Victoria records no new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, businesses warned to comply with QR code rules

Businesses in one state have been warned there is ‘no excuse’ for not complying with mandatory QR code rules as an amnesty period expires.

Victoria has recorded no new Covid-19 cases overnight as the amnesty enforcing businesses to comply with the QR code rule ends at midnight.

There were no new cases acquired locally or from an overseas source in the 24 hours to midnight, the health department said on Thursday.

The total number of active cases in the state remains at 31.

Of those, eight are local active cases with 225 primary close contacts.

The results come after Victoria slammed its border shut to four states as multiple outbreaks trigger a wave of lockdowns across the country.

It also comes as an amnesty enforcing businesses to install a QR code check-in system ends at midnight.

Victorian businesses must have QR code systems in place on Friday or face fines. Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Victorian Covid-19 commander Jeroen Weimar said more than 200,000 businesses already have Covid measures in place, so there was no excuse for others that hadn’t gotten around to it yet.

“We will be requiring and expecting people to have these measures in place,” Mr Weimar told reporters on Thursday.

Failure to comply with Victoria’s electronic record keeping requirements can result in an on-the-spot fine of $1652.

Businesses, including supermarkets, take-away shops and other retail settings, are required to use the state government’s QR code through the Service Victoria app, and Victorians must check in everywhere – even if they’re visiting the venue for under 15 minutes.

Workplaces are also expected to ensure their workers check in via the Service Victoria app when working on site.

Some workplaces are exempt from this for practical reasons, including schools, childcare or early childhood services and outside school hours care services, in relation to all students, teachers and other school staff.

However, visitors, contractors or other workers must still check in.

Exemptions also apply to admitted or residential patients in hospitals or care facilities, ambulance workers, farms in respect of workers or others attending for work reasons and any work undertaken at a residential premise.

The tougher measures come as Alice Springs was the latest city to be added to Victoria’s list of banned locations on Wednesday night after the state already closed its border to parts of NSW, the Northern Territory, Perth and parts of Queensland.

All locations have been deemed red zones by the chief health officer.

A total of 19,219 vaccine doses were administered in Victoria overnight and 29,149 test results were received.

Melbourne continues to ease restrictions as other states in Australia go into lockdowns due to Covid-19 outbreaks. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Ian Currie

The zero case result is on the heels of Victoria recording one new case of Covid-19 on Wednesday, which broke its three-day streak of no locally acquired infections.

That new case was a primary close contact in isolation throughout their infectious period, linked to the Epping Private Hospital outbreak.

That outbreak was sparked by a nurse who contracted Covid-19 while working with coronavirus patients and worked two shifts at the Northern Hospital while infectious and then attended a vaccination clinic on June 17.

Victorian Covid-19 commander Jeroen Weimar. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty

There was another case recorded on Wednesday in an international arrival who was in hotel quarantine.

Health Minister Martin Foley told reporters on Wednesday caps on footy crowds and theatre audiences would remain unchanged.

Theatres were supposed to resume 100 per cent capacity from Friday, while outdoor stadiums were set to increase to 85 per cent capacity.

Areas declared red zones by Victoria are the Perth metropolitan and Peel regions in WA, Queensland local government areas in southeast Queensland and Townsville, Alice Springs, greater Darwin, Palmerston and Litchfield in the NT, and greater Sydney, Shellharbour, Central Coast and Wollongong in NSW.