Australian state opens border for first time in months as Covid cases fall

Once the epicentre of Covid-19 in Australia, New South Wales has now recorded zero cases of community transmission for 15 days

Enthusiastic crowds welcoming the passengers from Victoria for the first time since July (Getty Images)

The borders between New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria, the most populous states of Australia, opened for the first time in four months on Monday as the two recorded no new Covid-19 cases.

New South Wales had shut its borders with the neighbouring state in July as infections surged in Victoria's capital, Melbourne. On Monday, NSW reported no new local infections for the 16th consecutive day.  

The borders opened a minute after midnight on Monday with enthusiastic crowds greeting the first passengers from Victoria with free donuts while shirtless men raised “welcome back” signs.

Australia shut down its international borders early in March as the pandemic began, making it mandatory for all inbound travellers to spend two week in quarantine in designated hotels.

Fights between Melbourne  and Sydney, the capital of NSW, were cancelled in July as cases mounted and NSW authorities put stringent lockdown measures in place for those crossing borders.  

Melbourne, a city of 5 million, saw a surge of more than 700 daily infections in July, contributing 90 per cent of the country’s Covid-related deaths.

Victoria’s leader Daniel Andrews hailed the achievement, saying it was “a testament to the character and the conviction and the amazing job that every single Victorian has done this year". He also announced relaxations in the rules for wearing masks outdoors, while maintaining the need for proper social distancing.

Larger public gatherings will also be allowed. People will still be required to wear masks in indoor environments like supermarkets, workplaces and public transport, however.  

New South Wales’s leader Gladys Berejiklian also welcomed the move to open borders, saying it would feel like a whole new era for both the states.  

Qantas and Jetstar airlines sold out more than 25,000 tickets in the first 48 hours, operating 17 fights after the reopening of borders was announced.  

With just 28,000 infections in total and 900 deaths, Australia has done better at containing the virus than many other countries in the world after putting in place stringent early lockdown measures. The country had a total of just 88 active cases on Sunday.