Gea Local: Victoria records 1,343 new local COVID-19 cases and 10 deaths, new tier 1 exposure sites listed

Victoria has recorded 1,343 new local COVID-19 cases and 10 deaths as the state's border with New South Wales reopens.

There are now 18,952 active cases of the virus in Victoria, and 345 people have died during the current Delta outbreak.

There are 634 people in hospital in Victoria with COVID-19, of whom 109 are in intensive care, and 73 are on a ventilator.

The new cases were detected from 66,155 test results received yesterday.

There were 14,255 doses of vaccine given at state-run centres yesterday, as well as more vaccinations at GP clinics and other venues.

Victoria reopens border with New South Wales

The new cases come as Victoria opens its border to New South Wales for the first time in months.

Under the changes, New South Wales is considered a green zone for Victoria's travel permit system, so people entering the state will face no testing or quarantine requirements.

At Melbourne Airport, Steph and Friedl van der Merwe and daughter Mila arrived in Melbourne from Sydney this morning to reunite with family for the first time in six months.

"Half the family is in South Africa and half the family is down here and now we can finally get down here and see some of them," Mr van der Merwe said.

A couple and their baby. — Steph and Friedl van der Merwe are meeting family in Melbourne for the first time since their daughter Mila was born.(ABC News: Stephanie Ferrier)

Another traveller, Maddie, said she was looking forward to "having a few drinks at the pub" after returning to Melbourne for the first time in several months.

"Super excited, it's great to see families reunited over Christmas," she said.

Wodonga Mayor Kevin Poulton said the change came as a huge relief to his region.

"I guess I instantly turn my mind to, you know, what the last couple of years have looked like for our community and all border communities," he said.

"I'm thinking, do we do a gold coin donation as people start passing between the states? You know, I think that would be a really good idea for people to recognise the hardship that the community has gone through."

Director of All Saints Estate Winery, in Rutherglen in Victoria's north-east, Eliza Brown said the reopening of the border would help to provide some certainty to local businesses.

"After the last 18 months, you know, we're cautiously optimistic but for us, being able to let our customers know that we can actually operate is pretty amazing, especially coming into the busiest season," she said.

New tier 1 exposure sites listed

Health authorities have added two tier 1 venues to Victoria's list of COVID-19 exposure sites.

The new tier 1 sites are:

Bounce Inc. Geelong at 174 Torquay Road, Grovedale between 12:30pm and 2pm on October 28
Oz Tenpin Bowling Geelong at 19 Reynolds Road, Belmont between 4pm and 5:30pm on October 29

Anyone who has been to a tier 1 exposure site at the specified time must get tested and isolate for 14 days if unvaccinated, or for seven days if fully vaccinated.

Check the list below for all of the exposure sites and times.

You can find information on testing site hours and your nearest site on the Department of Health website.