A BEEFED-up Sunraysia police presence will target travellers from New South Wales COVID-19 hot spots after the Berejiklian Government announced a two-week lockdown on Saturday.
Mildura Police Superintendent Rebecca Olsen said there would be 30 “returning veterans” from previous lockdowns to join local officers in compliance checks around the region’s border communities.
“It’s considerable resources that will be deployed here,” Supt Olsen said.
“There’s not a hard border. At this stage, it’ll be roving, roaming patrols with marked and unmarked (police) vehicles.
“The additional members will be operating out of Mildura – and a similar number will be in Swan Hill – as part of the 24/7 compliance checks across our division, from the South Australian border all the way down to Kerang and beyond.
“These checks will be to identify anyone out of the orange and red zones of NSW.”
The red zones are in Greater Sydney, from the NSW Central Coast to Wollongong, where stay-at-home orders are in place until 11.59pm on Friday, July 9.
Travellers from these areas run the risk of being turned around at the border and copping a fine of up to $5000.
For residents of other parts of NSW, including Gol Gol, Buronga and Wentworth, masks will be compulsory in all indoor non-residential settings, including workplaces, and at organised outdoor events.
Drinking while standing at indoor venues will not be allowed and visitors to households will be limited to five guests.
Supt Olsen urged Sunraysia residents to be “more patient” than usual with officers conducting compliance checks.
“There will be some local community members who may be intercepted and spoken to more frequently than previously so we ask for people to be more patient,” she said.
“But the compliance checks are being done for all the right reasons.
“It’s a fluid, dynamic situation and it will depend on the (COVID-19) numbers coming out of NSW.”
Mildura Airport chief executive Trevor Willcock said the number of direct flights from Sydney would fall over the next fortnight.
“We were getting a daily return flight but during the last lockdown (in late May) that dropped to four a week and it’ll probably be only one or two a week for the next fortnight,” he said.
“The two local compliance officers will meet all the incoming Sydney flights to check permits and various other things before people are allowed to pass through.
“There are also safeguards at Sydney Airport so we’re just a final check.”
Victorian COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar said there would be a limited impact of the NSW lockdown on Sunraysia residents.
“People who live in our border communities, either side of the Murray, are able to continue to operate as part of the border bubble, so they will be able to travel more freely across the border on display of their driver’s licence and other forms of local ID,” he told reporters on Sunday.
Health Minister Martin Foley emphasised the extra police presence on the border to anyone considering travelling to Victoria from a NSW red zone.
“The message is simple. Don’t come from a NSW red zone to Victoria,” he said.
“To Victorians, do not visit those red zones in NSW.”
