1300 150 001
mccormicks @ mccormicks.com.au
​On 12 May 2021, the Public Health (COVID-19 Air Transportation and Maritime Quarantine) Amendment Order 2021 was made to change the definition of a quarantine period. Prior to this, the quarantine period started when a person arrived in NSW by air or sea, and ended when either 24 days had passed, or 14 days had passed provided the person had complied with all testing requirements.
The Order has been amended so that the quarantine period now only ends after 14 days if the person:
  • Has complied with all COVID-19 testing requirements, and do not pose a risk of infecting any other person, and
  • 2 days after leaving the quarantine facility or medical facility, will be tested for COVID-19.
  ​Travel to NSW from  and Status 21/5/2021

Queensland Open – no permit required

Victoria. A COVID-19 concerns notice has been issued for Greater Melbourne local government areas.

Follow the rules for interstate travellers. 
Tasmania Open – no permit required
South Australia Open – no permit required
Northern Territory Open – no permit required
Western Australia Open – no permit required
ACT Open – no permit required
​If the Chief Health Officer, or delegate, is not satisfied that the person will be tested for COVID-19 2 days after leaving quarantine, the person will be required to continue to complete the full 24-day quarantine period.  
The person will not have to self-isolate while waiting for the results of their COVID-19 test taken 2 days after they leave quarantine, unless they are symptomatic.
​
Any person who is unable to be tested 2 days after leaving quarantine may be allowed to be tested at a later date, provided that a Relevant Practitioner is satisfied that:
  • The reason for not being tested is due to circumstances beyond the person's control, and
  • The person will be tested as soon as possible after the 2 days.
This applies to people who have arrived in NSW by air or arrived in NSW by sea.
A similar exemption is in place for declared flight crew who are self-isolating at their residence. Declared flight crew can leave self-isolation 14 days after arriving in Australia if a Relevant Practitioner considers that the person:
  • Has complied with all COVID-19 testing requirements and does not pose a risk of infecting any other person, and
  • 2 days after leaving self-isolation, will be tested for COVID-19 unless:
    • The reason for not being tested is due to circumstances beyond the person's control and the person will be tested as soon as reasonably practicable, or
    • The flight crew member will be leaving Australia
The exemption does not impact on the current ability of flight crew member to leave quarantine or self-isolation before their quarantine period has ended to fly out of Australia.
Air transportation quarantine and testingThe Public Health (COVID-19 Air Transportation Quarantine) Order 2021 requires people who arrive in NSW by aircraft and who have been in countries other than Australia or New Zealand in the 14 days before their arrival to undertake mandatory quarantine in a quarantine/medical facility. This Order commenced on 11 March 2021.
The new Order revokes the Public Health (COVID-19 Air transportation) Order (No 4) 2020 and remakes the existing restrictions.
Additionally the new Order:
  • requires all persons, passengers and crew, arriving from New Zealand to provide their contact details and details about their movements in the previous 14 days (for contact tracing and to ensure they have not been outside of Australia or New Zealand)
  • enables declared flight crew and interstate flight crew to elect to either go to a quarantine facility or their place of residence to self-isolate (on occasions it is more appropriate for declared flight crew to go into quarantine (e.g. if they have an immune-compromised relative at home). If the crew member so elects, they will be subject to the normal requirements relating to quarantine for flight crew
  • clarifies that relevant flight crew must comply with the NSW Health Air Transportation Guidelines during the entire quarantine period
  • requires a person entering a quarantine facility to provide their details using the Service NSW app (which will assist in contract tracing)
  • requires interstate flight crew members to comply with the Onward Domestic Travel of International Aircrew Guidelines
  • expands the definition of a "designated transportation worker" to include a person providing a transportation service for a transportation service for a relevant person to a medical facility.
The new Order includes a new provision that makes clear that a person subject to the Order is also subject to the Public Health (COVID-19 Self Isolation) Order 2021 and that the latter order takes precedence in the event of any inconsistency.
