Australia closes state borders in effort to stem spread of virus

THE border between the Australian states of Victoria and New South Wales has been closed for the first time in a century as Victoria struggled to contain a surge in Covid-19 cases.

The action came as two men in Victoria, one in his 60s and one in his 90s, died from the disease and Prof Michael Kidd, the state’s deputy chief medical officer, warned that everyone was at risk from a second wave.

There are about 55 border crossings between Victoria and New South Wales. The Victoria government locked down 36 of the most virusprone Melbourne suburbs last week and at the weekend added another four suburbs.

Police said a 32-year-old man had been arrested and charged with assault after allegedly biting an officer as he tried to leave a high-rise in the Melbourne suburb of Flemington.

Prof Paul Kelly, Australia’s acting chief medical officer, described the high-rises as “vertical cruise ships” because of the high risk of virus spread.

Gladys Berejiklian, the New South Wales premier, described stopping travel between Australia’s two most populous states as a “mammoth task”.

Officials will monitor the ground crossings, including four motorways, 33 bridges and two waterways, between the two states, and police and health officials will monitor travellers entering via air or rail. Victoria recorded 127 new cases yesterday, while New South Wales reported 10.

The border rules were expected to be similar to those implemented on the Queensland-new South Wales border three months ago, which prevented traffic from entering Queensland.

New South Wales remained open elsewhere, with officials monitoring passengers at airports and railway train stations.

Anna Speedie, the mayor of Wodonga, Victoria, right on the border, said: “About half of my people work in Albury (just across the river in New South Wales) and about half of Albury work here, so it’s going to be incredibly challenging.”

Scott Morrison, Australia’s prime minister, had earlier urged state leaders to open their borders for the good of the economy.

Officials last closed the border in 1919, during the Spanish flu pandemic.