People have a picnic near Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra, Australia, Oct. 30, 2021. (Photo by Liu Changchang/Xinhua)
Fully vaccinated travelers in New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria can cross the border without quarantining or testing starting from Friday.
SYDNEY/CANBERRA, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Australia's most populated states, New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria, reopened their shared border on Friday in recognition of their high COVID-19 vaccination rates.
It means that for the first time in months, NSW travelers, including those who are unvaccinated, can cross the southern border into Victoria without quarantining or testing. They do, however, need to have an entry permit and prove they have not tested positive for the coronavirus.
Fully vaccinated Victorians can now travel freely into NSW unless they have been to a region of the state with a high risk for virus transmission.
Unvaccinated Victorians aged 16 and over still, however, are not allowed to cross the border.
Students greet each other after returning to school in Sydney, Australia, on Oct. 18, 2021. (Xinhua/Bai Xuefei)
"This milestone has only been made possible because people across NSW and Victoria have rolled up their sleeves and led the nation on the road back to normality thanks to our high vaccination rates," NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said.
According to figures released on Friday, 89.1 percent of NSW residents aged 16 and over were fully immunized, while 82 percent of Victorians aged 12 and over have received their two jabs.
The states, however, are still nursing the vast bulk of the nation's active cases of the Delta strain of the virus.
Australia's Northern Territory (NT) has introduced coronavirus restrictions after reporting its first locally-acquired case.
Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory on Friday reported a total of 1,598 new locally-acquired coronavirus infections and 14 deaths. ■
