The situation has caused NZ to hit pause on the trans-Tasman travel bubble, and thrown school holiday plans into chaos.The virus is swaddling Australia once again at a rate not experienced since the beginning of the pandemic.Three states and a territory are battling separate outbreaks, triggering lockdowns, snap border closures and tightened restrictions.And there are fears the worst is yet to come.NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Sunday said the state should brace for more cases, anticipating numbers would be higher than previous days.“Given how contagious this strain of the virus is we do anticipate that in the next few days case numbers are likely to increase beyond what we’ve seen today (Sunday),” she told reporters.“Because we are seeing that people in isolation, unfortunately, have transmitted (the virus) to all of their household contacts.”NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant offered a glimmer of hope to NSW residents.“If we all take this very seriously, we maintain those testing numbers, then two weeks (of lockdown) may be sufficient,” she said.NSW recorded 30 new cases on Sunday, the largest daily rise since a limousine driver who transports aircrew tested positive, sparking the outbreak.There are at least 110 cases in NSW, with majority of those directly linked to the Bondi outbreak. While most infections are linked, the rapid rise in cases has health officials seriously concerned. But NSW isn’t the only state grappling with a fierce Covid outbreak, with the virus sweeping the nation and infiltrating state’s that have been Covid-free for months.The Northern Territory recorded four new cases on Sunday, plunging some areas into a 48-hour lockdown.Darwin, Palmerston and Litchfield went into lockdown from 1pm local time on Sunday.Chief Minister Michael Gunner said authorities were taking “extreme action” to stop or slow any spread of the virus.The four new cases are linked to a worker at a gold mine who tested positive on Friday night.More than 1600 people have been ordered into isolation as a result.Western Australia also recorded a new local case, a woman who travelled to Sydney and dined at the Lyfe Cafe in Bondi that has found itself at the centre of the Covid cluster.There are still some places travellers can go despite the border changes, and experts have warned travellers need to be aware of their rights when it comes to refunds for accommodation, car hire, flights and other fees.Since the onset of the pandemic, many travel providers today offer flexible options to book, reschedule or cancel a trip at ease. Expedia’s latest Travel Companions report shows, flexibility is increasingly becoming a prerequisite for Aussies, with 60 per cent stating it’s important they can make changes to their booking easily. For Aussies who need to cancel their trips, they are advised to read the fine print and double check the deadline to cancel for a full refund, in many instances some hotels may require travellers to cancel more than 24 hours prior to check in. For travellers still planning to holiday within their own state, ensure to check the latest health and travel advisories. The Health Direct Covid-19 Restriction Checker can help with local state and territory updates on rules for:*Accommodation*Cafes and Restaurants*Domestic Travel*Entertainment Venues*Education and Childcare*Gatherings and Work*Hair and Beauty Services*Retail and Sales*Sport and outdoor recreation*Weddings, Funerals and Religious services. See how each state compares below: VICTORIAVictorians are able to travel throughout the state this school holidays following a significant easing of Covid restrictions.If you are from, or have visited, Greater Darwin or Greater Sydney (Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Shellharbour and Wollongong inclusive) you cannot enter Victoria, unless you are a returning resident in which case you must apply for a “red zone” permit and isolate for 14 days.The rest of NSW, Greater Brisbane, and the Perth and Peel regions are currently “orange zones” under Victoria’s traffic light system, which means visitors must apply for the relevant permit, get a Covid test within 72 hours of arrival and isolate until they return a negative test result.Those from other jurisdictions can enter on a “green zone” permit and move around freely.You can apply for a travel permit here.Those who wanting to head to the snow are encouraged by Victoria’s Department of Health to take a Covid test before heading the state’s Alpine Resorts.You are allowed to book accommodation for a single household plus 15 visitors including their dependants. Infants under 12 months aren’t included in this cap.You can find more information here. NSWNSW residents face some travel restrictions as state’s the Covid outbreak continues to grow.On Saturday, Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour were plunged into a two-week lockdown, and residents must stay at home except for essential purposes.Those from other areas of NSW can move around freely, but if they visit a lockdown area they must then follow the stay at home rules for 14 days.Travellers from almost all states and territories can enter NSW without a permit. However, if you are from Victoria you must complete an entry declaration form and if you been to a place of high concern, entry is not permitted until a negative result is returned from a Covid test. It is worth noting that if you do travel to NSW, especially to any of the lockdown areas, you may face Covid restrictions upon your return. Check