Victoria to step up border watch ahead of mass NSW exodus

Victoria’s response to a coronavirus outbreak in Sydney’s Northern Beaches is evolving by the hour with nearly 90,000 people expected to cross the border.

Police patrolling the NSW-Victoria border near Wodonga checking for border passes. Picture: Simon Dallinger.

Victoria Police will begin checking travel permits for tens of thousands of motorists fleeing NSW in a major step-up of the state’s coronavirus border protection.

A new barrier will be established on our northern border and the defence force is being asked to help as police enforce checks on anyone entering from New South Wales.

Late last night Premier Daniel Andrews was meeting with senior ministers and Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton to consider whether to ban Sydney residents from Victoria due to growing fears about a COVID-19 cluster.

The response to the crisis is evolving by the hour and comes as almost 90,000 people from NSW prepare to flee south for Christmas — many to escape toughened restrictions in Sydney.

Late on Saturday about 250 permits for travel to Victoria were being issued every minute.

Health Minister Martin Foley warned that the next likely step in the fight against the NSW COVID-19 outbreak — if the cluster from Sydney’s northern beach suburbs spreads — would be to ban all residents from the city from ­entering Victoria.

Police are stepping up permit checks along the NSW-Victoria border. Picture: Simon Dallinger.

Professor Sutton on Saturday night ordered all NSW Central Coast visitors to self-isolate and get tested, in what is a worrying sign the cluster that began on the northern beaches could spread.

There are also concerns border dodgers could be trying to get to Melbourne via Canberra to avoid detection at Sydney Airport.

Health authorities were scrambling on Saturday night to contact 321 northern beaches residents who flew to Melbourne in the week before the permit system — introduced on Friday — which bans travel from areas identified as a “red zone”.

More than 27,000 text messages were sent to people from flight manifests, while 70 primary contacts have been ordered to quarantine at home.

Premiers were in talks Saturday about what to do about the Sydney cluster, which grew by 23 yesterday.

Western Australia reinstated its “hard border” for NSW visitors and Tasmania introduced 14-day quarantine periods for Greater Sydney residents. Queensland also toughened border checks.

Across the country, Christmas and holiday plans are in disarray with reunions cancelled and many racing back to NSW or fleeing that state to see family before border closures.

Despite the worsening situation in Sydney, by 3pm on Saturday 89,990 permits were issued to people wanting to visit Victoria from NSW, leaving contact tracers a mammoth task if further outbreaks in Sydney trigger tougher restrictions.

Permits have been checked at Melbourne Airport. Picture: Ian Currie

Mr Foley said if more cases seeded into other parts of Sydney, the next move would be to treat the whole city as a “red zone” and ban the city’s 5.3 million people from Victoria. Already, six people who travelled south to flee the current Sydney red zone have been sent to hotel quarantine for two weeks — including two unaccompanied teens who were picked up at Tullamarine airport.

“My message to anyone in the red zones of Sydney is if you come to Melbourne, you will be spending your Christmas in hotel quarantining. That’s not a position we want anyone to be in,” Mr Foley said. He also warned Victorians about heading north: “My message to everyone in Victoria is don’t go to Sydney.”

As of Saturday, about 300 people from Sydney — other than those from the northern beaches who were sent to quarantine — had arrived in Victoria since the fresh COVID-19 crisis began last week.