Victoria has further tightened its border with NSW, with travellers from the Central Coast now required to get tested for Covid and isolate on arrival.
Victoria has tightened its border with New South Wales, extending the ‘orange zone’ to NSW’s Central Coast.
Anyone who enters Victoria, or has already entered, after visiting the region will be required to be tested for coronavirus and isolate until they receive a negative result.
The state’s chief health officer Brett Sutton made the announcement on Saturday evening.
“The existing Victorian border permit system will now be updated to include the NSW Central Coast in the orange zone,” Prof Sutton said.
It comes after Victoria recorded two new coronavirus cases in hotel quarantine overnight as the state marked its 50th consecutive day of zero new local cases.
However, two minors from Sydney’s northern beaches are set to spend Christmas in hotel quarantine after arriving in Melbourne in defiance of new border rules.
Victoria’s Health Minister Martin Foley said the pair flew into Melbourne Airport unaccompanied on Saturday morning in breach of the state’s permit system, which came into effect hours earlier.
Three other Victorians have entered the hotel quarantine program as they are unable to safely isolate in their own homes, including a healthcare worker and two close contacts of the Northern Beaches cluster.
The two new cases in hotel quarantine were recorded in a teenage girl and a woman in her 30s.
One of the cases was diagnosed in a member of a flight crew after arriving on a crew-only flight. Other crew members on the flight have tested negative and have left Australia to quarantine in their home country.
A driver who transported the crew to their hotel from Melbourne Airport has been identified as a close contact and will be required to quarantine for 14 days.
A total of 10 internationally acquired coronavirus cases have been required since Victoria resumed its hotel quarantine program.
There are currently a total of 10 active cases in Victoria.
