The temporary closure of the NSW-Victoria border, which was implemented to contain the spread of COVID-19 from Victoria and to protect the health and wellbeing of NSW residents, remains in force.

From 12.01am Friday, 4 September 2020 there will be a single border region and there will no longer be a border zone. A new border region resident permit will be introduced. This will allow a Victorian border region resident, including a border region resident in certain remote communities, to enter NSW:

• to get necessary goods or services
• for care or other compassionate reasons
• to attend work or education (where it is not possible to do from home)
• to permanently move homes into NSW.

A NSW border region resident can use the permit to enter Victoria for the same reasons and then return home to NSW.

If you have a border zone resident permit or a critical service – border region permit that is current at 12.01am Friday, 4 September it will:

• be considered a new border region resident permit, with the new conditions
• continue to be valid until the permit’s date of expiry.

What has changed

Any student or staff member in the new border region will be able to continue crossing the border to attend school or work as long as they stay within the border region and have a valid permit.

The changes under the updated Public Health Order are:

• Staff and students residing within the Victorian border region and travelling to attend a school within the NSW border region will be able to so with a Border Region Resident Permit.
• Victorian residents living outside the border region will not be able to cross the border to attend school without an exemption.
• Year 11 and 12 students and HSC teachers can continue to cross the border with an Authority to travel letter.
• Students attending a School for Specific Purposes will be eligible for a special permit through the NSW Government website. This permit does not apply to students with support needs attending a mainstream NSW school.
• All other students and staff who are unable to attend school due to the border restrictions will be supported to learn and work from home.
• Any student or staff member who has been in a Victorian restricted area or in a COVID-19 area of concern in the last 14 days will not be allowed to enter NSW.

Principals will work closely with families to provide appropriate learning support for students being supported through remote learning.

While the border restrictions remain in place, NSW students and staff are discouraged from travelling to Victoria.

For more information, visit the NSW Government’s NSW-Victoria border restrictions website.