New Zealand arrivalsAll passengers arriving from New Zealand are required to complete an Australian Traveller Declaration form (ATD) providing contact details and place of accommodation.
Passengers do not need to quarantine if:
  • they and people on their flight have only been in Australia or New Zealand in the 14 days prior to arrival
  • they do not have COVID-19 symptoms
  • they have completed the ATD.
All persons on a flight will need to quarantine if one person on board has been to a country other than Australia or New Zealand in the previous 14 days. An amendment to the Public Health (COVID-19 Air Transportation Quarantine) Order was made on 17 May 2021 so that should there have been a traveller on the flight who has been in the Cook Islands in the previous 14 days, this requirement is waived. In this case, however, the person(s) who has been to the Cook Islands in the previous 14 days is required to quarantine.
If you have been in the Cook IslandsPeople who are travelling from New Zealand who have been in the Cook Islands in the previous 14 days should be aware that there is no quarantine-free travel arrangement with NSW and the Cook Islands.
Mandatory quarantine is still required for people who have been in the Cook Islands in the 14 days prior to their arrival in NSW.
People who travel to New Zealand from the Cook Islands should remain in New Zealand for 14 days before travelling on to NSW in order to avoid being required to enter quarantine on arrival.
Flight crew quarantine and testingUnder the Public Health (COVID-19 Air Transportation Quarantine) Order (No 1) 2021:
  • All flight crew may depart Australia prior to the end of the quarantine period if they have undergone COVID-19 testing on arrival to NSW and complied with any other request of the Chief Health Officer for additional testing.
  • Most international flight crew must quarantine in a quarantine facility until the end of the quarantine period, or until their next flight leaving Australia.
  • Flight crew who reside in NSW can self-isolate at their residence if they meet the requirements of being a "declared flight crew member", and must ensure compliance with the Air Transportation Guidelines. Positioning crew are only considered flight crew if they are on the flight manifest, or have provided a letter from their employer indicating that they are flight crew and the date they are due to leave Australia.
  • Flight crew arriving on a flight from New Zealand are required to declare where they have been in the last 14 days. Flight crew who have arrived in NSW on 'green zone flights' are not required to self-isolate or quarantine.
  • Flight crew who live in another Australian State or Territory can travel to their home jurisdiction if they meet appropriate conditions. They must comply with the Onward domestic travel of international aircrew guideline.
A class exemption is in place for quick turnaround flights. Certain flights where the flight crew do not leave the plane may be exempt from the requirement to be tested on arrival, subject to conditions which are specified in the exemption.
These include:
  • no flight crew members may disembark the aircraft, other than the pilot to undertake a pre-flight safety check
  • no person may board the aircraft, other than passengers and essential aircraft servicing staff who must follow certain infection control precautions including wearing a mask and PPE.
COVID-19 testing for international flight crew: frequently asked questions provides further information about COVID-19 testing of flight crew and management of results.
NSW Testing ProgramThe Public Health (COVID-19 Air Transportation Quarantine) Order (No 1) 2021 requires staff working at the airport and in quarantine facilities to comply with the NSW Testing Program for COVID-19. The NSW quarantine worker surveillance and testing program sets out when different categories of worker must be tested.
Testing for designated quarantine facility workers
  • Designated quarantine facility workers carry out functions or provides services in relation to the quarantine facility.
  • Designated quarantine facility workers cannot carry out services at a quarantine facility unless the person has been tested for COVID-19 in accordance with the NSW testing program for that class of workers.
Testing for designated airport workers
  • A designated airport worker is a person who in the course of the person's employment carries out functions or provides services at an airport; and who is specified in the NSW Testing Program.
  • Designated airport workers would not be able to enter/remain at the airport or carry out services in an airport unless the worker was tested for COVID-19.
