Victoria to close borders with NSW and ACT

VICTORIA has effectively shut its border to the entirety of NSW and the ACT over concerns COVID-19 could leak out of Sydney.

Acting Chief Health Officer Associate Professor Daniel O’Brien has declared NSW and the ACT will become red zones under Victoria’s travel permit system from 11.59pm tonight, Sunday, 11 July.

Previously, both regional NSW and the ACT were listed as orange zones, allowing people from those areas to enter Victoria if they got tested and isolated until they returned a negative result.

But Victorian health authorities have decided to reclassify them as red zones after NSW recorded 77 new local cases on Sunday.

“Victorian public health authorities are concerned about the risks of transmission beyond current red zones in Greater Sydney and surrounds, and the potential risks this poses to the Victorian community from people entering our state,” a statement read.

Victorian residents can still return from red zones but must isolate at home for 14 days upon their arrival.

The “bubble” arrangement along the Victorian-NSW border remain for local residents, though they must continue to travel with proof of address and not enter any red zones.

“You cannot enter if you have been to a red zone outside of the cross-border area, or if you have COVID-19, any symptoms, or have been defined as a close contact by a state health authority,” the health department said.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, who grew up living in Wangaratta near the state’s northern border, had earlier flagged the imminent tightening of travel restrictions with NSW.

“We do not want this virus here in our state,” he told reporters.

“I would say to all of those Victorians who are in Sydney and in NSW more broadly, if you’re coming home then you better be quick about it.

“Many warnings were given about exactly this sort of outcome.”

The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee met today, with Mr Andrews hoping officials would agree to a national border approach with NSW.

But, in the absence of that, he said Victoria would act independently if their experts deemed it necessary.

“I won’t hesitate to do it,” Mr Andrews said.

While acknowledging it was within the state’s power, Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said federal officials did not back shutting the NSW border.

“We don’t support it at a Commonwealth level,” he told reporters in Canberra.

“It’s not an easy thing to do to close the border with NSW. There are many, many places that people can cross that border so I’m sure it will be a decision not taken lightly.”

Victoria recorded its 11th day in a row without a local case of COVID-19 today, as well as no new infections in hotel quarantine.

Some 23,300 tests were processed in the 24 hours to Sunday morning, while almost 13,000 Victorians received a vaccine dose at one of the state-run hubs.