Victorians from the 36 Hotspot Suburbs Will Be Banned from Entering NSW

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, NSW has never closed its borders to domestic travellers. But you'll soon risk a hefty fine — and jail time — if you enter the state from one of Melbourne's "hot zone" suburbs.

While NSW's community transmission levels of coronavirus have dropped and been non-existent for "quite a while", with most of the state's new cases from returned overseas travellers in hotel quarantine, Victoria's have spiked. The southern state has seen 306 new cases since June 25 — with 73 of those recorded in the past 24 hours — and, as a result, has reintroduced strict stay-at-home orders in ten postcodes that have the highest levels.

The suburbs under lockdown and whose residents are banned from entering NSW are:

• 3012: Brooklyn, Kingsville, Maidstone, Tottenham and West Footscray
• 3021: Albanvale, Kealba, Kings Park, St Albans
• 3032: Ascot Vale, Highpoint City, Maribyrnong, Travancore
• 3038: Keilor Downs, Keilor Lodge, Taylors Lakes, Watergardens
• 3042: Airport West, Keilor Park, Niddrie
• 3046: Glenroy, Hadfield, Oak Park
• 3047: Broadmeadows, Dallas, Jacana
• 3055: Brunswick South, Brunswick West, Moonee Vale, Moreland West
• 3060: Fawkner
• 3064: Craigieburn, Donnybrook, Mickleham, Roxburgh Park and Kalkallo

Those in the listed suburbs are only allowed to leave their homes for one of four reasons — work or school, care or care giving, daily exercise or for food and other essentials — and risk an on-the-spot fine in Victoria for going out for anything else. This means, non-essential travel outside of your homes, let alone across the border to NSW, is off the cards for residents of these suburbs, regardless. But if you do cross the northern border, you'll need to quarantine for 14 days — just like returned international travellers — and if you don't, could be slapped with an $11,000 fine and spend up to six months in jail.

The same rules apply for NSW residents who visit a hotspot, too — when you head back over the border, you'll need to quarantine and, if you don't, risk the same fiscal punishment or jail sentence. That said, you are only allowed to enter the Melbourne hotspots for one of the four aforementioned reasons — you can't go and visit friends or family.

Announcing the new rules today, Wednesday, July 1, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said to Sydneysiders, "If you choose to go to a Melbourne hotspot you'll be required to go into isolation here for 14 days. Don't go to Victorian hotspots." To Melburnians, he said, "Victorians from hotspots are not welcome in NSW. Do not leave the hotspot. As soon as you step foot into NSW, you'll be exposed to the possibility of six months jail and a $11,000 fine."

Hazzard said a public health order implementing the changes is expected to be signed later today.

You can find out more about the status of COVID-19 at the NSW Health and Victorian Department of Health and Human Services websites.