On the morning of November 4, NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian made the announcement both sides of the border have been waiting for – that New South Wales will open its borders to Victoria at 12.01am on November 23.
The news comes on the back of Victorians recording a fifth consecutive day of no new community transmissions and no deaths. The border has been closed since Victoria's second wave of the virus took hold of the state in July, a closure which marked the first time in 100 years that such a decision had been made. As she announced the opening of the border, Berejiklian tweeted:
"On Monday, 23 November – the NSW/Victoria border will reopen. We need to keep moving forward as we live with COVID-19. I have confidence that everyone will continue to work hard to keep everyone safe."
It's great news for Victorian and NSW travellers, workers and separated friends and family – the announcement comes in time for you to still make Christmas plans, celebrate New Years' and map out an interstate summer holiday or two. Our backyard feels like it got a little bigger.