Victoria is set to downgrade Brisbane, Gladstone and Byron Bay to green zones from midnight tonight, after 2 weeks of restricted travel.
As certain in life as death and taxes is the volatile up/down motion of the border every time there is a COVID outbreak, and last month’s Byron Bay outbreak was no different.
Even as Victoria celebrated relaxations limits for concerts, cinemas and museums, there were still people left waiting to hear back when they could get the green light back into the state.
Now it’s go go go, because from midnight the Brisbane, Gladstone and Byron Bay areas are being downgraded from “orange” to “green” zones, as the ABC reports.
You still have to apply for a travel permit, which classifies areas as red, orange or green zones based on their coronavirus risk. On the flipside, you are free to enter the state as a greenie with no restrictions. Hello, family reunion.
Previously, people coming from orange zones had to get tested and then self isolate until they received a negative result, which is bad luck if you wanted to make it for Easter lunch. However, with the half price flights sale, there’s no excuse for a belated visit.
The recent outbreak which originated from Queensland also led to the disappointing cancellation of the Bluesfest festival, just one day out from the event. Organisers requested fans “hold tickets to the rescheduled event,” if possible.
This comes as Prime Minister Scott Morrison admits that the target to vaccinate all Australians by the end of the year just isn’t possible.
“We will just get on with the job of working together to produce, distribute and administer the vaccines as safely and efficiently as possible.”
“While we would like to see these doses completed before the end of the year, it is not possible to set such targets given the many uncertainties involved.”
In the meantime, make use of the border while it’s still open.
You can read more about this topic over at the Travel Observer.
