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Victoria drops travel restrictions with NSW, ACT from today

New South Wales residents are waking to an all-but-open border with Victoria after new rules came into effect at midnight.

As of 11.59pm, the ACT and all remaining orange zones in NSW became green zones under Victoria’s travel permit system.

The main practical effect of the shift will be allowing unvaccinated people from Greater Sydney and the ACT into Victoria without quarantining or testing, a Victorian government spokeswoman confirmed.

But anyone those without two jabs still faces heavy restrictions on arrival in Victoria, or trying to cross the border from the southern state into NSW.

And travellers from NSW will still need a permit before crossing the border.

Previous “orange zone” rules — which covered Greater Sydney and some other parts of the state — required the unvaccinated to isolate and get tested on arrival.

There are no requirements for fully vaccinated Victorians heading into NSW but they will be severely restricted in terms of what they can do on arrival under Victoria’s vaccinated economy rules.

Anyone over 16 who hasn’t had two jabs won’t be allowed to enter NSW from Victoria for recreation or a holiday, according to the two state governments.

In a media release, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said the change was due to rising vaccination rates and lowering case numbers in both states.

However, case numbers spiked in both NSW and Victoria yesterday after earlier trending downward.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews praised residents of both states for getting vaccinated in high numbers.

“Victoria and New South Wales have been through so much over the last few months, and we’re pleased that more families will now be able to reunite just in time for Christmas and the holiday season,” he said.

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