Australians braved 90-minute traffic queues to get to work this morning on the first day the New South Wales-Victoria border closed for the first time since Spanish Flu struck in 1919 due to a huge coronavirus outbreak in Melbourne.
A line of cars snaked for hundreds of metres along the Lincoln Causeway between Wodonga in Victoria and Albury in New South Wales as 600 police braved heavy fog and temperatures of 3C to man the 1,000km border overnight and this morning.
The two towns are only 7km apart and hundreds of residents live in one and work in the other, meaning the border closure which came into effect at midnight has thrown their lives upside-down.
A long wait: Australians braved 40-minute traffic queues to get to work this morning on the first day the New South Wales-Victoria border closed due to a huge coronavirus outbreak in Melbourne
A line of cars snaked for hundreds of metres along the Lincoln Causeway between Wodonga in Victoria and Albury in New South Wales. Pictured: Commuters on the right wait to get to Albury in NSW for work
Police stop and question drivers at a checkpoint in Albury. Drivers had to show their identification and a permit to allow them to cross the border
Workers must apply for a permit from Service New South Wales to cross the border but the website was so overwhelmed that it crashed for about an hour this morning. Pictured: Queues at the border to get into Albury
Workers must apply for a permit from Service New South Wales to cross the border but the website was so overwhelmed that it crashed for about an hour this morning.
Every driver had to show their permit to police before being allowed through, causing delays of up to 90 minutes and making many people late for work.
Albury City Council Mayor Kevin Mack described the situation as a ‘disgrace’ and said residents would not be able to put up with the checks.
‘This is a disgrace. This is not Sydney, this is Albury-Wodonga and people just aren’t being treated like they should be treated here,’ he told Sydney radio 2GB.
‘We’re not going to put up with this for a week, this is just horrendous.’
Every driver had to show their permit to police before being allowed through, causing delays of up to 90 minutes and making many people late for work
Albury City Council Mayor Kevin Mack described the situation as a ‘disgrace’ and said residents would not be able to put up with the checks. Pictured: The crossing into Albury on Wednesday morning
The two towns are only 7km apart and hundreds of residents live in one and work in the other, meaning the border closure which came into effect at midnight has thrown their lives upside-down
On duty: Police officers manning the border braved near-freezing conditions overnight and this morning to check vehicles coming in to NSW
Police stop and question drivers at a checkpoint on July 8, 2020 in Albury. The NSW-Victoria border closed at midnight
Mr Mack is calling for exemptions to be granted for anyone living within 100km of the border.
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller – who is overseeing the border operation – hit back, insisting that the measures were necessary to keep the public safe.
‘I think it’s ridiculous to come out day one on such a large border operation and make complaints.
‘Perhaps he needs to go down and talk to the police who have been working through the night in freezing conditions, protecting the health of the people of NSW. It’s not a time to be selfish.’
Mr Fuller later told ABC radio some people had travelled from hotspot postcodes in metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire, where communities are preparing for a six-week lockdown from midnight on Wednesday.
He did not say if they were turned around or if they had a valid reason for entering. NSW residents are allowed to return home from those areas but must self-isolate for two weeks.
Up to 500 defence personnel are also being deployed to help man checkpoints with road blocks and drones at 55 border crossings.
A Service NSW spokesperson said the permit application system had experienced high levels of demand.
‘We are aware that some people have experienced delays in securing a permit and we apologise for the delay,’ the spokesperson said in a statement.
‘In the interim, travellers will be able to demonstrate their eligibility to cross the border to police by carrying relevant documentation.’
It comes as the Northern Territory bans Victorians from entering when its borders open on 17 July.
NSW Police officers check cars crossing from Victoria into New South Wales (NSW) at a border check point in the NSW-Victoria border town of Albury
A NSW police officer is stationed at a border check point as drivers hoping to cross from the state of Victoria into New South Wales
As more than 600 officers were deployed to police the border, Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said the closure was intended to protect NSW from another outbreak of coronavirus
Permit please: A driver shows a permit as police stop and question drivers at a checkpoint on July 8
Up to 500 defence personnel are also being deployed to help man checkpoints at 55 border crossings. Pictured: A man shows his licence
A traffic jam is seen ahead of a border check point in the NSW-Victoria border town of Albury, New South Wales
On Tuesday Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews announced the whole of Melbourne and Mitchell Shire north of the city will be placed back into lock down for six weeks from 11.59pm on Wednesday after the state recorded 191 new cases of coronavirus – its worst figure yet.
Residents will be only allowed to leave their homes for work and study, giving or receiving care, shopping for essentials and daily exercise near where they live.
Police will stop Victorians leaving or entering Melbourne with roadblocks and booze bus-style vehicle checks, effectively sealing 5million people inside the city.
Gatherings of more than two people who do not live together will be banned; beauty services and entertainment venues will shut; and cafes, restaurants and pubs will be able to offer takeaway only.
Year 11 and 12 pupils and special schools will go back to class but holidays will be extended by a week for students up to year 10, with remote learning a possibility after that.
Restrictions for the rest of Victoria remain the same – but residents can only enter Melbourne for caregiving, essential shopping and work or study.
Under-pressure premier Andrews said the new lockdown was essential to avoid ‘thousands and thousands’ of cases and ‘many, many people in hospital.’
‘This is a pandemic and it will kill thousands of people if it gets completely away from us,’ he said.
A Service NSW spokesperson said the permit application system had experienced high levels of demand, causing it to crash this morning. Pictured: Queues to get in to Albury
‘We are aware that some people have experienced delays in securing a permit and we apologise for the delay,’ the spokesperson said in a statement. Pictured: Queues to get in to Albury
The whole of Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire north of the city will be placed back into lock down for six weeks from 11.59pm on Wednesday after Victoria recorded 191 new cases of coronavirus – its worst figure yet. Pictured: A map showing the suburbs in lockdown
New lockdown: Victoria has recorded 191 new cases of coronavirus – its worst figure yet. Pictured: Police and nurses wearing protective equipment outside tower blocks in north Melbourne
Mr Andrews said case numbers will ‘get worse before they get better’. He has told Prime Minster Scott Morrison about the new lockdown and requested hundreds of ADF troops to help with enforcement.
The Premier also said he has spoken to Mr Morrison about the possibility of extending JobKeeper and the increased JobSeeker payment, which are due to expire in September, for Victorians who are locked down until 19 August.
‘I am confident that the Prime Minister knows and understands that there will be different forms of hardship in different parts of the country, different industry, different sectors,’ he said.
After Mr Andrews announced the new lockdown, Victorian Opposition leader Michael O’Brien savaged him for ‘failing to accept responsibility for his own mistakes’.
Dozens of cases from the Melbourne outbreak have been traced back to breaches in the hotel quarantine system after private security guards used by the government instead of the police interacted with patients and took the virus home to their families.
Today marked the first time the NSW-Victoria border has closed since Spanish Flu struck in 1919.
Preparing for duty: Police Officers congregate outside Sydney Domestic Terminal before being transported to various parts of the NSW border where they will stop Victorians entering the state