A 28-day period of no community transmission in Victoria is likely to be needed before South Australia considers easing its hard border restrictions.
South Australia's COVID-19 transition committee met yesterday to discuss numerous matters, including the ongoing border saga between the two states.
Following the meeting, SA Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said while Victoria's situation is progressing nicely, plenty still needs to be done before easing of restrictions can occur.
Community transmission is defined as "where there are large numbers of local transmissions occurring, and a direct source of exposure (in other words, the individual who a person contracted the virus from) cannot be identified".
Mr Stevens said while South Australia opened its borders to New South Wales after 14 days of no identified transmission, it would likely require a longer period for Victoria.
"It would be somewhere between 14 and 28 days, depending on how Victoria is travelling," Mr Stevens said.
He said the 28-day period would give SA Health the confidence of knowing that the state has controlled the spread of the virus.
This week saw Victoria record consecutive days of zero cases for the first time since early March.
Tuesday's coronavirus update for Victoria by the Department of health and Human Services suggested 4276, or just over 20 per cent, of the total cases the state has recorded since the pandemic began may indicate community transmission.
There are only 87 active cases in Victoria, and only two in regional Victoria.
In South Australia, the Naracoorte-Lucindale council area has no active cases and the Tatiara area to the north just one.
While many residents will be eager to see the borders between the two states reopened as soon as possible, the South Australian Government is currently taking calculated steps to make it a reality.
The direction came into effect last Saturday, and it was a welcome relief to many families and businesses who have been doing it tough during the pandemic.
Mr Stevens said the next probable step in the easing of border restrictions could be based around allowing people entering from Victoria to do a 14-day quarantine at home. He said the rules would apply to Victoria as a whole.
While the future easing of border restrictions rely heavily on the positive progression of Victoria, the South Australian Government will continue to closely monitor their situation.
Despite recording two new cases on Wednesday, Victoria is in a strong position to achieve the goal of opening up to the rest of Australia by Christmas.
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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.
Taylor Harvey
Taylor is the lone journalist at the Border Chronicle, which serves as a news medium for residents of the Tatiara. This is his first job in the field after completing his study at the University of Adelaide.
Taylor is the lone journalist at the Border Chronicle, which serves as a news medium for residents of the Tatiara. This is his first job in the field after completing his study at the University of Adelaide.
