NSW Is Ending Quarantine For Fully Vaxxed International Travellers From Nov 1
Unvaccinated travellers will still be required to undergo hotel quarantine.
Fully vaccinated international travellers will not have to quarantine upon arrival in New South Wales from November 1.
New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet made the announcement in a press conference on Friday morning. “We have reached this vaccination milestone quicker than anyone thought we could, and that is a testament to the hard work of people across the state turning out to get vaccinated,” said Perrottet. “Welcoming back fully vaccinated travellers will not only mean families and friends can be home in time for Christmas, it will also give our economy a major boost.”
The programme will allow any traveller (see: Australian resident, citizen or tourist) who has been fully vaccinated with a TGA-approved vaccine to travel to Australia without needing to quarantine. There will be no delineation between Australian passport holders and international passport holders under the programme.
As it currently stands, the TGA recognises AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna and Janssen in Australia, with China’s Sinovac and India’s Covishield vaccines also recognised for travel purposes, despite not being available in Australia.
Overseas travellers who are not fully vaccinated will still be required to undergo a mandatory 14-days hotel quarantine, which will be capped at 210 people per week. It is likely that international arrivals will be required to undergo some sort of COVID-19 testing upon arrival. Further information regarding testing requirements will be provided in the coming days.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is yet to comment on the announcement, which seemingly contradicts his international travel plan announced last week. The announcement effectively ends the hotel quarantine system in New South Wales for the first time since it was introduced in March, 2020.