COVID-19: South Australia slams border closed to Melbourne

Many readers will be familiar with my ties to South Australia, the state where I grew up, and my frequent travels there. I’m faced with a dilemma due to the changed rules about entering South Australia from Victoria. These changed rules have been sparked by the small outbreak of 8 cases of COVID-19 community transmission connected to the Melbourne Airport Holiday Inn.

New Restrictions for South Australia – advice and travel forms

As of a minute past midnight this morning, South Australia has closed its borders to anyone from within the Greater Melbourne Area.

Information is preliminary and a little contradictory, but you are best to head over the South Australian Police site for the best information available. Here is the link to SAPOL COVID-19 Directions for 11 February 2021.

If you intend travelling to South Australia from anywhere, you will need to fill out a Cross Border Travel Form. Have a look at the different advice depending on what areas you say you have been in in the last 14 days.

The SA state government’s other COVID-19 specific web pages don’t seem to have caught up yet.

My Dilemma

It’s complicated – as they say. I’m scheduled to travel to Melbourne for the weekend tomorrow. I am also heading to Adelaide on 1 March – slightly over a fortnight later on a flight via Melbourne to fly on the new REX service SYD-MEL before flying on to Adelaide.

2 Questions

This raises two questions that need to be answered before I proceed with my plans:

1. Will my trip to Melbourne prohibit me from travelling to South Australia in roughly 15 days time?
2. Can I still travel to via Melbourne to Adelaide, without that counting as having been in Melbourne?

2 Answers

After reading all available material, and phoning the SA COVID-19 Information Line – here are the answers:

1. NO – the test is whether you have been in Melbourne in the last 14 days
2. YES as long as I spend 2 hours or less transiting at Melbourne Airport and departure to Adelaide, and I wear a face mask the whole time including on the flights

Resolution

OK then – still have to do some fast footwork to re-arrange my flights on 1 March, as I had allowed way more than 2 hours for my transit – in case REX had any flight delays on its first day of operation. Maybe I will give up those REX flights, and just fly straight to Adelaide?

I’ll still need to be tested on arrival (withing 24 hours), and isolate until my negative result. I then need to be tested on day 5 and 12 after that.

2PAXfly Takeout

This is another timely reminder to wear your seatbelt when seated. Holding you close to your seat will protect you from the sort of injuries sustained on this flight, when unsecured passengers flew to the ceiling of the aircraft, and then came crashing down once the ‘drop’ ceased.

The hope will be that this is an anomaly – a ‘freak accident’ in casual parlance. If it is a systemic error either mechanical or electronic, then this is a larger concern for the airlines that fly Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft. Let’s hope it isn’t. If it is, it will pile on the woes to Boeing’s existing stack.

In this time of limited flying and endless re-booking of flights without penalty – this is a nice problem to have.

I might have to change my flight to direct Sydney – Melbourne – just to avoid any complications.

I can always fly on REX another day.