How To Move Interstate Safely During a Pandemic
COVID Pandemic Moving Guide
In 2022, we are somewhat getting used to living with the uncertainty that the coronavirus pandemic brings.
Back in early 2020, not only were we in the midst of a sourdough-making revolution; we were also getting used to words like 'lockdown', 'isolation', 'quarantine', and 'border closures' being part of our everyday vocabulary. As shocking and terrible as the onset of the pandemic was, there was a certain excitement and "newness" to it all, it was a bit of novelty.
Fast forward to 2022 and the sourdough craze has been replaced by the Wordle craze but we're still using those words on an everyday basis, and are indeed many of our lives are affected by border closures, vaccine mandates and mandatory quarantine periods.
Moving interstate during the pandemic has always been possible. Fortunately, essential freight is exempt from border closures so our shipping containers passed unhindered across closed state borders. Many of our customers though, had issues with crossing the borders themselves with their containers full of their personal effects, often beating them to their destination. Luckily the self-pack removals system is perfectly set up to cope with this.
How can I move interstate during the pandemic?
If you are moving locally then the process will be much the same as normal with the normal safeguards in place that we are now used to; facemasks worn, social distancing etc.
If you are moving interstate it is getting increasingly easier as the states are gradually opening their borders to visitors. Unless you test positive to covid or are listed as a close contact of someone who has, in most states you can cross over the border with no issues.
In WA where a hard border is still is place, there are exemptions to enter the state, with relocation being one of them. You will, however, have to complete a 7 day isolation period when you arrive.
How can I store my household contents when I move house?
The beauty of a self-pack shipping container is the ease of storage.
Traditionally when a moving truck is used to move your household effects interstate, you would unload to unload the truck on the spot when it arrives at its destination. If you were not ready to receive your home contents because your house hadn't settled or you hadn't arrived, then the only real option was to pay someone to unload it into a storage facility and then pay again to reload it all back into a truck and deliver to your home when you are ready to receive. Not only is this an inefficient way to move home but with the double handling, you also double the chance of things getting damaged.
When moving house using a shipping container, there is no double handling. You load the container at your address and then it is moved to the destination address. If you are ready for it to be delivered, no problem, it can be stored as-is in one of our secure container depots located throughout Australia. When you are ready for delivery, we can usually have your container out to you within a day or two to most metro areas.
How do I keep safe from catching covid when moving house?
Many people are reluctant to have tradespeople entering their homes in the age of the covid pandemic, particularly the elderly or those who are immune-compromised.
To ensure you keep safe, loading your own shipping container to move interstate makes a lot of sense. Even if you are isolating, you can still load or unload a shipping container that is situated on your property.