VICTORIAN Premier Daniel Andrews says he’s “positive” a good outcome will be reached for border communities affected by South Australia’s coronavirus restrictions.
Mr Andrews said in his Sunday press conference he had been in conversation with SA counterpart Steven Marshall since Friday’s National Cabinet meeting.
He said work was being done on a larger border bubble, which he likened to a temporary shift to the SA border.
“We’ve got a process where senior officials are working through particularly those border communities potentially having a bigger bubble if you like, so moving the South Australian border temporarily into Victoria more,” Mr Andrews said.
“There’s a whole bunch of those border communities, they’re quire small in the main, but they shop and get their food, their fuel, all those sorts of things, in SA and it might only be 30 or 40 kilometres to travel.
“To come back to the nearest place in Victoria is 100 (km), even more.
“So common sense is guiding that and I’m pretty confident we’re going to get a good outcome there.”
The latest restrictions, which took effect on Friday, denied entry to SA for most residents of cross-border communities — even, in some cases, essential workers.
These rules replaced prior arrangements that required cross-border residents to get tested for COVID-19 every seven days.
Murrayville residents who would ordinarily travel a short distance to Pinnaroo for many supplies are among those who now face much longer trips to get what they need.
The town was during the week forced to arrange its own fuel supplies.
Victoria on Sunday announced 208 new COVID-19 cases and 17 deaths.
