Overview
Whether you're travelling for work, leisure or something in-between, if you're a Sydneysider who has been in Victoria lately — and will still be there after 4pm today, Thursday, May 27 — you've probably been happy to venture further than your own city. But, with the southern state currently experiencing its second lockdown for 2021, the New South Wales Government will require anyone who has visited Victoria from this afternoon to also abide by the same stay-at-home conditions.
Yes, you should be feeling a bit of deja vu. Exactly the same thing happened when Brisbane went into lockdown twice earlier in 2021. NSW isn't closing its border to Victoria, but it has put a new isolation requirement in place for anyone in NSW who has been to the state and then enters NSW after the above time.
As announced in a NSW Health public health alert released today, if you fall into that category, you're required to isolate under the same conditions that will be in place if you were to stay in Victoria. The rules are the same as during NSW's March 2020 lockdown, which means that you're only allowed to leave the house for select reasons. So, you can only head out for work or education if you can't do that at home, for essential shopping, for exercise in your local area, and for health care or to provide support for a vulnerable person.
Victoria's lockdown will come into effect at 11.59pm tonight and run through until the same time on Thursday, June 3.
The one exception to NSW's stay-at-home requirement for folks who've been in Victoria: residents in border communities. You'll only need to stay home if you head outside the border region in Victoria after 4pm today — as per the map that's been used for previous bubbles.
NSW Health is also advising people in the state against non-essential travel to the Greater Melbourne area at present. If you do travel and then come back to NSW while Victoria is in lockdown, you'll be subject to the above stay-at-home conditions upon your return.
Victorian residents are advised not to travel to NSW after lockdown begins, unless they're permitted to do so.
As always, the usual general advice regarding hygiene and social distancing applies in NSW, as it has throughout the pandemic.
To find out more about the status of COVID-19 in NSW, head to the NSW Health website. For further details about the status of COVID-19 in Victoria, check out the Victorian Department of Health website.