The NSW Government Is Advising Sydneysiders to Delay Non-Essential Travel to South Australia
"The borders are completely open, but if it's not essential travel, think about if you want to go in the next few days," said Premier Gladys Berejiklian.
If you're a New South Wales resident with a trip to South Australia in your future, this chaotic year might have just interrupted your plans. With a growing cluster of COVID-19 cases identified in the South Australian capital over the past few days, the NSW Government has advised the state's inhabitants to avoid going to SA for the time being if possible.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, November 18, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said that "as a precaution, if you don't have to go there in the next few days, delay your travel." She also explained that NSW isn't shutting its border to SA, but is asking folks to be cautious. "The borders are completely open, but if it's not essential travel, think about if you want to go in the next few days."
The travel advice marks a role reversal of sorts between the two states, with NSW residents restricted from entering SA for a period this year when it was experiencing its own spike of coronavirus cases — until the latter reopened its border to the former in late September. But if you're a Sydneysider dreaming of heading to SA for a wine-fuelled holiday anytime soon, you might want to rethink those plans.
NSW might not have closed its borders to SA, but it joins a growing number of Australian states and territories that are being wary about the new cluster. Queensland has shut its borders to all local government areas in Adelaide, while Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory have also introduced new entry requirements for SA residents, or those who've visited the state. In WA and Tassie's case, both states had only just started reopening to folks from the rest of the country over the past few weeks. Victoria has also declared SA a hotspot, but isn't shutting its border.
At the time of writing, based on the last figures announced by SA Health on Tuesday, November 17, South Australia has 34 active cases of COVID-19 — with 20 confirmed cases linked to the current cluster, and 14 other people suspected of being linked to the cluster but awaiting their test results.
For more information about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website.
