. This means that South Australians must stay at home except for:

 – Essential work     

– To get essential goods/ services   

  – Obtaining Essential Health Services (i.e. COVID-19 tests/ vaccine)     

– Compassionate grounds     

– Exercise

• Masks should be worn when in public places (unless physically distancing outdoors), high risk settings, public transport, and of course for health care services.

For more information:

https://www.covid-19.sa.gov.au/restrictions-and-responsibilities/travel-restrictions

https://www.covid-19.sa.gov.au/restrictions-and-responsibilities/faqs

Tasmania (TAS)

Active cases: 0

Travel restrictions domestic:

• Travellers from low-risk areas are not required to quarantine when they arrive to Tasmania but they need to register their contact and travel details in the Tas e-Travel system at the latest, a day before they arrive.
• Low risk:

– New South Wales

– Queensland

– South Australia

– Victoria

What can you do:

There are currently no strict restrictions in Tasmania aside from wearing face masks in certain settings. Learn more about this here. 

For more information:

https://www.coronavirus.tas.gov.au/

https://www.coronavirus.tas.gov.au/travellers-and-visitors/coming-to-tasmania

Victoria (VIC)

Active cases: 146

Travel restrictions domestic:

• Victoria has been in lockdown.
• Non-Victorian residents coming from a red zone are not allowed to enter the state. Exemptions may apply under specific circumstances.
• Red zone:

– the Australian Capital Territory   

– New South Wales   

– South Australia (parts of)

• Travellers coming from a green zone may be able to enter Victoria. They must apply for a permit to enter, must not have viisted a red zone, and do not have any COVID-19 symptoms.
• Green zone:

– New Zealand   

– South Australia (parts of)   

– Tasmania   

– Queensland (parts of)   

– Western Australia   

– Northern Territory

What can’t you do:

• You can’t leave home unless you’re shopping for necessities, for care giving and medical care, exercising, authorised work/ permitted study, or to get COVID-19 vaccination.
• For a more detailed list of restrictions, visit here.

For more information:

https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/covid19-restriction-checker/domestic-travel/vic

https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/victorian-travel-permit-system

Western Australia WA)

Active cases: 15

Travel restrictions domestic:

• Travellers from very low risk places: complete a mandatory G2G PASS registration and declaration. You will not be required to quarantine.
• Travellers from low risk places: complete a mandatory G2G PASS registration and declaration. You’d need to complete a health screening when you arrive in WA. You would need to quarantine for 14 days (self quarantine or in a Government approved quarantine facility at your own expense). You need to wear your mask and have a COVID-19 test done on your 12th day in quarantine.
• Travellers from medium risk places: complete a mandatory G2G PASS registration and declaration. You need to wear your mask and have a COVID-19 test done within 48 hours upon arrival and on your 12th day of quarantine.

What can’t you do:

There are currently no strict restrictions in place in Western Australia. For a detailed list of things that you can and can’t do, click here.

For more information:

https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-the-premier-and-cabinet/covid-19-coronavirus-travel-wa

https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/covid-communications/covid-19-coronavirus-controlled-border

Download the Check In app for your respective state, on your phone. You need it to check yourselves in wherever you go. This is used for contact tracing. This applies all across Australia.

Travellers from overseas

Australia’s borders are still closed. You can’t travel into Australia unless you’re either an Australian citizen, permanent resident, an immediate family member of an AU citizen/ permanent resident, or travellers who had been in New Zealand for at least 14 days before departure date.