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ABC News
ABC News
Health

Victoria will soon consider all of Australia a 'green zone' after Brisbane, Byron Bay coronavirus risk downgraded

Greater Brisbane has been considered an "orange zone" by Victoria since the start of April. (Supplied: Brisbane City Council )

Victoria will downgrade the Brisbane, Gladstone and Byron Bay areas from "orange" to "green" zones from midnight.

The change means people travelling from those areas to Victoria will no longer need to quarantine and get tested upon arriving in the state.

Once that kicks in, every part of Australia and New Zealand will be considered a "green zone" under Victoria's travel permit system.

Everyone entering Victoria needs to apply for a travel permit, which classifies areas as red, orange or green zones based on their coronavirus risk.

Green zone permit holders are free to enter the state with no other restrictions.

People coming from orange zones had to get tested and self-isolate until they got a negative test result.

Red zone permit holders needed to self-isolate for a full two weeks, even if they tested negative for the virus during that period.

But under the rules, people can only enter Victoria from red zones if they are a resident, have an exemption or qualify for a worker or transit permit.

It is more relaxed than the red zone rules that were in place late last year, which blocked Victorians from entering their own state.

Nearly two weeks of restricted travel comes to an end

Victoria designated the Greater Brisbane area a red zone late last month, after the Queensland government announced a snap lockdown in response to COVID cases detected in the community.

The Gladstone area, on the coast about 500 kilometres north of Brisbane, and the Byron Bay region in northern New South Wales, were designated orange zones.

On April 1 Brisbane's red zone classification was downgraded to orange.

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