4.20pm
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Fragments of the COVID-19 virus were recently found in wastewater at Gisborne, the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed on Friday afternoon.
There were also traces found at Hamilton, in western Victoria, and in the south Gippsland town of Leongatha.
"Anyone who lives in or has visited Gisborne from 24 to 26 January, Hamilton from 25 to 27 January or Leongatha from 17 to 19 January, is urged to get tested if they have any symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), however mild," the department said.
Other news
Meanwhile, Victoria is allowing quarantine-free travel from all areas of NSW, with the elimination of "red zone" virus restrictions, AAP reports.
Red zones will be eliminated from 6pm AEDT on Friday, with the area of Cumberland downgraded from a red zone to the only remaining orange zone.
According to Victoria's traffic-light system of travel restrictions, anyone travelling from Cumberland will have to self-isolate and get tested within 72 hours of arrival, remaining in isolation until they get a negative result.
All other parts of NSW will be designated green, which only requires travellers to get tested if they become symptomatic.
Premier Daniel Andrews said people travelling from the Cumberland area should still get tested.
"We're extremely happy to see the last red zone in NSW be downgraded," he said.
Victoria closed its borders to NSW on new year's day after virus outbreaks in Sydney, causing traffic chaos on Victoria's borders as holiday makers rushed home.
But Victoria has now reached 23 days with no new local coronavirus cases, and 27 cases confined to hotel quarantine, including one new case on Friday.
The easing of border restrictions will mean Victoria Police can start scaling back their duties on the NSW border.
Several hundred Victoria police have been on border duty, leading to debate about whether they are being spread too thinly, and Thursday's Bourke Street driver incident heightened those concerns.
- With Australian Associated Press
Earlier
It has been 23 days since Victoria last recorded a locally acquired coronavirus case.
The Department of Health and Human Services' daily update once again revealed no locally or interstate acquired COVID-19 cases, as 15,546 test results were received to midnight.
There are 27 active coronavirus cases in Victoria, while one new case was detected in an overseas arrival, which is being managed in the state's hotel quarantine system.
Vaccine hub in Bendigo
The facility will be aligned with the federal hubs for delivery of the Pfizer vaccine.
A Bendigo Health spokesperson said planning was currently underway for the hub.
READ MORE:
No detail was provided about when the hub was likely to open.
The federal government has released plans to roll out vaccinations across Australia, with the first stage aimed at frontline health care workers, aged and disability care staff and residents, and quarantine and border workers.
The second stage will target people over 70, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, younger adults with underlying medical conditions and critical and high risk workers.
Thirty to fifty hubs will be established in hospitals across the nation for delivery of the Pfizer vaccine to priority populations.
They will be a distribution hub for the priority groups.
We have removed our paywall from this story about the coronavirus. This is a rapidly changing situation and we want to make sure our readers are as informed as possible. If you would like to support our journalists, subscribe here.