Victoria to OPEN border with NSW after reviewing Covid risk – but Sydney and Brisbane are still locked out
Victoria will reopen its borders to regional New South Wales but will remain off-limits to Sydney and Brisbane residents.
Premier Daniel Andrews declared the borders will reopen on Monday night while announcing a ‘traffic light’ system to clear up confusion about where Victorians can travel.
Regional NSW will go from a red zone to orange at 9pm, where Victorians will need a permit and must get tested and self-isolate until they receive a negative result once they arrive home.
Victorians will need a permit but will be allowed to travel in designated green zones anywhere across Australia.
Victorians won’t be permitted travel to red zones and must meet strict conditions when returning home from a no-go zone.
‘It serves as advice for any Victorian travelling to other parts of the country.
‘This is based on public health advice and gives to our public health team and every single Victorian clarity about what the status of every other part of our nation is,’ Premier Andrews said.
It comes after Victoria recorded zero new locally acquired coronavirus cases for a fifth consecutive day on Monday.
Just one new case was recorded, which was a returned traveller in hotel quarantine.
Around 18,660 tests have been conducted across the state in the last 24 hours.
Victoria currently has 40 active cases, down from 45 on Sunday.
Health authorities are now confident contact tracers are winning the battle against the recent 27-case outbreak linked to a Thai eatery in bayside Melbourne, which sparked fears of a third coronavirus wave for Victoria.