Victoria records its fifth day in a row of no new Covid cases

Victoria records its fifth day in a row of no new Covid cases and brings in new ‘traffic light’ system to stop snap border closures with coloured zones dictating where you can travel

  • Victoria has recorded zero new local cases of coronavirus from 18,660 tests
  • Just one case was recorded on Monday, a returned traveller in hotel quarantine
  • Victoria to introduce new system to clear up confusion about travel restrictions

Victoria has recorded zero new locally acquired coronavirus cases for a fifth consecutive day.

Just one new case was recorded on Monday, which was a returned traveller in hotel quarantine.

Around 18,660 tests have been conducted across the state in the last 24 hours.

Victoria currently has 40 active cases, down from 45 on Sunday.

Health authorities are now confident contact tracers are winning the battle against the recent 27-case outbreak linked to a Thai eatery in bayside Melbourne, which sparked fears of a third coronavirus wave for Victoria.  

Victoria has recorded zero new locally-acquired cases for a fifth consecutive day. Pictured is a healthcare worker at a testing clinic at the MCG in Melbourne last week

Victoria is set to introduce a ‘traffic light’ system to clear up residents’ confusion about where they can travel after recent border closures due to outbreaks in South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland.

Victorians will need a permit but will be allowed to travel in designated green zones anywhere across Australia.

Those in an amber zone will need a permit and must get tested and self-isolate until they receive a negative result once they arrive home.

Victorians won’t be permitted travel to red zones and must meet strict conditions when returning home from a no-go zone. 

A new 'traffic light' system  is being introduced to clear up Victorians' confusion about where they can travel in Australia. Pictured is a motorist passing through a border checkpoint in Mallacoota in the state's East Gippsland region

A new ‘traffic light’ system  is being introduced to clear up Victorians’ confusion about where they can travel in Australia. Pictured is a motorist passing through a border checkpoint in Mallacoota in the state’s East Gippsland region

NSW and Brisbane are currently declared red zones by Victoria but that status is reportedly being reconsidered.

The state government will announce more details about the new system on Monday, a day after it was hinted at by health officials.

‘We are looking for a clearer, simpler system to give people as much ­information as possible and as much clarity as possible about how to manage travel over the coming months while we still have active Covid cases popping up around the country,’ Victoria’s Covid-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar said Sunday.

The system could come into effect as early as Monday night and is expected to remain in place for much of 2021.

‘Interstate travel is going to be hazardous for a while,’ a source told the Herald Sun.

Victorians will be banned from travelling to red zones under the new system. Pictured are passengers at Melbourne Airport on Friday

Victorians will be banned from travelling to red zones under the new system. Pictured are passengers at Melbourne Airport on Friday

Mr Weimar said there had been 5000 applications to enter Victoria from NSW with nearly 900 processed and only a  small number rejected.  

‘We continue to process those at hundreds a day but there is more work to do and I’m very grateful for the patience of people who are still waiting to come back to the state,’ he said.  

The move comes after NSW Premier Gladys Berjiklian took a swipe at the Victorian government and other state leaders over the ongoing border closures.

 ‘Closing a border can affect literally tens and hundreds of thousands of people, depending on where it is, and that’s a big call,’ she told reporters on Sunday.

 ‘I just ask other state leaders to, please, talk to us before they close their border to New South Wales and give us a chance to demonstrate our capacity to get on top of the virus without adversely impacting our citizens,’ Ms Berejiklian said.

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