Coronavirus update for Victoria - 1 July 2021

Victoria was notified of no new cases of COVID-19 yesterday.

There were two COVID-19 cases in hospital in Victoria yesterday.

There were 31 active cases in Victoria – 8 are locally acquired and 23 are overseas acquired cases.

The total number of confirmed cases in Victoria since the beginning of the pandemic is 20,711. One historic case was re-classified yesterday.

Update: Travel permits

The Chief Health Officer continues to monitor the developing COVID-19 situation in other Australian states and territories.

Red zones now apply to Greater Sydney and Wollongong in NSW, the Perth metropolitan and Peel regions in Western Australia, 11 Local Government Areas in South East Queensland including the 5 LGAs in Greater Brisbane, plus Townsville, Magnetic Island and Palm Island and Greater Darwin.

ACT and all of regional NSW are orange zones.

Out of an abundance of caution, current green zone Local Government Areas in NSW that are located within the cross-border community, will become orange zones effective from 6am AEST on Friday 2 July 2021. Free movement for residents in the ‘border bubble’ will remain in effect.

To cross the border without a permit, cross-border community members just need to carry proof of address (such as a driver’s licence).

There are some conditions.

If you are a cross-border community member and you have been in an orange zone outside of the cross-border area, you can enter Victoria without a permit only if you’ve had a negative COVID-19 test result since you left the orange zone. Otherwise, you will have to enter Victoria with an orange zone permit, isolate and get tested within 72 hours, and stay isolated until you receive a negative result.

If you are a cross-border community member who has been in a red zone outside of the cross-border area, you have to obtain a red zone permit if you wish to enter Victoria.

If you do not live in the cross-border community, orange zones on the border are the same as any other orange zone in Australia, and you need to obtain an orange zone permit to re-enter Victoria (or a red zone permit if you have been in a red zone).

If you’re an orange zone permit holder, you need to isolate upon arrival, get tested within 72 hours, and stay isolated until you receive a negative result. You don’t need to immediately visit the first testing centre along the road – you have 72 hours to get tested.

As of 11.59pm om Wednesday 30 June, the Local Government Area of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory became a red zone under Victoria’s travel permit system.

Alice Springs is also designated as an orange zone retrospectively between 25 June and the time the red zone come into effect. This means anyone currently in Victoria who has been in Alice Springs at any time since 25 June and 11.59pm on Wednesday 30 June should isolate, get tested and stay isolated until they return a negative result.

Alice Springs Airport is listed as an exposure site. If anyone visited the Airport Café on 25 June, between 9:20am and 3:50pm, they must urgently get tested and self-quarantine for 14 days.

If you are a Victorian resident and have been in a red zone since current red zones came into effect, other than for transit, you can obtain a red zone permit to enter Victoria but you must travel directly home, get tested and quarantine for 14 days.

If you are a non-Victorian resident and you have been in a red zone since current red zones came into effect, other than for transit, you cannot obtain a permit and you cannot enter Victoria unless you have an exception or exemption.

If you enter Victoria via a land border from a red zone without a valid permit, you will be sent back. If you enter Victoria at an airport/seaport from a red zone without a valid permit, you will be fined and stay in Hotel Quarantine until return transport is arranged.

Victoria Police are patrolling our borders and around 2000 people were stopped and checked yesterday.

Authorised officers continue to meet all arriving flights at our airports. They met more than 2000 incoming passengers yesterday with around 75 per cent arriving from Queensland. The vast majority arrived with valid permits but there are still a number of travellers coming into Victoria without the required exception, exemption or permit in place.

You must have a valid permit, exception or exemption to enter Victoria, even if entering from a green zone. Permits can be obtained at Service Victoria. See more about Victoria's travel permit system at Victorian travel permit system.

If you are entering Victoria via a land border with an orange zone permit, you don’t have to get tested at the very first testing centre you pass in Victoria. You have a 72-hour period after arriving and isolating to get a test and stay isolated until negative.

Update: Outbreaks

Victorian health authorities continue to manage Primary Close Contacts linked to outbreaks.

There are now 225 remaining primary close contacts in Victoria with 211 of these linked to the Sandringham workplace cases.

Overall, Victoria’s outbreak situation continues to stabilise.

As at noon today, there were more than 40 current exposure sites in Victoria. A full list of exposure sites is published at Case alerts - public exposure sites

The Department also manages a number of exposure sites that it doesn’t publish online, particularly if these sites represent lower-risk exposures, if they have comprehensive record-keeping and contact tracing measures in place, or if they identify small, private locations.

Exposure sites are regularly reviewed based on intelligence and evidence, following case interviews.

Update: QR Codes

The amnesty for QR Code compliance for workplaces ends tonight.

From midnight, all employees must check in daily using the Service Victoria app.

Retail businesses are responsible for ensuring customers, workers, and visitors always check-in and that electronic records are kept up to date.

Failure to comply with electronic record keeping requirements can result in fines of $1,652. Repeated, blatant or wilful non-compliance can result in further fines of $9,913 and up to $100,000 or prosecution in court.

In addition to fines, a business may be issued with an improvement notice or a prohibition order until issues are resolved.

More than 210,000 businesses, organisations and venues are already registered and almost half a million QR posters are now on display across Victoria.

Victorians have embraced the QR Code system. This week, there has been an average of 4.6 million QR code check-ins by Victorians every day. That takes us to more than 100 million check-ins for the month of June.

Current restrictions

From 11.59pm on Thursday 24 June, restrictions were further eased on the advice of the Chief Health Officer.

More information can be found at Statement from the Acting Premier.

Update: Vaccinations

Yesterday, 19,219 vaccine doses were administered by Victoria’s state-commissioned services.

This brings the total number of doses administered at these services to 1,101,572.

Victoria’s online booking system is now live at Book your vaccine appointment or you can ring the coronavirus hotline on 1800 675 398.

Information about Victoria’s vaccination centres can be found at Vaccination centres.

General advice

COVID-19 symptoms include fever, sore throat, cough, shortness of breath and loss or change in sense of smell or taste. If you are experiencing symptoms, wear a fitted face mask when you get tested.

The Department publishes expected wait times at testing sites as well as updated information about locations and hours of operation at Where to get tested

For more information call the 24-hour Coronavirus Hotline at 1800 675 398 or visit Coronavirus (COVID-19) Victoria.

Latest statewide numbers (data reported to 11:59pm yesterday):