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KEY EVENT: Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein says his state's borders will reopen on December 15. Fully vaccinated interstate and international arrivals will not need to quarantine from that time, but they will have to return a negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours of travel. Returning Tasmanians will not need a test if their trip is less than seven days duration. Mr Gutwein said Tasmania was expected to be at a 90 per cent vaccination rate by December 15.

The NSW-ACT border will officially reopen on November 1 after almost four months of hard shutdown between the two jurisdictions. Both NSW and the ACT hit the 80 per cent fully vaccinated target on Monday, making them the first places in the country to reach the important jab milestone. “Subject to the public health risk at the time, the ACT will remove the Covid-Affected Area declaration across NSW from 1 November,” ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr, pictured above, said. “This means that ACT residents will not have quarantine when they return to the territory from any part of NSW — including Greater Sydney. “This aligns with the decision from the NSW government to allow travel from Greater Sydney into their regional areas from 1 November.”

At 11:59pm on Tuesday, October 19 2021, there will no longer be any red zones in New South Wales. All Local Government Areas in the Greater Sydney region — including Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Shellharbour and Wollongong — will become orange zones. All Local Government Areas in the remainder of regional New South Wales, plus Jervis Bay Territory, will move from red/orange zones to green zones. In addition, Broken Hill in New South Wales and Shepparton in Victoria will rejoin the New South Wales-Victoria cross-border community area. The ACT remains an orange zone. These changes will come into effect at the same time as broader changes to Victoria's travel permit system announced last week, which means that after 11:59pm on Tuesday, those who have had two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and have been in the Sydney area can enter Victoria on an orange zone permit without any quarantine or testing requirements. People who are not fully vaccinated entering on an orange zone permit must isolate on arrival, get tested within 72 hours, and stay isolated until they receive a negative result. Those people who are currently active red zone permit holders in Victoria will be considered orange zone permit holders at 11:59pm.

Travellers from Queensland will no longer need to quarantine in WA from this Friday, Premier Mark McGowan has announced. Mr McGowan said Queensland would be reclassified from low risk to very low risk as of 12.01am on Friday, 22 October 2021. Under WA’s controlled border, the NT, South Australia and Tasmania are all classified very low risk. The ACT is medium risk, while Victoria and New South Wales remain as extreme risk.

Fully vaccinated residents entering Victoria from the Greater Sydney region will no longer need to quarantine or get tested for Covid-19, as Victorian health authorities remove NSW’s “red zone” status. From 11.59pm on Tuesday, 19 October 2021, all Greater Sydney LGAs, including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Shellharbour and Wollongong regions, will become “orange zones” under Victoria’s traffic light travel system. LGAs in the remainder of regional NSW will also be downgraded to “green zones” at 11.59pm, meaning residents outside the Greater Sydney region only need to obtain a permit before entry into Victoria. Victorian health authorities said children under the age of 12, who are not eligible for vaccination, can travel under a parent's permit. If a parent or guardian is not fully vaccinated, they will be required to follow the requirements that apply to that parent or guardian.

The Northern Territory's Chief Health Officer has now revoked all declared COVID-19 hotspots in Tasmania. Southern Tasmania exited a three-day lockdown yesterday after the state recorded no new COVID-19 cases from an infected traveller. There are now no further restrictions for Territorians wishing to travel to Tasmania.

Tasmania's lockdown will lift at 6:00pm tonight, Monday, 18 October 2021. Premier Peter Gutwein says there will be some additional restrictions. Masks still need to be worn until 6:00pm on Friday. Masks will apply indoors and outdoors for anyone 12 years and over unless in your own home or in your own vehicle driven either by yourself or with your immediate family. Importantly, if you visit someone else's home, you must wear a mask. If you leave the 12 LGAs which were under lockdown, or travel north out of that area, you must continue to wear your mask while you're in another part of the state. If you're somebody travelling into the 12 LGAs from another part of the state, you will need to wear a mask as well. Restrictions that currently apply for aged care and hospitals will remain in place until 6:00pm on Friday night.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the Level 3 alert in Auckland will be extended by two weeks in a bid to control rising COVID-19 cases.