your state’s health department website for more details.ACTThe Australian Capital Territory has introduced some border restrictions.If you are from, or have visited, Greater Sydney (Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Shellharbour and Wollongong inclusive), or Darwin, Palmerston, or Linchfield in the Northern Territory, you cannot enter the ACT. If you are a returning ACT resident, you must isolate for 14 days.Those who have been in a “close contact exposure location” in Queensland or Victoria are also not permitted to enter.More information can be found here.QLDQueenslanders can travel throughout the state freely.If you are from, or have visited Greater Sydney (Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Shellharbour and Wollongong inclusive) you are not permitted to enter Queensland.Those from other jurisdictions can enter the state, but if you have been to an “interstate exposure venue” you must complete a travel declaration and quarantine as per the directions provided.SOUTH AUSTRALIASouth Australians are free to go wherever they want within their home state.The state currently has its borders shut to Western Australia, Queensland, the Northern Territory, and the ACT.Victorians entering the Festival State must take a Covid test on day one. However, if you have been to a “tier 1” or “tier 2” exposure site, you cannot enter.More information can be found here.NORTHERN TERRITORYAnyone arriving in the NT who’s spent time in a declared hotspot in the last 14 days must undertake 14 days mandatory supervised quarantine.Anyone arriving in the Northern Territory — including returning Territorians — must complete an online Border Entry Form no more than 7 days before entering the NT. You canaccess the form here.You must declare on the form if you have been in quarantine in another state or Territory in the 28 days before entering the NT. You don’t need to have a paper copy of your completed entry form, but make sure it’s available on your mobile phone or other device.You must wear your own face mask at all major NT airports and on flights — including Darwin International, Alice Springs, Yulara (also called Connellan Airport), Gove and Groote Eylandt airports and when on the airfield. Children under the age of 12 and people with a specified medical condition don’t need to wear a mask.You can find more information on declared hot spots here. You can also call 1800 490 484 (ACST) 8am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday (closed public holidays).TASMANIAEntry to Tasmania and quarantine requirements depend on where you’ve been in the 14 days before you travelled to Tasmania. Areas are declared as either low, medium or high risk based on the number of Covid cases or level of community transmission in those areas.Low-risk areasTravellers who’ve spent time in the past 14 days in a low-risk area don’t need to quarantine on arrival.Current low-risk areas are:Australian Capital TerritoryNorthern Territory, except for Darwin, Palmerston and LitchfieldNew South Wales, except for Greater Sydney, the Central Coast, the Blue Mountains and Wollongong and certain high-risk locationsNew Zealand except for certain high-risk locationsQueensland, except for certain high-risk locationsSouth AustraliaVictoria, except for certain high-risk locationsWestern AustraliaTravellers must register their travel and contact details via the Tas e-Travel system no more than 3 days before arriving. People can travel directly from a low-risk area through medium or high-risk areas if they:transit directly from the low-risk area to an airport or seaport by vehicle, only stopping for fuel travel directly into an airport on a flight and don’t leave except to board another flightstay overnight in an approved airport hotel, transiting directly from the airport terminal and only leaving the airport hotel to return to the airport terminal.Check here for more detail WESTERN AUSTRALIAWestern Australia has a controlled interstate border arrangement.Under this arrangement, people coming from interstate can now travel into and around WA by air, road or rail — subject to certain conditions.Go here for more information. NED-1859 State of our bordersWHAT HAPPENS IF Covid AFFECTS MY TRIP?ACCOMMODATIONIf you have booked accommodation or an experience via Airbnb, its “extenuating circumstances” policy will only apply if the guest or host is sick with Covid-19.The guest will receive a full cash refund or travel credit if this happens.It is therefore important to review the cancellation policy that each host or experience provider has set to avoid being left out of pocket in the event of a Covid-related disruption. For hotels and other accommodation providers, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission advises that the terms and conditions of their booking will dictate whether they are eligible for a refund if Covid travel restrictions disrupt their arrangements.The consumer watchdog says that terms and conditions will vary between providers, and warns that in some cases consumers might not be entitled to a full, or any, refund of their booking.For Expedia customers who need to make a change to their bookings, travellers can easily do so through the online virtual agent or through the Expedia mobile App, minimising the need to speak with a customer service agent. ALPINE RESORTSThredbo: Guests can request a cancellation, a change of dates, and MyMoney Credit for pre-purchased lift, lesson, rental product and/or accommodation purchases via Thredbo Resort Centre or the Thredbo