NSW plans to scrap quarantine for international arrivals from November 1

NSW plans to scrap quarantine for international arrivals from November 1

From November 1st, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has welcomed the move by NSW to open its borders to fully vaccinated international travellers, without the necessity to quarantine. More people will now be able to return home and leave the country. The caps on arrivals in place in other states will remain. This also means that Australians, permanent residents and citizens and their families, will be allowed to leave Australia from wherever they live in Australia.

As of now, people wanting to arrive in Sydney from overseas are required to show proof they’ve received a TGA-approved vaccine. They will also have to undertake a PCR test for COVID-19 before they board their flight.

Mr Morrison said, “This is a further sign of the national plan coming into effect and allowing Australians to start reclaiming so many of the things that have been taken from them throughout this pandemic.”

The definition of who was considered “immediate family” will now include parents. This means that parents of Australian residents and citizens who are not Australians themselves will be allowed into the country. If they are fully vaccinated, they will not have to quarantine if they fly into Sydney.

Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020 all states and territories have required all overseas passengers to quarantine in hotels, at their own expense, for 14 days.

NSW is the only state to announce quarantine-free international travel. However, all interstate borders to NSW remain closed.

Hotel quarantine is still required for anyone who is not fully vaccinated but there will only be 210 spots available per week.

To begin with, only Australian citizens, residents and their families will be able to take advantage of quarantine-free travel to NSW.

As of last week, 66.3 percent of Australians aged 16 and over had received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccination.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said his government would continue to work with the Commonwealth to ensure protections were in place to keep people safe as Sydney and NSW open up to the world. Australians right across the country who are hoping to be reunited with their family members, and their parents who are overseas, will welcome this news.