No new cases as Victoria maintains strict border lockdown
Victoria has recorded no new coronavirus cases for the 12th day in a row as the state slammed its border shut to NSW and the ACT overnight.
The state closed its borders to NSW and the ACT at midnight, classifying them both as a "red zone".
Health authorities made the decision after NSW recorded 77 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, with 112 new cases today.
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The border bubble arrangement is in place, meaning residents who live within cross-border communities can continue to move freely between Victoria, the ACT and NSW.
Extra police have been sent to check cars along Victoria's borders today.
Health Minister Martin Foley today said he understood the tightened border controls created "some inconvenience" but it provided assurance Sydney's spiraling outbreak would stay "far away" from Victoria.
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Police have ramped up border patrols after NSW became a red zone. 9News
"This was not a decision the public health team made lightly," he said.
"I fully support the move."
Victorian residents can obtain a red zone permit and return home but they will be required to immediately isolate, get tested, and quarantine at home for 14 days.
READ MORE: 'Much worse' to come as NSW records 77 new infections
Police officers patrol and check for entry permits to Victoria at a border checkpoint in Mallacoota, Australia. Diego Fedele/Getty
Exemptions are also available for essential workers, while border community residents can cross over in a limited capacity but must carry proof of their address.
Anybody attempting to enter Victoria illegitimately will be fined up to $4957.
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READ MORE: State by state border restrictions
The Victorian border will close to NSW and the ACT from midnight. Nine
Visit the Vic Health website for more information on the state's travel permit system.
READ MORE: What happened when the NSW/Vic border closed for Spanish flu
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