Effect of NSW outbreak is already being felt in Victoria

The coronavirus cluster that’s already caused chaos in Sydney is likely to already have spread across the border.

Melbourne’s COVID-normal summer is under threat. Picture: David Crosling

It would be foolish to think the COVID-19 outbreak that is threatening to explode in Sydney hasn’t already arrived here.

We know it’s landed in Queensland, and health department sources say our coronavirus hotline was on Friday inundated with calls from Victorians concerned about recent NSW visits.

At least one close contact from the Northern Beaches cluster has already been identified in Victoria and is now in quarantine.

NSW authorities are braced for a spike in numbers on Saturday and we’ve been warned it could take weeks to get the situation under control.

The outbreak is the most significant test for Victoria since we started our run of no new cases 50 days ago.

The return of international travel posed a similar threat, but a reset quarantine system and lessons learned from the first failed attempt have so far successfully contained the handful of imported cases.

However lax procedures around arriving international airline crew have sparked concerns among some.

Indeed the government has acknowledged there is room to improve in this space, with increased monitoring of crews’ self-isolation requirements set to come into force in coming days.

But for the most part the international risk should be manageable.

Authorities know exactly who is coming into the country and if they’re doing their jobs well, should be able to easily contain all risk.

The NSW situation is vastly different.

Thousands of people come into Melbourne from Sydney daily on one of the busiest airline routes in the world.

It means Victoria’s contact tracing and interstate travel arrangements must be first class.

For months in NSW our northern cousins have been carrying on like coronavirus is a distant memory.

Meanwhile, fresh from the scars of one of the harshest and strictest lockdowns in the world Victorians remain on edge.

Since July the Christmas season has been Victoria’s hope.

All eyes have been on getting to Christmas, locking in our COVID-normal, and finally enjoying time with friends and family.

The NSW outbreak hasn’t only threatened that for many families who now face the uncertainty of not being able to travel north or have family and friends visit here.

But more than that, it’s highlighted just how delicate the coronavirus situation remains.

And reminded us that all of a sudden case numbers can spike, and we could find ourselves right back where we started.