A Whole Bunch Of Sydney Councils Have Been Declared Red Zones & Aren’t Allowed Into Victoria

Sorry Sydney-siders, but it looks like you’ll have to cancel any Melb trips you had planned this weekend because Victoria is effectively shutting its borders to most Sydney residents.

The Victorian Government just released the news that under the new travel permit system, anyone from seven LGA’s deemed red zones in Sydney will not be allowed to cross Victorian borders from 1am on Wednesday.

The red zones in question are:

• City of Sydney
• Waverley
• Woollahra
• Bayside
• Canada Bay
• Inner West
• Randwick

So basically, half of Sydney.

The Chief Health Officer has declared the following NSW Local Government Areas (LGAs) as red zones under Victoria’s travel permit system, effective at 1:00am 23 June:

•City of Sydney
•Waverley
•Woollahra
•Bayside
•Canada Bay
•Inner West
•Randwick
[1/10]

— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) June 22, 2021

Returning Victorian residents who have been in these areas (aside from transit) also have to apply for a red zone permit if they want to come back to their home state, and they will then need to quarantine at home for 14 days.

“If you enter at an airport or seaport from a red zone without a permit, you will be fined and will stay in Hotel Quarantine until return transport is arranged,” Victoria’s health department stated.

You must have a valid permit, exception or exemption to enter Victoria. If you try to enter Victoria at a land border from a red zone without a permit, you will be sent back. [4/10]

— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) June 22, 2021

Wollongong has also been named an orange zone, which means people from Wollongong can still pass Victorian borders, provided they have a permit. Orange zone permit holders have to isolate on arrival, get tested, and stay isolated until they get a negative result.

“The Chief Health Officer strongly discourages non-essential travel into Victoria from red or orange zones,” the advice reads.

“If you have been to a high-risk exposure site requiring 14 days of quarantine, you cannot get a permit to enter Victoria.

“If you have symptoms, don’t travel – get tested.”

The updates come as cases in Sydney continue to grow, with 21 current cases linked to the Bondi cluster, and 10 new cases just today. NSW Health also updated their COVID-19 exposure list tonight to include even more venues, including the popular Totti’s Bondi.

New Zealand has temporarily paused the travel bubble with NSW as two flights between Sydney and Wellington became COVID-19 exposure sites. Officials are now watching things for the next 72 hours before deciding what action to take.