Victorian regional city of Mildura to re-enter lockdown as Shepparton, Moorabool freed
Another regional Victorian city will be thrown back into lockdown after a spike in Covid-19 cases, while two other regions will be freed.
Coronavirus
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Mildura in northwest Victoria will enter a snap seven-day lockdown from 11.59pm on Friday.
The regional city has recently had a rise in Covid-19 infections, with nine active cases in the Mildura Rural City Council local government area reported as of Friday morning.
A further three cases were identified on Friday afternoon and will be included in Saturday’s numbers, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 12.
Victoria had its highest ever daily tally of locally acquired Covid-19 cases on Friday morning, with 1838 recorded, as well as five deaths.
In three separate announcements on Friday evening, the Victorian Department of Health confirmed Shepparton and the Moorabool Shire would emerge from stay-at-home orders as Mildura entered lockdown.
Greater Shepparton, in the state’s north, will leave lockdown as scheduled at 11.59pm on Friday, with restrictions to match those in place in the remainder of regional Victoria.
Moorabool Shire, in western Victoria near Ballarat, will leave lockdown at the same time.
While there are still new cases in Shepparton and the Moorabool Shire, public health officials say they are confident that the lockdown – and the commitment of the community – had slowed the potential growth.
There are 102 active cases in the Greater Shepparton LGA and 42 in the Moorabool Shire, according to Victorian government data.
Meanwhile, the state’s health teams say they are concerned about onward transmission in Mildura and have determined that the seven-day lockdown is needed to limit growth in cases.
Mildura will be subject to the same restrictions as metropolitan Melbourne, apart from the curfew.
Residents will only be allowed to leave home for necessary goods and services, caregiving or compassionate reasons (including medical care and getting a Covid-19 test), authorised work or permitted education, exercise and outdoor social interaction in limited groups, and getting a Covid-19 vaccine locally.
People can also leave home to visit an intimate partner or single social bubble buddy, but all shopping, exercise and outdoor social interaction will be limited to 15km from home.
“We’ve seen regional communities get through an outbreak so we know it can be done – it’s vital we protect the local community and the rest of regional Victoria from significant outbreaks,” Victoria’s chief health officer Brett Sutton said.
In the Mildura LGA, more than 86 per cent of the population have had at least their first vaccination dose and more than 51 per cent have had both.
The La Trobe City LGA, a region in Gippsland encompassing the regional city of Traralgon, came out of its seven-day lockdown on Wednesday, despite some new cases being recorded in the region.
At his daily Covid presser on Tuesday, Premier Daniel Andrews said: “There are some new cases in La Trobe today,” be fore adding “We feel we have a good understanding of that outbreak, and we can move La Trobe to the regional Victorian settings from midnight tonight. I’m very grateful to everybody across La Trobe City for the contribution they’ve made.”
It comes as Taree, Forster and Tuncurry on NSW’s Mid North coast went back into lockdown at midnight on Monday due to a rise of Covid-19 cases in the region.
Postcodes 2430 and 2428, both in the Mid-Coast local government area, are under stay-at-home orders until October 11, the day lockdowns are set to be lifted across NSW.
These restrictions also apply to anyone who has been in these areas since September 27.
The Muswellbrook LGA, which went into lockdown on September 28, has had its lockdown extended until October 11.
Gunnedah in north east NSW will also go back into lockdown from midnight on Monday, October 11.
The reintroduced stay-at-home orders also apply to anyone who has been in the Gunnedah LGA since 27 September.
Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson said five new infections were confirmed in the LGA overnight on Monday, taking the total to six cases, all of which are believed to be linked to one agricultural business.
The stay-at-home orders for the Cowra and Port Macquarie LGAs were lifted as scheduled on Tuesday from 12.01am and 11.59pm, respectively.
“NSW Health will continue to closely monitor the evolving situation with Covid-19 and will not hesitate to update its advice to protect the health and wellbeing of the people of NSW,” the department said in a statement.
It comes as a Mt Gambier, South Australia woman who returned from Victoria and tested positive to Covid has triggered the introduction of social distancing restrictions on three local government areas near the border.
Residents of Mount Gambier, Grant and Wattle Range will be subject to density limits of one person per four-square metres and home gatherings limited to two extra people and 10 for weddings or funerals.
