A growing number of states and territories have introduced travel bans on anyone arriving from Victoria after it .
Travellers from Victoria hoping to enter Queensland will be required to undergo a 14-day mandatory hotel quarantine, while travellers to South Australia, Tasmania, and West Australia will only be permitted if they have an exemption.
"We've been through this before, and I know that people understand that we have to take these measures on the advice ... because we want to continue to keep Queenslanders safe," Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told reporters on Thursday.
The travel bans come after acting Victorian Premier James Merlino announced a seven-day, state-wide “circuit breaker” lockdown, aimed at curbing the growing outbreak which has so far been linked to 26 positive cases.
Queensland
Anyone who arrives in Queensland from Victoria after 1am on Friday will be required to undergo a mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine.
People who are already in Queensland and have travelled to Victoria since 11 May will be subject to the same lockdown conditions as Victorian residents, who are only able to leave their home to purchase essential supplies, exercise, receive or give care, authorised work, and to get vaccinated.
NSW
NSW has so far stopped short of introducing a hard border closure with Victoria, but Premier Gladys Berejiklian made it clear people in lockdown should not be travelling interstate.
Anyone travelling to NSW from Victoria after 4pm on Thursday would also be subject to the same stay-at-home order, health authorities said.
“This means anyone arriving in NSW who has been in Victoria since 4pm today must remain at their home or place of residence in NSW for the seven-day duration of the Victorian measures,” a NSW Health spokesperson said.
For residents along the NSW-Victorian border, the measures will only apply to people who have travelled outside the border region after 4pm on Thursday.
South Australia
South Australia was the first state to shut its borders to people arriving from Victoria from 6pm on Wednesday, barring non-residents from entering the state unless they have a travel exemption.
Residents of South Australia are permitted to return home, but will be required to quarantine for 14-days.
Anyone already in the state who has been in Victoria on or after 20 May should isolate until they return a negative COVID-19 result.
West Australia
Premier Mark McGowan announced a hard border with Victoria on Thursday, designating the state a “medium risk” jurisdiction.
Travellers from Victoria will not be permitted to enter the state unless they obtain a travel exemption, which can be issued to government officials, military personnel, transport, freight, and logistics workers, and on compassionate grounds.
People who are already in West Australia but have been in Victoria since 16 May are required to immediately get tested and self-quarantine until they return a negative result.
"This is a concerning and a fast-developing situation, however the controls we have already put in place have mitigated the risk," Mr McGowan told reporters on Thursday.
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory has declared Greater Melbourne and Bendigo COVID-19 hotspots, meaning anyone who has been in the regions will be required to undergo mandatory hotel quarantine on arrival.
This will be completed at the Alice Springs or Howard Springs facility at the travellers' own cost.
Anyone already in the Territory who has visited the hotspots between 12 and 27 May must self-isolate until they return a negative result.
Tasmania
Premier Peter Gutwein has declared all of Victoria a “high-risk location” and barred all arrivals from the state unless they are an “essential traveller”.
"This means that after 2pm you can't travel to Tasmania if you've spent time in Victoria in the previous 14 days, unless you are approved as an essential traveller," he told reporters.
Tasmanian residents trying to return home can apply for essential traveller status, but they must isolate for 14-days on arrival.
Similar to the other states and territories, anyone who has been to high-risk locations of Victoria since 6 May but self-isolate immediately.
New Zealand
New Zealand has also extended its suspension of the travel bubble with Victoria until 4 June after Thursday's announcement of new cases.
Health authorities on Thursday said the decision was based on a public health risk assessment.
Due to the 14-day travel restrictions for anyone who has visited a Victorian hotspot they are also barred from entering New Zealand.
Anyone in New Zealand who has visited the Greater Melbourne area since 20 May is required to isolate at home until they return a negative COVID-19 test result.
Victoria
A seven-day, state-wide lockdown will come into force from midnight on Thursday.
This means all Victorian residents and travellers in the state will only be able to leave their homes for the five approved reasons, and exercise and shopping will be limited to a five-kilometre radius of a person’s home.
Masks will also be mandatory both inside and outdoors, with the exemption of within the home.
Mr Merlino described the lockdown as a “circuit breaker” after noting the virus was spreading at a “super quick pace”.
