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ABC is reporting:
Deputy Commissioner Rick Nugent said police held an urgent meeting with Victorian health authorities around 9:00pm last night, as officers became concerned that those facing hours-long waits at the border included the elderly, people with anxiety and children.
Traffic banked up on the Victorian side of the NSW border near Tocumwal. ABC News: Peter Healy
"The State Health Controller approved opening up, letting more cars go through, but there was a risk assessment there," Deputy Commissioner Nugent said.
"So Victorian-registered vehicles, holiday-makers, caravans, boats and so on, we could wave them through.
"We know from checking the permits that they were right. We know there wasn't as much, or anywhere near the risk there with that group.
"New South Wales' and other states' vehicles were all checked. So that then got some movement coming through that helped clear that backlog."
Travellers seeking to cross the border back into Victoria before the hard closure takes effect from 11:59pm tonight will need to have joined the queue of cars at a checkpoint by midnight, he said.
"At midnight, regardless of how long the queue is, we'll have a police car go to the end of that queue. If you are there by midnight, regardless of whether you're actually processed, you're included as arriving prior to midnight."
Heaps of rental cars in NSW and Qld have Vic plates (assume it is because rego is cheaper in Vic), so not a fool proof assumption that a Vic registered car only contains victorian residents. You'd think after creating a huge rush for Victorians to return home sufficient police would have been deployed at border corssing to process everyone. They have been checking permits for over a week, and had to know textending the hard border NSW would create a mad rush.
ABC also says, the DHH's coronavirus testing commander this morning summarised:
1. If you arrived in Vic on Thursday (yesterday), you need to test and isolate until you get a result.
2. If you arrive today, you need to test and isolate for 14 days at home, and
3. if you arrive tomorrow and afterwards, you will either be turned back or have to do 14 days hotel quarantineat your own expense (if you get an exemption).
The "if you get an exemption" is the kicker, when NB was declared a red zone and greater Sydney an orange zone, Vic Helath Minister was clear Victorians who didnt return by cut-off would be locked out for forseeable future, implying permits would be hard to get. Will be interesting to see how many this affects, noting that permit system for Victorians in Qld and ACT needing to drive through NSW to return home still hasntbeen sorted out.
When NSW closed border to Vic, they limited the way NSW residents could return to air travel via SYD, but importantly waived the hotel qurantine fees (after initially saying it would be paid) to ensure everyone could get home on their own timeframe. In the end only non NSW residents had to pay for hotel quarantine.
Victoria police waved through cars with Vic plates last night
We're hearing that Victorian police officers waved through hundreds of travellers with Victorian number plates last night, as a wave of people returning from NSW placed huge pressure on the border checkpoints.Deputy Commissioner Rick Nugent said police held an urgent meeting with Victorian health authorities around 9:00pm last night, as officers became concerned that those facing hours-long waits at the border included the elderly, people with anxiety and children.
Traffic banked up on the Victorian side of the NSW border near Tocumwal. ABC News: Peter Healy
"The State Health Controller approved opening up, letting more cars go through, but there was a risk assessment there," Deputy Commissioner Nugent said.
"So Victorian-registered vehicles, holiday-makers, caravans, boats and so on, we could wave them through.
"We know from checking the permits that they were right. We know there wasn't as much, or anywhere near the risk there with that group.
"New South Wales' and other states' vehicles were all checked. So that then got some movement coming through that helped clear that backlog."
Travellers seeking to cross the border back into Victoria before the hard closure takes effect from 11:59pm tonight will need to have joined the queue of cars at a checkpoint by midnight, he said.
"At midnight, regardless of how long the queue is, we'll have a police car go to the end of that queue. If you are there by midnight, regardless of whether you're actually processed, you're included as arriving prior to midnight."
Heaps of rental cars in NSW and Qld have Vic plates (assume it is because rego is cheaper in Vic), so not a fool proof assumption that a Vic registered car only contains victorian residents. You'd think after creating a huge rush for Victorians to return home sufficient police would have been deployed at border corssing to process everyone. They have been checking permits for over a week, and had to know textending the hard border NSW would create a mad rush.
ABC also says, the DHH's coronavirus testing commander this morning summarised:
1. If you arrived in Vic on Thursday (yesterday), you need to test and isolate until you get a result.
2. If you arrive today, you need to test and isolate for 14 days at home, and
3. if you arrive tomorrow and afterwards, you will either be turned back or have to do 14 days hotel quarantineat your own expense (if you get an exemption).
The "if you get an exemption" is the kicker, when NB was declared a red zone and greater Sydney an orange zone, Vic Helath Minister was clear Victorians who didnt return by cut-off would be locked out for forseeable future, implying permits would be hard to get. Will be interesting to see how many this affects, noting that permit system for Victorians in Qld and ACT needing to drive through NSW to return home still hasntbeen sorted out.
When NSW closed border to Vic, they limited the way NSW residents could return to air travel via SYD, but importantly waived the hotel qurantine fees (after initially saying it would be paid) to ensure everyone could get home on their own timeframe. In the end only non NSW residents had to pay for hotel quarantine.
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