Testing for designated transportation workers
  • A designated transportation worker is a person provides a transportation service for a relevant person directly to, or directly from, a quarantine facility or medical facility.
  • A designated transportation provider must not provide, or continue to provide, a transportation service unless the provider is tested for COVID-19 in accordance with the requirements set out in the NSW Testing Program.
Unaccompanied minorsAll unaccompanied minors must quarantine in a government quarantine facility.
For further information, see the Fact sheet for parents and guardians of unaccompanied minors arriving from overseas or contact the NSW Health Quarantine Exemptions Unit at MOH-COVID19-Quarantine@health.nsw.gov.au or on 1300 288 222.
Maritime quarantineThe Public Health (COVID-19 Maritime Quarantine) Order 2021 sets conditions on persons who arrive in NSW by vessels (other than vessels originating in Australia, that have not stopped at a port outside of Australia, and each person boarded the vessel in Australia), and their employers. The conditions include:
  • a person who arrives in NSW from overseas on a vessel must not disembark unless the person:
    • is authorised to do so by the Commissioner of Police
    • disembarks for the purpose of undertaking an essential task
    • Is required to do so because of an emergency
  • a relevant person who is authorised to disembark from a vessel must do one of the following as directed by the Commissioner of Police:
    • go directly to a quarantine facility
    • go directly to a hospital or medical facility for treatment
    • go directly to an airport or another vessel in order to immediately leave NSW
  • the occupier of a wharf at which a vessel is docked and the master of the vessel that is docked at the wharf must have a COVID-19 Safety Plan
  • specific people are authorised to board, and disembark from, a vessel on which there is a relevant person. The list of authorised persons is provided in the Order.
The Order commenced on 11 March 2021. The Order repeals and remakes the current Maritime Order subject to a minor amendment. The new Order includes a new provision that makes clear that a person subject to the Maritime Order is also subject to the Public Health (COVID-19 Self Isolation) Order 2021 and that the latter order takes precedence in the event of any inconsistency.
See information on exemptions for air and maritime quarantine.
Self-isolationThe Public Health (COVID-19 Self Isolation) Order 2021 requires persons diagnosed with COVID-19 and close contacts of persons diagnosed with COVID-19 to self-isolate and specifies requirements for self-isolation including duration and location.
On 18 March 2021 the Minister made the Public Health (COVID-19 Self-Isolation) Order 2021 which repeals and remakes the directions in the Public Health (COVID-19 Self-Isolation) Order (No 5) 2020.
The new Order makes it clear that the Self-Isolation Order 2021 applies in the event of any inconsistency with the Public Health (COVID-19 Maritime Quarantine) Order 2021 or the Public Health (COVID-19 Air Transportation Quarantine) Order 2021.
Any requirement to quarantine under the No 5 Order continues under the new Order.
The Order requires compliance with the NSW Health self isolation guidelines, which may change from time to time.
The Public Health (COVID-19 Self Isolation) Order 2021 allows an authorised medical practitioner to direct a close contact of a COVID case to:
  • be tested for COVID-19 and provide details of the date, time and location of any test undertaken, or
  • continue their self-isolation period for a further period for a further period up to 10 days.
Penalties for breaching the Public Health OrdersIt is an offence to not comply with a public health order and the following penalties can apply:
  • a maximum penalty of imprisonment for 6 months and/or a penalty of up to $11,000
  • plus a further $5,500 fine each day the offence continues.
Corporations that fail to comply with a direction are liable to:
  • a fine of $55,000
  • plus a further $27,500 fine each day the offence continues.
On the spot fines can also be issued:
  • $4,000 for a breach of clause 6 of the Public Health (COVID-19 Border Control) Order 2020 - failing to provide or falsifying information to an enforcement officer
  • $5000 for a breach of the Public Health (COVID-19 Spitting and Coughing) Order (No 2) 2020
  • $1,000 in other cases.
Requesting exemptions
Current as at: Thursday 20 May 2021