Coronavirus: Australia will close the Victoria-New South Wales border

The border between Australia’s two most populous states, Victoria and New South Wales (NSW), will be closed after an increase in Covid-19 cases in Melbourne.

The outbreak in the capital of Victoria has seen hundreds of cases in the past two weeks, over 95% of new Australian infections.

Until now, the two states have kept borders open even when others have closed them.

The shutdown will begin Wednesday, Victoria Prime Minister Daniel Andrews said.

He said he had followed up on talks with Prime Minister Scott Morrison and New South Wales Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian, who had previously said there was no need to close the borders.

“We all agree that the best we can do is close the border,” Andrews told reporters on Monday.

• Why has the Melbourne virus outbreak worsened?
• Australia sends army to Victoria to fight Covid-19

“This is one of those precautionary measures, it’s one of those things that I think will help us more broadly to contain the spread of the virus.”

Andrews said those who had “unavoidable trips” to New South Wales could apply for permits, even for people who had to cross state borders to work.

He recognized that closing the border would likely have a significant economic and social impact.

But it was necessary given “the important challenges we face in containing this virus,” Andrews said.

Victoria reported 127 new cases on Monday, its largest daily increase since the pandemic began.

Over the weekend, authorities enacted a “hard blockade” on nine blocks of housing estate towers, confining 3,000 people to their homes after a cluster of cases was found.

Residents in at least 36 “hotspot” suburbs were locked up last week. Unlike those in the tower blocks, they can leave the house to work, exercise, care for and buy food.

The outbreak has threatened Australia’s relative success so far in suppressing the virus. Since January, Australia has recorded 105 deaths and around 8,500 cases.