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Mr Gunner says all wastewater testing results for the region have come back negative, and CCTV vision has led authorities to downgrade a number of close contact sites to casual sites. A mask mandate will remain in place until 5:00pm on Friday (12 November) afternoon, with people in the Greater Darwin and Katherine regions required to wear a mask when they can’t physically distance from others.

Today Air New Zealand has announced there are additional requirements for domestic travel along with updates on flexibility and their fast bag service. For travel from mid-December 2021, all customers aged 12 years and over will be asked to present proof of either full vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test before checking in to their domestic flights - providing customers with an extra layer of protection. Key points to note on the Air New Zealand vaccine policy: The initial period of this Air New Zealand vaccine pass policy will be 14 December 2021 - 31 March 2022. All vaccines and tests approved by the New Zealand Government will be accepted. Customers who are not fully vaccinated will be able to provide evidence of a negative Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours before departure – from either free community testing or their GP. A digital solution will make it as easy as possible. Customers can show proof of vaccination (or exemption) by uploading their QR code from the Government’s My Vaccine Pass. This can be done at check-in via our website, mobile app or at the kiosk. If customers don’t check in online before arriving at the airport, they can present their printed My Vaccine Pass at the airport or kiosk. Customers who have a negative test result taken within 72 hours before departure can present either the free community text message result or doctor’s letter at a check-in counter. Downloading the Air New Zealand mobile app will make the connection of your booking details and vaccination status seamless. Customer flexibility: The following flexibility applies for customers ticketed with domestic travel within New Zealand, for travel between 14 December 2021 and 31 March 2022, for tickets issued on or before 9 November 2021.Customers who are unable to provide proof of full vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test before their flight or who no longer wish to travel whilst this temporary policy is in place, are able to hold their ticket in credit. Updates to Fast Bag service: Effective from today, eligible customers who meet the Fast Bag requirements, and request a Fast Bag at the check-in kiosk will have a Fast Bag designator automatically printed on their tag, for them to attach and drop at bag drop themselves. We hope this provides peace of mind and clarity around the steps our industry are taking to allow a safe and free summer. Please reach out with any questions or concerns.

The lockout in Darwin has been extended by 24 hours and has now been scheduled to end at midnight on Tuesday, 9 November 2021, as the Northern Territory records another day of zero local cases. The Katherine lockout was lifted as of 5pm on Monday, 8 November 2021.

NSW and Victoria have reopened the border between the states, allowing free movement between the two states after more than six months of travel restrictions. Under the new arrangement which came into effect at 11.59pm Thursday, fully vaccinated travellers (including workers entering Victoria from a green zone) will not be required to be tested or undertake quarantine. However, travellers will still required to obtain a permit from Service Victoria before they arrive to prove they are not infectious or required to isolate as a close contact. In a joint statement on Thursday, premiers Dominic Perrottet and Daniel Andrews said: “With Covid-19 case numbers coming down and high vaccination rates continuing to rise in both states, NSW and Victoria are normalising living with the virus.” Victorian health authorities also declared that from 11:59pm on Thursday the ACT and all remaining “orange zone areas” in NSW will become “green zones” under the state’s travel permit system. There are no requirements for fully vaccinated Victorians entering NSW, unless they have attended a location of high concern in Victoria. In addition, a Victorian who is over the age of 16 and not fully vaccinated is not allowed to enter NSW for recreation or a holiday. Residents entering Victoria must still comply with any vaccination requirements in place.

The QLD State Government has confirmed Moree will be removed from the Queensland–New South Wales border bubble following an outbreak of COVID-19. The Premier revealed the news in a post on social media a short time ago, confirming the northern NSW town will become a restricted border zone area from 12:01am on Friday, November 5.

The Municipality of Katherine including Tindal will enter into a lockdown for 72 hrs following the detection of COVID-19, effective from 12.01am on Friday, 5 November 2021. In addition, Greater Darwin will enter into a lockout for 72hrs, effective from 12.01am on Friday, 5 November 2021. Under a lock-out, vaccinated people will not be locked down and can continue to be active in the community but will be required to wear a mask. Under a lock-out, unvaccinated people will be locked down and only permitted to leave home for the five reasons currently allowed during a lock down. For everyone in the Greater Darwin region both vaccinated and unvaccinated you must stay within the Greater Darwin region for the next three days.

WA will ease the risk level for NSW from midnight on Saturday. The risk for NSW will be dropped from extreme risk to high risk, from 12:01am on Saturday, 06 November 2021. Victoria will remain an extreme risk and the ACT a medium risk zone.

Australia’s international border has reopened for overseas travel. People who are fully vaccinated can now travel overseas without a government exemption to leave the country. Returning Australians will not be required to quarantine in hotels or at home on arrival into NSW, Victoria, and the ACT. Children under 12 and people who can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons will be treated the same as fully vaccinated travellers. If you are over 12 and not fully vaccinated, you will need to apply for an exemption to leave Australia. If you arrive from overseas directly into another state including Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory, at this stage you will be directed into mandatory hotel quarantine. Tasmania will open its borders 15 December and South Australia has announced a slow reduction of restrictions starting 23 November. Queensland’s reopening plan depends on vaccination targets and has not yet been confirmed. The Northern Territory has a home quarantine plan for interstate arrivals only, beginning 23 November. Western Australia has not announced its reopening plan.

