Masks will still be required in both outdoor and indoor settings in Melbourne as lockdown eases. Photo / Natalie Slade
Masks will still be required in both outdoor and indoor settings in Melbourne as lockdown eases. Photo / Natalie Slade
The Government has extended the pause on the transtasman bubble with Victoria for a further seven days.
"While the overall risk to New Zealand is low, today's advice from New Zealand public health officials is that the travel pause should continue," Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said.
"The Government is taking a precautionary approach in continuing the pause, which will be reviewed again next Wednesday."
Chris Hipkins says the government is taking a "precautionary approach". Photo / Mark Mitchell
There are now 93 cases associated with the outbreak in greater Melbourne, spread over four clusters. Contact tracing has identified more than 15,000 close contacts.
The cases in the greater Melbourne outbreak are genomically linked to cases arriving from overseas, but at least three cases are unclear in how they caught the virus.
New Zealand citizens, permanent residents, people with humanitarian exemptions and critical workers will still be able to take green zone flights to New Zealand from Melbourne - but will need a negative pre-departure test within three days of departure.
They will not need to isolate or be tested once they land in New Zealand.
Hipkins said quarantine-free travel for Queensland and New South Wales will continue because the risk from two new positive cases in Queensland has been deemed to be low.
Anyone who was in the New South Wales towns of Dubbo, Forbes, Gillenbah or Moree between June 1 and 5, or in Queensland in Toowoomba, Caloundra, Buddina and Baringa between June 5 and 8 should check the Queensland and New South Wales state health websites to determine whether they were at any locations of interest.
Anyone at the locations at the specified times should call Healthline on 0800 358 5453, get tested and self-isolate until they return a negative result.
They also cannot not travel to New Zealand within 14 days of the exposure.
Queensland on high alert
Queensland today confirmed two Covid-19 cases after it was revealed a Melbourne couple left lockdown and travelled on a road trip across two states.
A 44-year-old woman who travelled from Melbourne was confirmed yesterday and her husband has now also tested positive.
The woman and her husband left Victoria on June 1, four days after a statewide lockdown had come into force.
The pair drove through regional NSW and into Queensland, stopping at multiple venues along the way.
Victoria's Acting Premier James Merlino flagged the possibility that the roaming couple may have been moving house. Photo / Getty
The woman tested positive to Covid-19 at Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast on June 8 after joining relatives there, though it is understood she had been experiencing symptoms since at least June 3.
The Queensland case numbers came shortly after Victorian authorities revealed four new Covid-19 infections.
The cases came from the same household but the source of the infections is still not known.
As a result, Victorian authorities have made a minor change to the easing of restrictions across Melbourne tonight, with masks still required outdoors.
Queensland's chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young said it appeared both of the state's cases were towards the end of their infectious period.
However, she said it was still extremely important for residents to come forward and get tested.
Roaming couple questioned
Victoria's Acting Premier James Merlino said health officials were interviewing the couple and flagged the possibility that they may have been moving house, which would mean they wouldn't have broken lockdown rules.
However, they may still have been in breach of Queensland's border rules if they didn't have a valid exemption permit.
"Victoria was not able to speak to the couple yesterday for a case interview but we will do so today, and I think it is important to note that if they were relocating it is not a breach of directions here in Victoria but we just don't know," Merlino said.
Melbourne residents are set to emerge from a tough two-week lockdown tonight. Photo / 123rf
It appears it was sheer luck that the infected Melbourne woman was caught. The Courier Mail reports she only got tested because her husband needed a negative test result for work purposes.
She is being managed by Sunshine Coast University Hospital staff and her husband is also in hospital being monitored.
Meanwhile Melbourne residents are set to emerge from a tough two-week lockdown tonight, with Merlino yesterday announcing "significant steps" to easing restrictions.
From 11.59pm Melbourne will be able to move to "most of the same settings" in place across the rest of the state. Regional Victoria is also moving to further ease restrictions.
Melburnians will be restricted to a 25km travel limit, with the only reasons to travel further being for work, education, caregiving or getting vaccinated.
The ban on visitors to households will remain but outdoor gatherings will be increased to 10 people.
Masks will still be required in outdoor and indoor settings, after Merlino announced the slight adjustment to the rules on Thursday.
