COVID-19 Doctor Travel Updates

Australian border restrictions & conditions for doctors

 

As COVID19 begins to slow down, and life gradually heads back to some normalcy the following States and Territories health services have the following border control measure in place.

Please note, that these can change at any given time and your Recruitment Consultant will guide you through the process. The following is not a guaranteed source since the advice constantly changes. Kindly refer to government links/websites for updated recommendation and how it’s relevant to your personal circumstances.

 

1. TRAVEL TO AUSTRALIA

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Travel to Australia remains currently heavily restricted to mostly Australian Citizens, residents and immediate family members. Some business travel from specified countries is not open. Everyone arriving in Australia will be quarantined for 14 days with limited exceptions and may have to comply with other state and territory travel restrictions. Travellers arriving from any country may also be health screened upon arrival. This page from the Department of Home Affairs details who may enter Australia. 

 

2. TRAVEL BETWEEN AUSTRALIAN STATES AND TERRITORIES

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Numerous Australian states & territories have closed their borders in order to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Before traveling interstate for your next job, we suggest for you to check relevant government websites for the latest travel advisory. It’s also best to take the following with you:

• Current ID

• Proof of your AHPRA registration

• Printed copy of your Job Confirmation Letter (which includes the hospital contact details)

• Copy of the Hospital Locum Contract

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

• Printed copy of self-quarantine exemption decisions (a State-by-State requirement) OR any relevant border pass information

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State & Territory health boards and individual hospitals (and practices) continually update their policies. You may be required to undergo risk assessment on arrival and, in some cases, may be required to self-quarantine.

 

 

3. STATE-BY-STATE RESTRICTIONS AND SELF ISOLATION INFORMATION INFORMATION

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ACT || NSW || QLD || NT || TAS || SA || VIC || WA

 

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ACT 

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Currently anyone can enter the ACT unless they have travelled to Victoria recently. The state has advised that all non-essential travel between the ACT and South Australia be reconsidered, with arrivals being screened. People who are not ACT residents may not enter the ACT from Victoria unless they hold an exemption, and returning ACT residents are required to enter quarantine until 14 days after leaving Victoria. They also must travel via air to Canberra airport due to NSW travel restrictions. It’s recommended but not mandated that residents of Sydney suburbs experiencing outbreaks do not travel to the ACT.

For updates, check out this site.

 

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NSW

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Anyone can enter NSW unless they have travelled to Victoria in the last 14 days. Those travelling from Victoria require an exemption to enter the state and must quarantine for 14 days. Residents within 50km on either side of the VIC/NSW border can travel within that region if they hold a valid permit. That will change on 23 November, when the border completely reopens. The Queensland border is closed to people from NSW who have been in a Covid hotspot – including Greater Sydney. Borders with South Australia remain open but all arrivals from the state are being screened.Please see this site for detailed quarantine information.

  

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QLD

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Since 10 July, anyone can enter Queensland unless they have been in a Covid-19 hotspot in the previous 14 days, in which case they will be refused entry. This includes anyone who has visited any part of Victoria and Greater Sydney. From Monday 16 November, 20 South Australia LGAs were declared a Covid-19 hotspot, meaning anyone travelling from there would turned away at the border.

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NT

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You can enter the Northern Territory provided you fill out a border entry form up to 72 hours from entering and present your application upon entry. You will be required to legally declare you have not been in an area the state considers a Covid-19 hotspot in the past 28 days. Penalties of up to $5,000 in fines and up to three years in prison apply for providing misleading information on this border entry form. Travellers and returning residents from Covid-19 hotspots, (currently Melbourne and Adelaide) will have to complete 14 days of mandatory quarantine at their own expense, which is $2,500 per person.

 

 

TAS

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Those who have been inside a declared hotspot in the past 14 days are not allowed to enter Tasmania unless they have been granted an exemption under the G2G PASS system, and non-essential travellers will be required to undertake and pay for hotel quarantine. Hotspot regions include all of Victoria and all of South Australia and specific venues where outbreaks have been recorded in other states. All travellers who have not been inside a hotspot, including returning residents, still must quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. Non-Tasmanian residents must carry out their quarantine in government-provided accommodation.

 

SA

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Anyone planning travel to SA must complete a Cross Border Travel Registration. This includes:

• people entering from states in the Low Community-Transmission Zone (ACT, NSW, NT, QLD, TAS and WA)

• essential travellers entering from Victoria

• SA residents returning home from any other state other than Victoria, regardless of how long they were interstate.

You should aim to complete the Cross-Border Travel Registration at least 14 days before you leave, regardless of where your travel begins.

 

 

VIC

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No permit or approval is required for anyone wanting to enter Victoria. Victorians, on the other hand, are restricted from entering other states. To enter NSW, ACT, Tasmania, or Western Australia you will need a valid permit. Travelling to NT requires a 14-day quarantine if you come from an identified hotspot, which currently includes Melbourne. Queensland has closed its borders to anyone from Victoria. Travel to South Australia is restricted, with a Cross Border travel approval required.

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WA

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You cannot enter Western Australia unless you are granted an exemption on application. There were previously stricter rules for people who have travelled from NSW or Victoria, but as of Monday 5 October, NSW residents will have the same conditions as other states and territories. Victorians have stricter entry conditions, but will be able to self-quarantine at a suitable location. There is no date for when the interstate border will reopen. Entry from South Australia is no longer allowed, with small exceptions.

 

For up-to-date advice, visit here. 

 

Like always, our dedicated team of medical recruitment consultants and Regulatory & Migration experts are ready to help.

 

Scope-Medical can assist with your enquiries about travelling as a doctor for a new job in Australia, please contact us.

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