New Zealand, WA and SA impose Victorian Covid restrictions

The South Australian government has enforced travel restrictions on people travelling from the greater Melbourne region and Bendigo to the state.

Premier Steven Marshall said from 6pm on Wednesday night, no one from Melbourne was permitted to travel to South Australia but central Victorian residents will need to isolate for 14 days.

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"The only people exempted from this are essential travellers with the appropriate permit and returning South Australians who will need to subject themselves to 14 days of quarantine," he said.

"People coming in from Bendigo will be permitted into South Australia but they will need to undertake tests on day one, five and 13 and isolate pending a negative result from their first test.

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"There are essential travellers coming to Australia with permission and they will need to be in quarantine, except for the time they are undertaking activity for which they have received that exemption.

"Anybody who has returned from Greater Melbourne since May 20, will need to under take a range of testing and they will need to go into isolation pending a negative result coming through."

Earlier

Bendigo travel agents are urging customers not to panic and to be flexible when looking to book holidays in light of the latest coronavirus cases.

The New Zealand government placed a 72-hour pause on flights from Victoria throughout the Trans-Tasman bubble on Tuesday following the confirmation of new coronavirus cases.

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Arrivals to Western Australia have been forced to isolate until they produce a negative result after the state government imposed border restrictions on Victorians who arrived after 6pm on Tuesday.

National Travel Bendigo manager Kaye Schroeder said she hoped the latest coronavirus cases wouldn't deter people from making travel plans.

"I think in the last three months people have had a bit more confidence to start making plans," she said. "This latest news might make people think again.

"It's a bit of a dampener heading into winter as people look to travel to warmer places. But it remains to be seen whether the new cases will stop people making those plans."

Travel agents across the city said airlines had been flexible with customers who have had to alter their travel plans throughout the pandemic.

Ms Schroeder said she hadn't received any cancellations in the wake of the Victorian local cases rising.

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"What is unknown is how many people would've booked in," she said. "It's a hard call for people to make but everyone is different and some people are happy to go ahead with travel plans.

"We've had a few bookings for New Zealand but no bookings were scheduled for this week as skiing has never been a big market for us.

"Looking to spring and summer, people were starting to book holidays to New Zealand then, so maybe these latest cases will have a dampener on that.

"We're trying to be positive."

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