NSW demands Victorian visitors follow stay-at-home measures

NSW has imposed strict new rules on Victorians crossing the border going north – as some Melburnians reportedly flee the lockdown.

Gladys Berejiklian has demanded anyone in NSW who has been to Victoria follow the stay-at-home measures that would have applied if they were still south of the border.

Meanwhile, Queensland has also cracked down on travel from Victoria with new border rules.

The NSW rule will apply to anyone who has been in Victoria since 4pm on Thursday and who has already crossed the border or is about to.

“This means anyone arriving in NSW who has been in Victoria since 4pm todaymust remain at their home or place of residence in NSW for the seven-day duration of the Victorian measures,” NSW Health wrote in a statement.

Those people will only be allowed to leave those residences for shopping for essential things, medical care, caregiving, outdoor exercise or essential work and education.

People who are subject to the seven-day lockdown announced on Thursday should not enter NSW.

Those living at the state border will be exempt from the stay-at-home order, provided they haven’t been outside the border region since 4pm on Thursday.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian urged Victorian travellers to ‘do the right thing’. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gaye Gerard

A definition of that border region can be viewed on the NSW government’s website.

For NSW residents planning to go to Victoria in the coming days, the Berejiklian government has asked them to reconsider their plans unless the trip is absolutely essential.

Earlier on Thursday, it was reported some people wary of having to go through a potential fourth lockdown had already left Victoria for NSW.

A man who called into Melbourne’s 3AW radio station on Thursday said he had packed the car and was heading to Sydney to avoid the prospect of a lockdown.

Asked for her thoughts on that, Ms Berejiklian told 2GB: “Please do the right thing.

“If you’ve been at an exposure site, if you’ve been to Greater Melbourne, all those other areas that have been identified, please do the right thing.

“Please make sure you monitor for symptoms, get tested, isolated when you’re asked to do so.”

Victorian Acting Premier James Merlino announced a new lockdown on Thursday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

Queensland has declared the Victorian local government area of Whittlesea a Covid-19 hotspot and will force anyone who has been there since May 11 to go into hotel quarantine.

Starting at 1am on Thursday, people arriving in Queensland from Victoria will have to complete a border pass.

Queensland‘s aged care and disability facilities, hospitals and prisons will be no-go zones for people arriving from Greater Melbourne on or after May 11 unless more than 14 days have passed since they arrived.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Victoria announced a seven-day lockdown that will begin at 11.59pm on Thursday.

People in the state will only be allowed to leave home for five reasons:

• Shopping for necessary goods and services
• Authorised work or permitted education
• Exercise – a two-hour limit with one other person
• Caregiving, compassionate, and medical reasons
• To get vaccinated

Coronavirus numbers kept rising in Victoria on Thursday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Sarah Matray

Acting Premier James Merlino outlined a long list of restrictions that would apply during the lockdown, including the closure of pubs and a demand sports game proceed without spectators.

Meanwhile, Ms Berejiklian has had a go at Victoria’s coronavirus management system and revealed there were “enormous concerns” the ongoing outbreak that started in Melbourne could affect her state as well.

She said the Victorian government’s outbreak was partly because of a weakness in their “inconsistent” contact tracing system.

Ms Berejiklian said health officials in her state were able to stay on top of community spread with a high degree of confidence thanks to NSW’s use of QR codes to register people’s movements.

“Every state makes decisions based on the confidence they have in their systems and what is going on,” Ms Berejiklian told Channel 7’s Sunrise program on Thursday morning.

"We obviously are watching the situation very closely"

NSW Premier @GladysB says she is “extremely concerned” Melbourne’s latest coronavirus outbreak could spread to her state. pic.twitter.com/yVCAHfNKEd

— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) May 26, 2021

“It also depends on the venues, how many people have actually checked in or not. They don't have the same consistent QR code system that we have in NSW.

“All of that is factored into our decision making in NSW: How robust are our systems, how confident are we that we have actually identified everyone who needs to get tested and isolate? That is the real key thing.

“If you are not confident that you’ve got everybody, then you do need to consider other options. I assume that’s what the Victorian government is doing.”

Ms Berejiklian said she and her colleagues were monitoring the situation in Victoria closely, and the growing list of exposure sites in Melbourne and beyond was an “enormous concern”.

“I really hope that Victoria gets on top of this latest outbreak, but also it seems to suggest that they may actually get more cases given the number of venues that were added to the list,” she said.

“We’re obviously watching the situation very closely.”

Tasmania has established a hard border for nonresidents.

Premier Peter Gutwein announced the changes after the Victorian government implemented a seven-day lockdown for Melbourne.

From 2pm on Thursday, people who have been in Victoria during the past 14 days will not be allowed to enter Tasmania unless approved as an essential traveller.

Tasmanian residents in Victoria can apply for essential traveller status to return but, if approved, would have to quarantine at a suitable property for 14 days.