NEW Zealand travellers will now be able to travel to South Australia without quarantining but most regional Victorians remain locked out.
On Tuesday South Australian Police Commissioner Grant Stevens, who is also the state’s COVID-19 co-ordinator, announced his state would join the trans-Tasman travel bubble immediately.
Victorian border residents within the 70km buffer zone will now be able to cross the border without specific reason.
“The current requirement is for people who live in a cross-border community must (meet) certain criteria in order to be able to travel into South Australia,” Mr Stevens said.
“Those restrictions, specific criteria, are being lifted.
“If you live in a cross-border community, you are able to travel freely within the 70km either side of the border, without any specific purpose.”
Victorians seeking to move to South Australia are now able to without an exemption but still must quarantine for 14 days on arrival.
People transiting to Victoria from Western Australia through South Australia will be able to do so without an exemption, provided they do not stop.
Students will be allowed to travel to South Australia from Victoria without needing an exemption at the end of the school or university year but must still quarantine.
Mr Stevens said South Australia would continue to monitor Victoria’s restrictions level and investigate whether this would allow people to cross the border and quarantine, with a view to opening the border “eventually”.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews on Saturday claimed the South Australian border could soon be open to regional Victorians, but a South Australian Government spokeswoman dismissed those claims hours later.
Member for Mildura Ali Cupper implored the Victorian and South Australian governments to work closer together on the issue with the intention of opening the border as soon as possible.
“Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has twice mentioned in the past few days that he expects the borders with NSW and SA to be open to regional Victorians soon, and that he would be speaking with the premiers of those states this week about the issue,” Ms Cupper said.
“But then you’ve had a South Australian Government spokeswoman on Saturday saying opening the border to Victoria was not imminent.
“Our border communities and the Mildura electorate as a whole needs more certainty and clarity on this issue.
“The border needs to reopen to regional Victoria.”
