Experts believe Australia has entered a dangerous new phase of the pandemic as soaring infection numbers in Melbourne forced the city back into lockdown and put NSW on high alert for new COVID-19 clusters.
Professor MacIntyre said the NSW government would probably need to consider whether stricter restrictions needed to be brought back in coming weeks.
Mary-Louise McLaws, an infection control expert and adviser to the World Health Organisation's COVID-19 committee, said the decision to close the border came just in time. Professor McLaws said the last time the country saw daily confirmed cases tick over 100, it was a matter of days before it had increased to 1000.Mr Hazzard was late on Tuesday finalising the NSW Health orders which would give police powers to stop Victorians from crossing the border except for a "very small group of reasons".
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