
Victorians in New South Wales surged south on Friday in a bid to avoid a new hard border closure that came into effect at midnight.
Most travellers from NSW, including Victorian residents, will now be turned back, while the select few permitted to cross under exceptional circumstances will be placed into mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine.
The border shutdown comes as both states work to contain clusters of COVID-19 infections that have sprung up in recent weeks.
NSW-Vic border tonight. Six hours to go about 20km. pic.twitter.com/AcqaG8IXmT
— Louise Milligan (@Milliganreports) December 31, 2020
On Saturday, Victorian authorities reported 10 new locally acquired infections, all of which have been connected to a restaurant in Black Rock, Melbourne. Genomic sequencing has linked the cluster to that on the Northern Beaches of Sydney.
Meanwhile, NSW Health reported seven new cases, five of which have been linked to the more-recent cluster that has sprung up in Sydney's western suburbs.
The outbreaks and subsequent life-saving restrictions have scuppered travel plans for countless Australians this holiday period.
Here's where border rules stand for each state if you were to travel today.
TRAVELLING TO QUEENSLAND.
Anyone travelling to Queensland who has been in NSW at any time since 1am Friday 11 December must complete a Queensland Border Declaration Pass before they enter the state.
Queensland is closed to anyone who has been in a COVID-19 hotspot in the last 14 days or since the hotspot was declared (whichever is shorter). Hotspot areas include Greater Sydney, NSW Central Coast and Wollongong (see here for a full list of included areas).