Masks will be mandatory in public and high-risk areas, there will be some restrictions on community sport, and private functions will be banned.
The rules came into effect on Monday, October 4 at 4pm and will be in place for at least seven days.
In Queensland, chief health officer Dr Jeanette Young said “enhanced” border restrictions will be put in place with Lismore, NSW, from 1am Tuesday, October 2.
It comes after the region was plunged back into lockdown.
Stay-at-home orders were introduced at midnight on Sunday “due to an increased Covid-19 public health risk”.
“There (will be) very, very few reasons for anyone to be able to travel into the Lismore LGA and then come back into Queensland,” she said.
Queensland recorded one new local mystery case on Monday, a fully vaccinated woman that has been infectious in the community since September 23.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Travellers arriving from Victoria, NSW and the ACT are currently prohibited from entering South Australia, except for essential travellers and some permitted arrivals.
Any person arriving from Queensland is permitted to enter South Australia without restrictions as long as they have not been in a restricted zone in the past 14 days. In this case, they would be subject to that zone’s restrictions.
Mandatory vaccinations for border zone residents who want to cross the SA border are expected to be introduced within seven days.
QUEENSLAND
People who have been in the NSW LGAs of Bourke Shire, Kyogle Council, City of Broken Hill, Richmond Valley or the Unincorporated Far West are allowed to enter Queensland for “essential work and essential purposes”.
Only travel for essential work and essential purposes is allowed between QLD and the NSW LGA of Walgett Shire.
You must complete a Queensland entry pass to enter Queensland from anywhere in Australia or New Zealand, including returning Queensland residents.
NSW, Victoria, the ACT and Jervis Bay, are currently declared hot spots and travellers will not be permitted to enter Queensland except for a limited range of people who can enter for essential purposes.
VICTORIA
All NSW Local Government Areas in the cross-border community are now red zones. They were previously Extreme Risk Zones.
If you live in the cross-border area – and you haven’t been in a red or extreme risk zone outside the cross-border area in the previous 14 days – you can cross the border and enter Victoria without a permit for any reason. Conditions apply.
Some Local Government Areas in New South Wales are extreme risk zones and others are red zones. View the travel permit page to see a map of zones. The ACT is an extreme risk zone.
If you attempt to enter Victoria from an extreme risk zone without an exemption, exception or a valid permit, you face a fine of up to $5452 and could be sent back or placed in Hotel Quarantine.
Victorians who have been in red zones at any time since the zone started over the last 14 days need to quarantine immediately upon arrival in Victoria and stay in quarantine for 14 days, regardless of any negative test result. If you are not a Victorian resident, you are not eligible for a red zone permit.
As the safe travel zone between New Zealand and Australia is suspended, Victoria’s border permit system no longer applies to arrivals from New Zealand. Arrivals from New Zealand will be required to enter Hotel Quarantine.
Residents of regional Victoria must not travel to metropolitan Melbourne (or Mitchell Shire, City of Greater Shepparton, Moorabool Shire and City of Latrobe), other than for permitted reasons.
NSW
Stay-at-home orders are in place for large parts of NSW including greater Sydney. See map.
If you live in Greater Sydney you must not enter regional and rural NSW without a reasonable excuse.
Anyone entering NSW from the ACT and QLD must complete a travel declaration and self-isolate for two weeks.
Anyone entering NSW from Victoria, you must complete a travel declaration and self-isolate for two weeks. However, if a person who is a non NSW resident has been in a place of high concern they cannot enter NSW. NSW residents that have been in a place of high concern must immediately self-isolate at home for 14 days.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Victorians are barred from entering Western Australia with Victoria to be placed in the Covid-19 “extreme risk” category from September 29.
Under this alert level, exemptions for approved travellers will be further restricted to just federal and state officials including parliamentarians and diplomats.
Returning Western Australians who complete 14 days quarantine in Victoria will have to complete another two weeks of self-quarantine at a “suitable premises”.
Western Australia has deemed the Northern Territory., South Australia and Tasmania very low-risk jurisdictions. Victoria has been classified as high-risk and NSW very high-risk.
TASMANIA
Tasmania has deemed NSW, ACT, Victoria and New Zealand to be high risk and travellers from these areas are not permitted to enter the state. Travellers who have visited high-risk premises in Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia will not be permitted to enter the state.
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