The federal government has lifted its global ‘do not travel’ advice that had been in place since the COVID-19 pandemic caused borders to close in March 2020. The warning has now been replaced by country-specific travel advice for 177 countries, available on Smartraveller website.

Only fully vaccinated travellers are permitted to enter Fiji. A COVID-19 PCR test is required 72 hours before travel (12 years+). Must have booked minimum three nights at approved COVID Friendly accommodation and you must remain within accommodation first 48 hours. Mandatory Rapid PCR test to be done at resort within 48 hours of arrival, therefore you must stay at an approved property with testing facilities. Returning to Australia you need to visit a testing clinic or check the property can facilitate a PCR or RT-PCR test.

You must wear a mask in the airport and onboard the aircraft unless you are eating. Australians who are travelling overseas are not required to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test at check-in to meet Australian outbound travel requirements. However, many countries and airlines do require the presentation of a pre-departure test result at check-in before you will be allowed to board. Check the entry requirements of the country you are travelling to and the airline requirements. For country-specific travel advice see Smartraveller. If you do need to show evidence of a negative COVID-19 PCR test, the test must be done within 72 hours of travel. Most airlines are only accepting PCR or Rapid Antigen (not home tests). Arrival documentation for destination - most countries have moved to online arrival forms that need to be completed pre-departure. Some countries have introduced new requirements such as proof of Covid Medical Insurance cover $30-$50k (Dubai and Singapore).

Travellers to the UK need a COVID test done before arrival in the UK. Tests must be taken within 72 hours of your departing flight. The UK accepts all tests, but most airlines only accept PCR or Rapid Antigen tests. The online Passenger Locator Form needs to be completed 48 hours before arrival - vaccination certificate to be uploaded and your Day 2 COVID test pre-booked before you arrive in the UK. (Upon arrival in the UK, travellers will need to get a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test within 48 hours and test negative for Covid-19.) The UK will allow unvaccinated and partially vaccinated Australians to enter, but travellers will be required to follow extensive rules.

You must provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of your flight, to your airline when you check-in for a flight into Australia. You will also need proof of vaccination by a TGA approved vaccine. You will also need to fill in an Australia Declaration Form (ADF) online, which collects personal information and flight details. You will also be required to upload a vaccination certificate. Once submitted you will receive a green tick (no quarantine required) or blue tick (quarantine required). Vaccination status and state of residency determines your quarantine requirements. The pre-travel testing requirements for people returning to Australia can be found at Coronavirus (COVID-19) - international travellers to Australia.

You must show evidence that you have been vaccinated, at least seven days prior to international travel into or out of Australia, with a vaccine approved or recognised by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Travellers vaccinated in Australia will need to present an Australian International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate (ICVC).

Fully vaccinated Australians will be able to travel to the US and Canada without having to quarantine from 8 November. For travel to the US, the full vaccination requirement applies to anyone over 18 years. For Canada, it applies to anyone over 12. All travellers must have had their second vaccine shot 14 days before entry. Before boarding a US or Canada flight, you must be able to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test result. The test must have been taken within 72 hours before departure. For travellers to Canada, an ArriveCAN application, which includes your travel and contact information, quarantine plan and Covid-19 symptom self-assessments, must also be submitted before departure. ESTA requirements still stand. Once arriving in the US or Canada, travellers are not required to complete another COVID-19 test.

Flight Centre Travel Group has partnered with a company called Healius, which runs a network of pathology labs around Australia. Healius can provide you with pre-departure COVID-19 testing and a certificate for travel when required. For information on pre-departure testing visit Healius Pathology. https://commercial.healius.com.au/faq.

From November 23: Open borders to fully vaccinated people from all Australian states and territories (Quarantine will apply to LGAs with community transmission and less than 80% of the population fully vaccinated.) Vaccinated international arrivals require 7 days quarantine. Unvaccinated authorised arrivals require 14 days quarantine. At 90% of South Australians fully vaccinated: Borders open to all fully vaccinated domestic and international arrivals. Unvaccinated arrivals will require 14 days quarantine.

The far west NSW town of Silverton has been added to the cross-border bubble with South Australia that allows Broken Hill residents to enter the state. People from the two towns can now come to South Australia, provided they have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine. However, SA residents cannot go to far west NSW and return without getting an exemption from SA Health to come back. The directions issued overnight do not include opening South Australia to the south-west Victorian city of Portland.

Queenslanders waiting to reunite with loved ones in Western Australia will be allowed travel to the state quarantine-free in less than 24 hours. Queensland will transition to 'very low risk' from Wednesday. Travellers will still need to complete a G2G declaration and undergo a health screening upon arrival.

Victoria will scrap quarantine for fully vaccinated international travellers from November 1 in a major step to reopening the country. The change means hotel and home quarantine will only be required for unvaccinated people, those who have had a COVID-19 vaccine that is not approved by the Australian Government, or those whose vaccination status is unknown.