Another travel bubble is emerging for Australia, with Singapore confirming it will start accepting fully vaccinated Australians next month.
The Singapore government has agreed that vaccinated Australians won’t have to quarantine after November 8.
Travellers will need a to take two tests, including one before departing and another on arrival at Changi Airport.
They must self-isolate until their test result is confirmed as negative.
Singapore recently also opened travel for people from the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany.
- Related: Airlines add more overseas flights
It comes despite rising COVID-19 case numbers in Singapore where 253 people have died of the coronavirus in the past month.
The country has recorded 25,000 new cases in that same period, according to Johns Hopkins University data, while just over 82 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated.
Meanwhile, at least four states are gearing up for quarantine-free international arrivals as Australia is on track to hit the 80 per cent full COVID-19 vaccination mark within a week.
The latest forecast on covid19data.com.au has a best case scenario of 80 per cent – a target set by national cabinet for major changes to restrictions – being hit on November 2, which is also Melbourne Cup day.
The federal health department’s latest data shows 74.1 per cent of Australians over 16 are now fully vaccinated, with 87.1 per cent having received a first dose.
Now here’s a wrap of the other COVID news across Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.
Victoria
The QR code check-in app Victorians use to register at cafes, shops and even playgrounds, will also be able to let them know if they have visited an exposure site.
An update to the Service Victoria app will mean it can notify people if they have visited a tier one exposure site, according to an update issued by the office of the Chief Health Officer.
Previously, Victorians had to keep a close eye on government exposure site listings, which can run to hundreds of locations, or wait for health authorities to contact them directly.
“This new feature is another way Victorians can be aware if they have visited a Tier 1 exposure site, allowing them to isolate faster to protect the community,” the update said.
New exposure sites named on Tuesday night include:
- The Coffee Club in Bendigo;
- Pastry and Pieces Bakery in Sale;
- Kiah Schoen Beauty in Traralgon;
- Lovism Hair in Traralgon.
Meanwhile, coronavirus cases in Melbourne’s northwest continue to fall after record growth in vaccination rates.
In the local government area of Hume, once the centre of the state’s COVID-19 outbreak, about 70 per cent of people in the local government area are fully vaccinated, an increase from 35 per cent four weeks ago.
The southeastern LGAs of Greater Dandenong and Casey have overtaken Melbourne’s northern and western suburbs for new infections, and there are also an increasing number of cases in Albury Wodonga on the Victoria-NSW border.
Victoria recorded 1510 new COVID-19 cases and four deaths on Tuesday, bringing the toll from the state’s latest outbreak to 234.
About 90.8 per cent of Victorians aged over 16 have had one COVID-19 vaccine dose while almost 76 per cent are fully vaccinated, paving the way for restrictions to ease further at 6pm on Friday.
It comes as the new laws giving the premier the power to declare a pandemic have been introduced to parliament.
The bill includes new penalties for people or businesses who fail to comply with the rules despite knowing it would lead to a “serious risk” to the health of others.
Based on the proposed penalty units, individuals could face a jail sentence of two years or a $90,000 fine, while businesses could be fined more than $450,000.
The opposition has described the proposed laws as “the most extreme, dangerous and excessive laws ever brought before our state”.
The bill is expected to pass the lower house with support from the crossbench when it is debated on Thursday.
NSW
A COVID-19 outbreak continues to bubble away on the NSW border with Victoria, as the NSW premier hints that freedoms could be restored sooner than expected.
The Murrumbidgee Local Health District recorded the second-highest number of cases on Tuesday, accounting for 45 of the state’s 282 infections.
Some 40 of those cases were in the Albury local government area. There is also a rise in cases in Wodonga across the Murray River in Victoria.
The Murrumbidgee district has recorded 393 cases and two deaths since the start of the Delta outbreak. Albury was the location of 301 of those cases.
The district’s daily case numbers have exceeded 40 for three consecutive days, after the surge began in earnest in mid-October.
With regional areas like Albury soon to welcome back travellers from Sydney, Premier Dominic Perrottet has hinted other freedoms may also be restored soon.
Regional travel is slated to get the green light on November 1, after being delayed due to lagging vaccination numbers in the regions.
In Albury, vaccination numbers are below the state average – while more than 95 per cent of over-16s have received their first dose, 79.9 per cent were fully vaccinated by Sunday. That’s about five points below the state average.
Mr Perrottet says his COVID economic recovery committee will be examining “aspects of the roadmap” this week.
“The vaccination rates have provided an opportunity to revisit some areas and we will look at that,” he said.
The state exceeded 12 million COVID-19 jabs on Tuesday.
Of the NSW residents aged 16 and over, 93.2 per cent have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 85.5 per cent of adults are fully vaccinated.
In the 12-15-year-old age group, 78 per cent have had their first dose and 53 per cent are fully vaccinated.
ACT
ACT health authorities have warned Canberrans not to use government COVID-19 clinics if they require a negative test to travel interstate.
With Queensland set to reopen its borders from next month once the state hits 70 per cent fully vaccinated, travellers from Canberra will need a negative COVID test 72 hours before they arrive.
However, ACT Health said its large testing clinics were only for monitoring and managing COVID cases in Canberra and not for travel prerequisites.
“People should not attend an ACT government-run testing clinic unless they have symptoms of COVID, are a close or casual contact or a public health authority has asked them to be tested,” an ACT Health spokesman told AAP.
“If people require a COVID-19 test prior to interstate travel, they should visit their GP and get a referral to a private pathology clinic.”
Queensland is the only state or territory where a negative COVID test will be required to enter.
Quarantine-free travel is expected to be in place in most states except Western Australia by Christmas, with jurisdictions requiring travellers to be fully vaccinated to enter.
ACT Health said there were no plans to scale back testing sites.
Health authorities in the capital are expected on Wednesday to provide a detailed epidemiological update for the COVID outbreak.
The update was originally slated to be handed down on Tuesday but was pushed back.
The ACT is inching closer to 90 per cent of its over 12s being fully vaccinated, with the double dose rate standing at 89.3 per cent.
There were 12 new cases reported in the capital on Tuesday, with an increase in testing numbers.
The number of COVID patients in hospital has fallen to 15, with nine of those in intensive care and nine on a ventilator.
-with AAP
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