SA closes border with Greater Melbourne at midnight - NEWS.com.au

South Australia will close its border with greater Melbourne at midnight in what has been described as a “snap decision” that has put the state capital’s festival season in disarray.

Under the changes, travellers who have been in Greater Melbourne on or after 4 February will no longer be allowed to enter SA unless they are a returning resident, are genuinely relocating or are essential travellers and have an exemption from SA Health.

Those people will be required to self-quarantine at a suitable place for 14 days upon arrival and submit to COVID-19 testing on day 1, 5 and 12 pursuant to their restrictions.

Travellers from the rest of Victoria will be accepted into the state, also pending coronavirus tests on day one, five and 12.

It comes after two more cases of COVID-19 have been linked to the Holiday Inn quarantine hotel at Melbourne Airport, with the cluster now sitting at eight.

Police commissioner Grant Stevens said the decision was a difficult one for authorities, given the state is on the eve of Adelaide Fringe, deemed the world’s second-largest annual arts festival.

“We know that this is a delicate position for people who may be in Victoria wishing to travel to South Australia or South Australians who may be wishing to return,” he said.

“It is a decision for individuals to make.”

Commissioner Stevens said authorities were closely monitoring the situation. Officials will review the new border rules daily.

“Our steps in South Australia are taken with an abundance of caution to make sure that we are minimising the risk.”

Mr Stevens — who is also the state co-ordinator — said the midnight deadline was to ensure travellers intending to return home or come to the state had time to do so in case the border changes were finalised.

Those who enter before midnight are still required to be tested on days one, five and 12.

Travellers from regional Victoria will still be permitted to enter SA.

SA chief public health officer Nicola Spurrier said it was likely new Victorian cases were the UK variant but genomic testing results had not yet returned with confirmation.

She said there were different pieces of information — which included the number of contacts and testing rates — her team needed to receive before deciding.

“We would like to flag our intention at this point that it is likely that we will have some border restrictions in place,” Professor Spurrier said.

“I am being extra cautious and there’s some reasons behind that, one being that this particular variant of concern is more transmissible.

“I am very concerned. We’ve had a number of cases associated with the hotel (and) we know what happened when we had the Parafield Cluster here in SA.”

It comes as Victoria recorded two new cases of COVID-19 linked to the Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport on Wednesday.

The positive cases were recorded in a worker and a previous resident who left the facility on Sunday.

The new infections brings the number of cases connected to the cluster to eight.

SA recorded two new infections but are returned travellers in hotel quarantine.

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2021-02-10 11:26:15Z
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