Borders slam shut to Greater Sydney, Central Coast and more as NSW outbreak grows

THE Northern Territory has closed its borders to Greater Sydney, the NSW Central Coast, the Blue Mountains and the Illawarra areas

THE Northern Territory will close its borders to Greater Sydney and the New South Wales Central Coast effective immediately amid a growing coronavirus outbreak at the state’s northern beaches.

Acting Chief Minister Nicole Manison announced hotspots were declared for the Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Illawarra and Central Coast areas from 3pm Sunday.

Travellers from these areas who enter the Northern Territory will undertake mandatory quarantine.

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“In addition to this, those who’ve arrived in the Northern Territory from Greater Sydney area since the eleventh of December and those areas I outlined before, you will have to immediately self-isolate and get tested,” she said.

“I know this is going to be really hard for people to hear today (Sunday). We're just a few days out from Christmas and there have been many who have been separated from their loved ones for a very long time and are hoping to be reunited this week. I am truly sorry for this but we have to do what we can to keep people safe.”

Ms Manison said about 130 passengers aboard a flight from Sydney en route to Darwin have been advised they will be given the option to quarantine at Howard Springs or return to Sydney.

“The cost of quarantine for this cohort coming in from Sydney at the moment will be waived, however any following arrivals that are coming in from Sydney will be contacted to be told if they are to arrive in the Northern Territory from these declared hotspot areas then they will have to go into quarantine and it will be at the cost of $2500 per person,” she said.

This morning Premier Daniel Andrews announced Victoria would slam its borders shut to Greater Sydney from midnight tonight.

Within the hour Premier Steven Marshall followed suit, closing SA’s borders to Greater Sydney from midnight.

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On Thursday Dr Hugh Heggie declared the NSW local government area Northern Beaches Council a hotspot, with two travellers forced into quarantine.

NSW recorded 30 new local cases of coronavirus overnight, with Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirming 28 had been linked to the Avalon cluster, and the other two from an unknown source.

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