Tasmania is reopening to Australian travelers from 'low-risk' jurisdictions

Tasmania has eased its border restrictions with approved areas of mainland Australia, so travelers arriving from these destinations won't have to go through a 14-day quarantine. It closed its borders to the rest of Australia in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and is now reopening to what it deems to be low-risk states and territories.

The jurisdictions the new rules apply to include South Australia, Western Australia, the Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory and Queensland. New South Wales is currently considered a medium-risk area, but Tasmania intends to reclassify it as low-risk from 6 November. The situation in Victoria is being monitored at present, with the aim of easing border restrictions by 1 December, subject to public health advice. Travelers from New Zealand can enter without the need to quarantine, with immediate effect.

Visitors will have to complete the Tas e-Travel registration system to record where they are traveling from, prior to entering. Everyone arriving in Tasmania will be health screened, including undergoing temperature checks and answering questions around whether they have symptoms. Those experiencing symptoms will be requested to undergo a test and isolate until the results are known. Travelers from medium and high-risk areas will still be required to provide their details via the G2G PASS system.

"Our number one priority throughout COVID-19 has been to protect the health and safety of Tasmanians, and this will continue as we start to ease our border restrictions with low risk jurisdictions," says Sarah Courtney, Tasmania's minister for health. "Travelers can play their part in helping us keep on top of COVID by following the instructions of the airport and government officials on the ground and by physically distancing where they can, washing their hands and covering coughs and sneezes."