The Australian Government Chief Medical Officer, Professor Paul Kelly, has confirmed the Commonwealth hotspot declaration in New South Wales will cease at 11:59 pm on Sunday, 17 October 2021.

The Australian Government Chief Medical Officer, Professor Paul Kelly, has confirmed the Commonwealth hotspot declaration in New South Wales will cease at 11:59 pm on Monday, 18 October 2021.

Travellers from the South Island of New Zealand will be able to arrive in New South Wales and Victoria without spending two weeks in quarantine from Wednesday, 20 October 2021. Australians heading to New Zealand will still be required to do 14 days in hotel quarantine.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has released Queensland’s COVID Vaccination Plan. At 70% of Queensland’s eligible population fully vaccinated, expected on 19 November, anyone who has been in a declared domestic hotspot in the previous 14 days can travel into Queensland provided: They are fully vaccinated, arrive by air, have a negative COVID test in the previous 72 hours and undertake home quarantine for 14 days. Direct international arrivals into Queensland will have to complete 14 days quarantine in Government-nominated facility. International arrivals who arrive via another state or territory will have to quarantine in a Government-nominated facility until 14 days have passed since they arrived into Australia. At 80% of Queensland’s eligible population fully vaccinated, expected on 17 December, travellers from an interstate hotspot can arrive by road or air and they must be fully vaccinated, they must have a negative COVID test in the previous 72 hours, and no quarantine is required Direct international arrivals can undertake 14 days (subject to review by AHPPC) home quarantine and subject to conditions set by Queensland Health provided they are: Fully vaccinated and have a negative COVID test in previous 72 hours. At 90% of Queenslanders fully vaccinated, there will be no entry restrictions or quarantine for vaccinated arrivals from interstate or overseas. Unvaccinated travellers will need to apply for a border pass, or enter within the international arrivals cap, and undertake up to 14 days (subject to review by AHPPC) quarantine

Tasmania will no longer be declared as a COVID-19 hotspot as of 1:00am on Tuesday, 19 October 2021. Queenslanders will be able to travel from Tasmania into Queensland, without needing to quarantine after this time.

Premier Daniel Andrews has announced that the lockdown in Victoria will end at 11:59pm on Thursday, 21 October 2021. There will be no limit for Melbourne travel. However, unless you are authorised to enter regional Victoria, you cannot enter at this time.

The Andrews government's seven day lockdown of the regional city of Mildura has been extended for another seven days, after the area reported 34 new COVID cases in the 24 hours to Friday.

From Monday, 01 November, the NSW Government will remove quarantine requirements and caps for overseas arrivals who the Commonwealth Government recognises as fully vaccinated with a TGA-approved vaccine, helping Australians stranded abroad get home before the end of the year. Further advice about testing requirements for arrivals will be provided in the coming days. Fully vaccinated travellers already in quarantine will also complete their quarantine requirements on Monday, 01 November, even if it is less than 14-days. Overseas arrivals who are not fully vaccinated will be capped at 210 people per week, and will be required to undergo mandatory 14-days hotel quarantine. Travel between Greater Sydney (including the Blue Mountains, Wollongong, Shellharbour and the Central Coast) and Regional NSW will also be permitted from Monday, 01 November, to allow people in the regions more time to receive their second vaccine.

Victoria will downgrade the ACT from a red zone to an orange zone at midnight on Thursday, 14 October 2021. If you've been in an orange zone at any time since the zone started over the last 14 days in the last 14 days, you can get a permit at Service Victoria and enter Victoria, but you have to: isolate upon arrival, get tested for COVID-19 within 72 hours of arriving, and stay isolated until you get a negative result.

It has been announced that the current lockdown in Mitchell Shire will end at midnight on Wednesday, 13 October 2021.

As of today (Wednesday, 13 October 2021), the following local government areas will be included in the QLD border zone: Bourke, Broken Hill, Kyogle, Lismore, Richmond Valley, and The Far West. Residents in those areas will now be able to enter QLD, but only for strictly defined essential reasons. They must also have a valid border pass. But travel across the Queensland border for holidays, recreation or social visits is still not permitted for people in border zones.

The lockdown in the ACT will end at 11:59pm on Thursday, 14 October 2021, as planned.