Alpine hotel if:– Thredbo is closed due to COVID-19; or– Government policies due to COVID-19 prevent guests from travelling to Thredbo Resort on the intended dates.Find out more herePerisher (including The Station and the Perisher Valley Hotel): No changes will be made to bookings, including name changes to lift tickets, less than seven days prior to arrival.If accommodation is unable to be provided or the resort is close as a result of COVID-19, a refund will be providedThe Perisher Valley Hotel and The Station will provide cancellation, change of dates, credit forward or full refund on all prepaid accommodation if:– You, a family member or travelling companion contract COVID-19 and are unable to travel on your intended dates; or– Government policies due to COVID 19 prevent you from travelling on your intended dates; or– Your transport is cancelled or disrupted due to COVID 19 preventing you from arriving in resort for your travel dates.Find out more here.Hotham Holidays: If the resort if unable to provide you with the lift tickets, lessons or rental products and services you have booked or the resort is closed as a result of Covid-19, a full refund will be provided.If the virus prevents you from travelling, cancellation, change of dates, credit forward or a full refund on accommodation, prepaid lift, lesson and rental products will be issued if: – You, a family member or travelling companion contract COVID-19 and are unable to travel on your intended dates; or– Government policies due to COVID-19 prevent you from travelling on your intended dates; or– Your transport is cancelled or disrupted due to COVID-19 preventing you from arriving in resort for your travel dates.If Hotham Holidays is unable to provide you with the accommodation that you have booked or the resort is closed as a result of COVID-19, we will provide you with a full refund. Find out more here.Buller Holidays: Cancellation, change of dates, credit forward, or a full refund on prepaid resort entry, accommodation, lift tickets, lesson, rental products and other prepaid services and activities will be provided if: – You or a family member (or travelling companion) contract coronavirus and are unable to travel on your intended dates; or– Victorian Government coronavirus restrictions close Mt Buller resort; or– Victorian Government coronavirus restrictions prevent you from travelling on your intended dates; or– Your transport is cancelled or disrupted due to coronavirus preventing you from arriving in resort for your travel dates.Find out more here.FLIGHTSQantas: Offers unlimited fee-free date changes for domestic flights booked between May 21, 2020 and July 31, 2021; trans-Tasman flights booked between October 15, 2020 and July 31, 2021; and international flights booked between February 25 and July 31, 2021. You must contact the airline before your scheduled day of departure and select a new travel date within 12 months of your original booking.You can also request a flight credit if you no longer wish to travel.In the event of border closures, Qantas recommends calling its customer service team on 13 13 13.More information can be found here.Jetstar: Customers are eligible for a credit voucher for the full value of their booking if their flight is cancelled or affected (which the airline explains here) by border restriction changes.They can also purchase FareCredit when finalising their payment when booking via Jetstar. This lets travellers cancel their booking for any reason before airport check-in opens and provides them a travel credit. Virgin: The airline has extended is Flexible Flying policy until February 28, 2022. This means customers can change the date of their flight without charge and as many times as they like, though this must be done prior to the travel date. They can also request a travel credit.More information can be found here.Rex: All bookings come with a “Covid refund guarantee” that provides a full refund of the fare, or flight changes with no charge.This applies to any passenger whose trip has to be cancelled or changed due to Covid-related reasons, even if Rex’s flights operate as scheduled.More information can be found here.The ACCC says that consumers have a right to a refund under the terms and conditions at the time they purchased a ticket.It also “expects that consumers will receive a refund or other remedy” in most circumstances if their travel is cancelled due to Covid.RENTAL CARSBudget:Recommends selecting the “Pay at Counter” option when booking a car, which offers free modifications and cancellations at any time.Those who select the “Pay Now” option can cancel for free with at least 24 hours notice until December 19, 2021.Europcar: Currently offers free cancellation on bookings if restrictions come into place, and booking modifications at no cost.Thrifty: Currently offers options to cancel and modify bookings without charge. Hertz: No cancellation fee if done within 24 hours of the booking, and free booking modifications. FOOTY TICKETS The NRL is refunding those who cannot go to games like State of Origin. The AFL states: In the event of extenuating circumstances, the AFL may also facilitate a refund of a ticket if you seek entry to the venue but are not permitted access to the venue due to any COVID-19 restrictions, including if you appear to have any COVID-19 symptoms, or if you can produce supporting evidence of your incapacity to attend a match, event or function in the circumstances set out in their Covid Conditions.
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