Victoria has recorded six new cases of coronavirus since yesterday, five in returned travellers in hotel quarantine and one in a member of an international flight crew in hotel quarantine.
There were no new locally acquired cases of coronavirus.
The new hotel quarantine cases were a female aged 10-19, a male aged 10-19, a woman in her 30s, a man in his 30s and a man in his 50s. The flight crew member was a woman in her 20s.
The number of active cases in Victoria is now 45, made up of 28 locally acquired cases which is no change since yesterday, and 17 cases in hotel quarantine, an increase of five in the past 24 hours. The number of active cases linked to the Black Rock Restaurant cluster remains at 27.
Victoria’s border remains closed to anyone who has been in Greater Brisbane on or after Saturday 2 January.
Anyone who has already arrived in Victoria and visited Great Brisbane on or since Saturday 2 January must get tested for COVID-19 as soon as possible, even if they have no symptoms, and quarantine at home or in their accommodation until 6pm on Monday 11 January.
The Greater Brisbane ‘hotspot’ covers the local government areas of Brisbane City, Moreton Bay, Redland, Ipswich and Logan.
Victoria is working closely with Queensland authorities to monitor and assess this developing situation and will provide further advice in due course.
On Friday, the Queensland Government ordered a three-day lockdown of the Greater Brisbane area.
All Victorians in these areas are advised to follow the guidance of the Queensland Government and any Victorian with plans to travel to these areas should cancel them.
Victorians in Greater Brisbane can only enter Victoria if granted an exemption. Exemptions are limited and granted only in special cases.
National Cabinet has declared Greater Brisbane a national hotspot after the discovery of a UK variant of COVID-19 in a cleaner at a Brisbane quarantine hotel.
The border with NSW remains closed and the department is working through more than 8000 exemption applications for travel to Victoria for compassionate and medical reasons.
882 exemptions have been granted so far and staff are processing the most urgent cases first with priority given to Victorian residents. Every exemption is assessed on a case-by-case basis and is being processed as quickly as possible.
Advice about domestic travel restrictions and entry into Victoria can be found on the Domestic Travel Restrictions – Entry to page.
Information about border permits, exemptions and applying to enter Victoria is available on the Service Victoria COVID-19 Border website.
Contact tracing interviews and investigations are continuing into the Victorian outbreak situation. As a result, more exposure sites may be discovered and details about exposure sites may change. A list of each exposure site, including dates and times, can be found on the Case locations and outbreaks page.
Yesterday 23,412 tests were processed, bringing the overall testing total in Victoria since the pandemic began to 4,139,908.
Coronavirus (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 any symptoms, wear a fitted face mask when you get tested.
Please get tested at your nearest available testing location. Wait times at testing sites across the system have substantially reduced but delays can still be expected at some of our busier testing centres.
The department is publishing expected wait times at testing sites on its website. The website also includes updated information about locations and hours of operation for testing sites at the Where to get tested page.
Information regarding COVID-19 is available at the Department of Health and Human Services website or by calling 1800 675 398.
Reviewed 09 January 2021