Restrictions on the NSW-Victorian border will ease later this week to assist residents and local businesses within the "bubble" to operate, as the battle with COVID-19 continues.
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Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the NSW government was pleased to make the changes given the reduced risk of community transmission in regional Victoria as case numbers continue to decline, and thanked the border communities for their patience.
Service NSW announced on Tuesday, September 1, that a single border region will be reinstated which extends to about 50 kilometres either side of the NSW-Victorian border.
The new border region and 'border region resident' permit will come into effect at 12.01am on Friday, September 4.
While not as heavily populated as other stretches of the NSW-VIC border, many residents in East Gippsland border communities have experienced great impacts to their daily lives, with everyday activities such as grocery shopping and medical appointments made difficult, more than doubling travel times and costs to access the same essentials in Bairnsdale rather than on the Far South Coast.
Elected member of Mallacoota and District Recovery Association (MADRA) Kerri Warren said community members were feeling excited and relieved about the ease in restrictions.
"Many people feel strongly we should have been classified as a border town initially, we rely on the coast so heavily for everything, all our essential services, and we haven't been having COVID cases here," Ms Warren said.
"There are a large portion of people who don't drive, Mallacoota and District Health and Support Service usually take a busload of older residents to the coast on Fridays to access medical and pharmaceutical services and activities such as the pool for therapy.
"We don't have all those facilities in Mallacoota so they've just had to do without them... and a number of residents have been separated from their partners who live at the Bupa Aged Care facility in Eden."
"It has felt like after the fires when all the roads were blocked off, people are finally going to get back to normal, that's all we want, some normality."
Deputy Premier John Barilaro said making adjustments to restrictions will provide more freedom to those living on both sides of the southern border.
The new permit will allow a resident within the border region to enter NSW for the following:
- to obtain necessary goods or services
- for care or other compassionate reasons
- to attend work or obtain educational services (where it is not reasonable for the person to work or obtain educational services from their state of residence).
A border region resident who is a NSW resident:
- is authorised to enter Victoria only for the reason allowed in the permit
- must not travel to any part of Victoria that is outside of the border region or is a COVID-19 area of concern.
A border region resident who is a Victorian resident:
- is authorised to enter and remain in NSW only for the reason allowed in the permit
- must not travel to any part of NSW that is outside of the border region
- must not enter NSW if the resident had travelled in Victoria in a restricted area (which is currently Greater Melbourne) or a COVID-19 area of concern in Victoria within the previous 14 days.
NSW residents in Victoria who are outside the 50 kilometre NSW-Victoria border buffer zone wishing to return home are currently required to fly into Sydney Airport and spend 14 days in hotel quarantine.
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Leah Szanto
Regional journalist covering the Far South Coast of NSW.
Regional journalist covering the Far South Coast of NSW.
