Thanks to the incredible efforts of millions of Victorians who turned out to get vaccinated at lightning speed, Victoria’s lockdown has lifted and the state can now move to relax quarantine rules further.

As Victoria powers towards its 80 per cent double-dose vaccination rate, the Chief Health Officer has removed quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated international arrivals from 1 November.

Fully vaccinated international travellers will be able to enter Victoria without spending 14 days in hotel quarantine as part of the Victorian Government’s Roadmap to Deliver the National Plan.

There will no longer be a cap on fully vaccinated returning Australians wishing to enter Victoria, and the opening of our borders to Victorians coming home will reunite families and friends and boost our vaccinated economy.

International arrivals will need to demonstrate their vaccination status to the Commonwealth with a vaccine approved or recognised by the Therapeutic Goods Administration. TGA recognised vaccines are:

Pfizer (Comirnaty) AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria) Moderna (Spikevax) COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen (Johnson and Johnson) Coronavac (Sinovac) Covishield (AstraZeneca/Serum Institute of India)

Arrivals will also be required to test negative to COVID-19 within 72 hours of their departure and will be required to undertake testing within 24 hours of arrival into Victoria.

In line with Commonwealth protocols, children under 12 arriving with fully vaccinated parents and people with a valid medical exemption will be considered fully vaccinated.

Any person who tests positive for COVID-19 once in Victoria, or their primary close contact, will be required to isolate at home just as any other case in the community, while unvaccinated international travellers will be subject to mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine unless they can prove their vaccination status during their quarantine period.

International travellers in hotel quarantine as of 1 November who have had their vaccination status verified on the Australian Immunisation Register and who have returned a negative test will be released regardless of whether they have completed 14 days’ quarantine.

From 1 November, Victoria will cap the number of unvaccinated or unverified international travellers at 250 a week.

While Victoria is opening, international arrivals will still need to comply with Commonwealth visa requirements that currently restrict entry to Australian citizens or residents, unless there is an exemption.

As these changes are made, COVID-19 Quarantine Victoria will have an ongoing role safeguarding the health of those in quarantine.

This includes international arrivals who don’t meet the new entry criteria, as well as frontline workers and the hundreds of other Victorians currently in CQV hotels because it’s unsafe for them to quarantine where they live.

The Commonwealth’s new quarantine facility at Mickleham is under construction and is on track for becoming operational in January to house unvaccinated arrivals, as emergency accommodation following natural disasters such as bushfires or for use in future pandemics.

With our first-dose vaccination rate at 90 per cent and growing every day, these changes will help our returning Australians come home safely while preserving our health system and ensuring Victorians can still get the healthcare they need when they need it most.   

The date 1 November also coincides with the date Victorians will be permitted to travel internationally without having to seek an exemption from the Commonwealth Government.

Victoria came out of lockdown at 11.59pm last night after hitting 70 per cent double-dose vaccination. The next milestone in the Roadmap will be when Victoria hits the 80 per cent double dose vaccination target, which is predicted to be the first week of November.

If you haven’t had your first dose, please get it today. From now and until Sunday 31 October there are more than 140,000 first and second dose appointments available. Victorians can also book a vaccine appointment through their trusted GP or pharmacist.

For more information on the Roadmap or to book a vaccination visit coronavirus.vic.gov.au/coronavirus-covidsafe-settings.

Quotes attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews

“Victorians have achieved something incredible, and I couldn’t be prouder. Thank you, Victoria.”

“Today’s welcome news was made possible because of the hard work Victorians did to get vaccinated. With our first-dose vaccination rate at 90 per cent, we’ll open Victoria’s vaccinated economy – and we can’t wait to welcome the rest of the world.”