Man arrested after Gladys Berejiklian threatens to lock down towns on NSW border

A man has been arrested attempting to cross the NSW-Victoria border after Premier Gladys Berejiklian threatened lockdown measures on communities.

A Victorian dad has been arrested after allegedly attempting to cross the NSW-Victoria border earlier today.

Police said shortly after 11am, a car with Victorian number plates attempted to drive into NSW at Corowa.

Police spoke with the driver, who allegedly said he intended to cross the border despite not having a valid exemption.

The 34-year-old was arrested and taken to Albury Police Station, where he is currently assisting police with inquiries.

The man’s wife and three children complied with police direction and returned to Victoria.

It is an offence to enter NSW from Victoria without a valid exemption.

His arrest comes after Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned no one should be leaving or visiting border towns “unless they absolutely have to”.

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Police in the southern New South Wales border city of Albury check cars crossing the state border from Victoria today. Picture: William West/AFP

After shutting down the border between both states at 12.01am on Wednesday morning, Ms Berejiklian said the possibility of contagion within her state given what was happening in Victoria was “very high”, sending a warning that the NSW government would need to be tougher on the border communities.

“Do not travel to other parts of NSW unless you absolutely have to,” she said. “(If) you are an Albury resident, we do not recommend you travelling to other parts of NSW.

“If we feel in the next few days or as early as tomorrow that we need to further protect the community, we will consider what we do north of Albury.

“My strong warning to people in NSW is do not travel to those border communities unless you absolutely have to.”

Since midnight more than 50,000 cars have crossed the border from Victoria into NSW.

Police are urging motorists to be ready to provide all relevant documentation and identification at checkpoints to assist with reducing delays.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said stronger restrictions are on the way for border communities. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

Ms Berejiklian’s comments came less than 12 hours after Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced the Melbourne Metro and Mitchell region would be placed in a six-week lockdown to flatten the spike in COVID-19 cases the state has experienced since mid-June.

Ms Berejiklian said the mixing of communities from one side of the border with the other – such as Albury-Wodonga – came with an “enormous risk” and was being carefully monitored.

“The government is considering what further action we take to make sure the bubble as we call it on those border communities is maintained,” she said.

“NSW residents who live in those border communities … do not move out of your community unless it’s absolutely necessary otherwise we will need to take further action which could further compromise your ability to move freely.”

Mr Andrews announced on Wednesday the state of Victoria had recorded a further 134 cases, taking the current total toll in the state to 2958. NSW recorded another eight cases overnight, bringing the state’s total to 3252. Australia has recorded a total of 106 deaths across the country.

Commuters queue as police in the southern New South Wales (NSW) border city of Albury check cars crossing the state border from Victoria. Picture: William WEST / AFP.

Ms Berejiklian also warned against residents who leave near border communities to stay away, or increase the chance of tougher restrictions in the coming days.

“So for communities like Wagga and others who have close interaction with people in Albury, I ask you not to visit those border communities from other parts of New South Wales unless you absolutely have to,” she said.

The Premier said that as more NSW residents begin to return home, she is considering implementing mandatory hotel quarantine like what’s been enforced in Queensland for returning residents from Victoria.

Like Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s rule for returning residents to pay their own way during hotel quarantine, Ms Berejiklian said a similar measure would be considered if people didn’t follow the rules of self-isolation.

“If you’ve been asked to self-isolate, you should assume that a police officer or NSW Health worker will knock on your door,” she said.