NSW Health is advising people in NSW to postpone non-urgent travel to Greater Melbourne and Bendigo, as Victorian health authorities continue to investigate an outbreak of COVID-19.
People with COVID-19 have visited a number of venues in Greater Melbourne and in and near Bendigo while infectious. This includes the Melbourne Cricket Ground and a number of hospitality venues.
If you are in NSW and have been in Victoria since 12 May, please check the Victoria Department of Health and Human Services website regularly to see if you have visited any of these venues of concern, and if so, immediately follow the relevant public health advice. Please ask family or friends you went with to do the same.
If you attended any of the venues identified at the times listed, please contact NSW Health immediately on 1800 943 553.
Anyone now in NSW who has been in Greater Melbourne or in the Bendigo area since Wednesday 12 May:
- should not visit residential aged care facilities
- should not visit healthcare facilities, unless seeking medical attention or for compassionate reasons
- should come forward for testing immediately with even the mildest of cold-like symptoms, then isolate until a negative result is received.
NSW Health asks that anyone who has been in Whittlesea Local Government Area remain particularly vigilant for signs and symptoms of COVID-19, in light of the community transmission in that area. They should limit their exposures to high-risk settings, such as pubs, clubs, gyms, large family gatherings and any crowded indoor settings wherever possible for 14 days since they were last in the Whittlesea Local Government Area. Mask use is strongly encouraged in settings where physical distancing is not possible.
NSW Health urges everyone to continue to take practical measures to stay COVID-safe, including practising good hand hygiene and always using QR codes to check in to and out of venues.
Anyone arriving in NSW by air, rail or road who has been in the Greater Melbourne or Bendigo area in the previous 14 days must complete a travel declaration that confirms they have not attended a venue of concern.
The declaration form is available on the Service NSW website, and can be completed in the 24-hour period before entering NSW or on arrival. The information gathered via the travel declarations is vital in allowing NSW Health to contact travellers if necessary.
There are more than 300 COVID-19 testing locations across NSW, many of which are open seven days a week.
To find your nearest testing clinic, visit COVID-19 clinics or contact your GP.
