Millions of Sydneysiders are welcomed back into Victoria – except ONE council area – after the state records another zero case day
- Victoria has now gone 17 days without a locally acquired case of coronavirus
- It comes as Sydney residents are welcomed in Victoria, with borders eased
- All of Sydney – with the exception of one LGA – were moved into the orange zone
Millions of Sydneysiders will be welcomed back into Victoria as the state goes another day with zero local coronavirus infections.
Victoria reported three Covid-19 cases in hotel quarantine on Saturday morning after 15,711 tests were conducted over the past 24 hours.
The state has now gone 17 days without a locally acquired case of Covid-19.
It comes as Victoria relaxed its border closures to Sydney at 6pm on Friday, with just one LGA – Cumberland in Sydney’s west – still classed as a red zone.
More people will be allowed in places such as restaurants, cafes and bars (pictured above) with the one person per 4sqm rule slashed to 2sqm
Victorian premier Dan Andrews (pictured above) announced the easing of restrictions on Friday to interstate guests
With the exception of the Blue Mountains and Wollongong, the rest of regional NSW will now be a designated green zone.
Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters on Friday health authorities had been reviewing the situation daily to evaluate what steps could be taken.
‘Those steps, of course, have to be safe,’ he said.
‘I’m very pleased that, following further intensive work by our public health team, the chief health officer has recommended to me, and the cabinet have agreed to the following changes.
‘From 6pm tonight, all but one of the Greater Sydney LGAs that are currently red will become orange. That is to say, with the exception of Cumberland, those nine shires, or local government areas – Blacktown, Burwood, Canterbury Bay, Canterbury Bankstown, Fairfield, inner West, Parramatta and Strathfield – they’ll all move from red to orange.’
People travelling to Victoria from an ‘orange’ zone will need to apply for a permit, get tested within 72 hours of their arrival and isolate until they receive a negative result. However they will not be barred entry.
The Cumberland LGA takes in Berala, the centre of a 35-person virus cluster, and its residents will remain locked out of Victoria.
All of Brisbane will also become a green zone, meaning residents can easily travel to Victoria.
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