Update 5pm: WIMMERA residents living on the border of South Australia will be able to continue travelling as per usual, when the border closes to all other Victorians and South Australians in Victoria on Tuesday.
In a statement on Friday afternoon, South Australian Police said:
"Essential travellers living in cross border communities will be able to continue moving between the states."
State Coordinator, Commissioner Grant Stevens, said:
"If residents return to South Australia from Victoria prior to Wednesday they are required to complete 14 days quarantine and have two COVID tests.
"Any South Australians, who do not have an essential traveller status on Wednesday 29 and want to re-enter the State after being in Victoria will be turned away at the border, including those arriving at Adelaide Airport."
MORE NEWS:
3pm: SOUTH AUSTRALIA's premier Steven Marshall has announced all Victorians, and South Australian citizens returning from Victoria, will be banned from crossing the border from Tuesday midnight.
At a press conference on Friday afternoon, Mr Marshall said the move was in response to ongoing concerns about the coronavirus outbreaks in Victoria.
"This week we have had three cases, all three of those have come across the border from Victoria," he said.
"We've got to do everything we can now to protect ourselves against seeding from Victoria coming across that border.
"We want to be absolutely certain we are doing everything we can to protect the health of South Australian, but also the economy. We do not want to be putting restrictions back in place"
The premier also announced a cap on home gatherings, weddings and funerals. Citizens from New South Wales and the ACT, the latter of which has experienced a smaller outbreak, will still be able to travel to South Australia provided they quarantine afterwards.
The Mail-Times is seeking clarification over whether this new direction applies to cross border residents, who have been able to travel relatively freely with a cross-border paper permit up to this point.
In response to a question about whether police presence on the border would now increase, South Australian Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said: "We already have significant resources working our border down the southeast and eastern side of South Australia. We have other mechanisms in place to monitor some of the roads less travelled, but I won't be elaborating on that.
"This sends a very strong signal about the level of concern regarding COVID-19 in Victoria."
He said on Thursday, a total of 2700 people travelled into South Australia from every state and territory, around half of them essential workers.
Alexander Darling
Alexander has been a member of the Wimmera Mail-Times' editorial team since December 2018, covering politics, business and property among other rounds. He is a passionate St.Kilda and rock and roll fan, and has previously worked as a radio reporter in Port Macquarie and Gosford, NSW.
Alexander has been a member of the Wimmera Mail-Times' editorial team since December 2018, covering politics, business and property among other rounds. He is a passionate St.Kilda and rock and roll fan, and has previously worked as a radio reporter in Port Macquarie and Gosford, NSW.
