‘Border bubble’ Covid-19 mandates bolstered by Victoria

Hundreds of thousands of residents of communities along the border between NSW and Victoria will be hit with extra travel restrictions.

A Victoria Police checkpoint in Wodonga near the NSW border. Picture: Simon Dallinger

Hundreds of thousands of residents of communities along the border between NSW and Victoria will be hit with extra travel restrictions after the Andrews government moved to bolster safeguards amid a “deteriorating situation” in Sydney.

The new rules for “border bubble” residents came as Victoria recorded two linked and quarantined coronavirus cases in the 24 hours to Monday in a further stabilisation of two NSW-­derived outbreaks that have seen 217 Victorians infected in just over three weeks.

Health Minister Martin Foley said under the new border rules, which take effect from 11:59pm on Tuesday, residents on the NSW side of the Murray would be able to cross into Victoria for only six permitted reasons. These include obtaining necessary goods and services, including medical care and Covid-19 testing, care and compassionate reasons, paid or voluntary work, education (including childcare), getting a Covid-19 vaccination, or sport and exercise at a sporting club or at a sport or physical recreation facility.

“With the outbreak in NSW still growing, the public health advice is clear: we need to limit unessential movement across the border into Victoria where it is practical and possible,” Mr Foley said.

“We know this will affect many border residents, but so will another outbreak of the Delta variant on our doorstep.”

In the seven days to Monday, there had been 37 cases in Victoria, only two of which involved people who had not spent their infectious period in quarantine.

This includes a traffic controller in his 20s who tested positive for coronavirus after working at the Moonee Valley Racecourse drive-through Covid-19 testing centre.

Investigations are ongoing into how he contracted the virus.

Aside from a work colleague whom the man is understood to have infected when the pair carpooled, all testing centre colleagues have tested negative for the virus.

Victoria’s lower case numbers will see restrictions on hospitality venues, gyms and tours change slightly from 11.59pm Tuesday, with group booking limits no longer applicable.

However, venues will still need to adhere to the one person per 4sq m density limit.

Victorian Sports Minister Martin Pakula said it was too early to confirm whether crowds would be permitted at the AFL Grand Final due in September.