After more than six months of varying levels of restrictions, people from Greater Sydney and the ACT will be allowed into Victoria, and the rest of the country is now considered a green zone for travel to Victoria.
Travellers and workers who arrive from a green zone face no testing or quarantine requirements, but are still required to obtain an entry permit from Service Victoria and anyone over 16 who has not received both vaccinations will be restricted in terms of what they can do on arrival in Victoria under the existing vaccinated economy rules.
There will be no requirements for fully vaccinated Victorians entering NSW unless they have been to a place of high concern in Victoria. Unvaccinated or single vaccinated Victorians over 16 will not be allowed to enter NSW for recreational or holiday purposes.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews both confirmed the details of the lifting of border restrictions last night, thanking the residents of each state for making the change possible by getting vaccinated.
Business NSW Chief Executive Daniel Hunter said “NSW and Victoria have led the way for Australia with the highest vaccination rates in the world which has now enabled us to live with COVID-19.
“The effort that New South Wales and Victorian residents have made has been truly outstanding, and we are now able to reignite the two strongest economies and fast-track Australia’s economic recovery.
“We are thankful for the collaboration between our State Governments to enable this to happen. We can now safely and securely plan interstate business trips, family reunions and holidays, and look forward to a wonderful Christmas period.”
Victorian Chamber Chief Executive Paul Guerra said "This is the news that we have been jointly advocating for since September 2021; it will help to turbocharge the country’s two most powerful economies and set our nation up for global success. Importantly, this opens up the vital tourism industry across both states as we head into summer.
“Now that we are able to finally close this chapter, we should embrace the lessons learned and continue with this strong state collaboration so that we can drive the nation’s economic recovery.
“We can now all look forward to a wonderful summer, Christmas and New Years celebrations with family and friends, and a successful 2022 as a nation whole again.”
