South Australia will continue to allow visitors from a border buffer zone in the far west of New South Wales into the state, despite a man who tested positive for coronavirus visiting Broken Hill.

Key points:

  • SA allows visitors from NSW’s westernmost 100km to come into the state
  • A coronavirus case visited Broken Hill on the weekend
  • SA is not changing its border restrictions with NSW or Victoria

On Tuesday, NSW Health identified two businesses an 18-year-old from Western Sydney visited in Broken Hill while infectious on January 2, in a case stemming from Sydney’s Berala cluster.

South Australia banned most travellers from NSW on January 1 but has allowed people from within the westernmost 100 kilometres, including Broken Hill, to continue to enter, as long as they have had a negative COVID–19 test within the past seven days.

NSW Health said anyone who attended several venues, including a Broken Hill cafe, visited by the man at particular times must get tested and isolate for 14 days even if the result is negative.

South Australia’s COVID–19 Transition Committee met on Tuesday, before details about the case were revealed.

SA Police later said there had “been no changes to the current restrictions” as a result of the man’s travel to Broken Hill.

But Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier said the situation was being closely monitored.

“Anyone in South Australia who was at the Gourmet Cribtin in Broken Hill on Saturday, January 2, between 10:40am and 11:20am should get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days regardless of the result.

“SA Health is providing advice to the State Coordinator [Grant Stevens] as new information comes to hand.”

Wentworth is also within the 100km border buffer zone.(ABC Broken Hill: Declan Gooch)

South Australians are still being urged to reconsider travel into Victoria, after three more cases were recorded in the state, but the border will remain open.

Acting Police Commissioner Linda Williams said the decision not to change the arrangements for travellers from Victoria was based on health advice.

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“The tipping point would be if you had community outbreaks where the source wasn’t known, but at the moment it’s very well under control and [Chief Public Health Officer] Dr [Nicola] Spurrier is very happy with the management that’s happening interstate, so the status quo remains,” Ms Williams said.

She said people coming from Victoria should monitor for symptoms.

“It’s not compulsory at the present time, but it’s in your interests and everyone else’s interests.”

Premier Steven Marshall said he was confident Victorian authorities had a cluster in Melbourne under control.

“[I have] every confidence in the Victorian health team to put that net over that cluster that exists in Victoria and bring it under control, so no changes with our border with Victoria [are] envisaged at this point in time,” he said.

Travellers coming into the state from low COVID-risk zones, such as Tasmania, the Northern Territory and Queensland, will still be able to enter the state after applying for a cross-border travel form.

COVID–19 testing for travellers from NSW arriving at Adelaide Airport.(ABC News: Mahalia Carter)

No new cases in SA

South Australia recorded no new coronavirus cases on Tuesday.

SA Health said two new cases recorded in returned travellers on Monday were old infections and have been removed from the state’s total case numbers.

There are currently 10 active COVID-19 cases in South Australia, all of them in hotel quarantine.

In total, the state has recorded 581 cases since the pandemic began.