Victoria has recorded a positive coronavirus case from a returned traveller who is believed to have acquired the infection in NSW's northern beaches area.
The Department of Health and Human Services said the person was believed to have had a limited number of close contacts, but investigations were continuing.
"At this stage, there are no exposure sites but if this changes we will provide further updates," the department said on Twitter.
"Anyone who has returned from the northern beaches area, Greater Sydney or the Central Coast needs to get tested and quarantine for 14 days."
Health Minister Martin Foley said during a press conference the case was a 15-year-old girl from the Moonee Valley local government area in Melbourne's north-west who travelled home home with a parent late on December 17 and isolating on arrival in Victoria.
"My understanding is that the young person had family connections to the northern beaches area and had been exposed to multiple high-risk exposure sites," Mr Foley said.
"The Avalon RSL, the Avalon Bowling Club, the fish and chip shop that was listed. Quite a range."
She was tested on December 20. The parent's initial test came back negative.
"All close contacts of the family have been interviewed and the Department of Health is following up with any secondary close contacts," Mr Foley said.
"Rapid response testing for all of those close contacts is underway.
"All close contacts will be compulsorily quarantining for 14 days and will retest on day 11.
"Given the family were isolating at home, at this point, there are no known exposure sites in Victoria."
Families spending Christmas in quarantine
Mr Foley said at least 17 people who had arrived from NSW, including a family of five, had been transferred to Victoria's hotel quarantine program.
"That is 17 people who will be spending their Christmas and their New Year, not as how they planned, but in hotel quarantining circumstances," he said.
"So, my message to anyone trying to enter Victoria from New South Wales is — don't.
"You won't get in, and if you do, you'll be spending your time at Christmas and New Year in hotel quarantining.
"Of the 4,000 people who have already returned from the amber zone and have been tested, the good news is that none of those have returned a positive test."
Thousands apply for permits to come back from NSW
Testing commander Jeroen Weimar said the state's health authorities conducted 15,521 coronavirus tests yesterday and some testing stations were particularly busy.
Mr Weimar said 20,000 people who had visited what were then "amber zones" in NSW had applied for permits to enter Victoria over the weekend. They would all be chased up to determined whether they had entered the state, to make sure they had been tested.
Health authorities had identified 300 people who had been in either the red or amber zones and who they were continuing to pursue to be tested and isolated.
Up to noon yesterday, 4,000 applications had been received from Victorians returning from the red zone, he said.
"As of midnight last night, we closed our borders to all returning travellers from the Greater Sydney and Central Coast areas," he said.
"So now, anybody who is coming out of those areas, Victorian or otherwise, will not be able to go through our land border check points. They will be turned back."
The health department said no new cases were reported to have been acquired locally and two international travellers tested positive, bringing the total number of active cases to 11.
Victoria has now recorded no new locally acquired cases in 53 days.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian yesterday announced 15 new cases of COVID-19, fewer than the day before, bringing the total number from the northern beaches outbreak to 83.
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2020-12-21 22:13:00Z
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