Residents within the border bubble will need to apply for permits to cross from Victoria into NSW from Friday, the Victorian Premier has announced.
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Daniel Andrews said the permits would be available from tomorrow but would not be enforced until 6pm on Friday.
"It's very important that we not only limit movement, we have the clearest picture of who is moving within that border bubble," Mr Andrews said.
"It's not good enough to limit movement, you need to know who is moving."
Mr Andrews apologised for the inconvenience to border bubble residents but said getting a permit was a small price to pay up to going back into a regional lockdown.
"We know the changes to border rules have been a challenge for border residents, but the permit will improve our ability to track who is entering Victoria from NSW and make it easier to rapidly get information to contact tracers and to monitor for compliance."
Residents will be able to apply for a permit from Thursday afternoon at the Service Victoria website, service.vic.gov.au and via the Service Victoria app.
Melbourne's lockdown will extend another week, through to next Thursday.
The reasons Cross Border Community Area residents can cross the Victorian-NSW border still include:
- Necessary goods and services, including medical care
- Care or other compassionate reasons
- Work (whether paid or voluntary, including for charitable or religious purposes)
- Education (including childcare or early childhood services)
- Receiving a COVID-19 vaccination
- Organised/community sport and exercise connected to or organised by a club or facility.
MORE TO COME
EARLIER: One quarter of Victoria's new local COVID-19 cases are still under investigation.
The Department of Health and Human Services said 20 cases had been reported in the 24 hours to midnight Tuesday, with no new cases acquired overseas.
"Of the 20 new locally-acquired cases, 15 have been linked to current outbreaks and five are still under investigation," the department said on Wednesday morning.
"Fourteen have been in quarantine throughout their infectious periods."
There were 41,571 test results received and 23,811 vaccine doses administered throughout the state.
About a fifth of Murray and Hume residents are fully vaccinated and about half have received their first dose, according to new COVID-19 vaccination data.
The Federal Government released a second data report on August 8 outlining COVID-19 vaccination rates of people aged 15 years and above around the country, after the first one came out on August 1.
Melburnians are facing an anxious wait for a decision on when the city's sixth lockdown might lift while further north Cairns residents will learn if they'll escape a snap lockdown sparked by two cases in the far north Queensland city.
Late on Tuesday night the health department said a confirmed case of COVID-19 had been found to be connected to a Melbourne paediatric specialist clinic.
Two big Victorian events were cancelled on Tuesday - the AFL Grand Final Parade and the Avalon Airshow.
