Many South Australian and some Queensland skiers and snowboarders had given up hope of skiing and snowboarding in Australia this ski season thanks to rigid border control during Covid 2020. The only option was to go skiing and then self isolate for 14 days upon return in South Australia, or hope the ski fields weren’t declared a hot spot by Queensland.
The Queensland premier had repeatedly insisted that borders would not be lifted until as late as September and any hope of a Trans Tasman bubble and skiing in New Zealand also dissipated. While Queenslanders were able to travel outside of state, if they did visit a hot spot in New South Wales or Victoria they would be required to isolate upon return.
Now Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has flagged July 10 as the potential new date for borders to open. Planning for the state to reopen on July 10 is in process dependent on New South Wales and Victoria coronavirus cases by the end of June.
In South Australia the Premier Steven Marshall has announced July 20 as the date the state’s border restrictions will lift. This leaves a hefty part of the ski season in New South Wales and Victoria for the state’s snow lovers to enjoy.
Meanwhile talk of the trans Tasman bubble has shifted from July to September as New Zealand is declared coronavirus free and interstate borders have remained closed. Northern Territory, Tasmania and Western Australia are yet to flag any specific border release dates.
Hope is that with more state borders lifting and coronavirus cases dropping that the bubble may open in August so watch this space.
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