As Victoria shuts its border with New South Wales at 11.59pm tonight, people queue up in the thousands in a last attempt to get through.
Health Minister Martin Foley asked motorists to be prepared for delays and to be patient. Anyone who is in border checkpoint queues at 11.59pm tonight will be let through, but anyone trying their luck in the morning will be denied.
“Our message really has not changed over the last two weeks,” he said.
“I stood here sometime ago and said reconsider going to NSW, don’t go to Sydney, reconsider going to NSW because the border can change quickly on the basis of public health advice and we saw that happening yesterday.”
Meanwhile, Victoria records no new cases after confirming eight community transmissions, however, health authorities fear the low numbers are due to people avoiding to get tested before the New Year celebrations.
The list of coronavirus exposure sites grows to include Leongatha.
“Do not think this is just a Mitcham and Mentone issue, not just a Melbourne issue,” DHHS head of testing Jeroen Wiemar said.
Mr Wiemar said a returned NSW traveller, who dined at the Smile Buffalo Thai restaurant in Black Rock with two people who later tested positive, tested negative.
Three people across two groups linked to the restaurant have tested positive and 170 close contacts are currently isolating in the search for patient zero in Victoria’s cluster.
At the same time, two positive coronavirus cases have reportedly travelled from Victoria to NSW on 30 December and dined at the Great Southern Hotel in Eden between 5pm and 6.30pm.
One of the cases also ate at the Bermi’s Beachside Cafe in Bermagui between 9pm and 10pm on 31 December.