The border between Victoria and New South Wales will be shut on Tuesday night as COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc in Melbourne.
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A new daily Victorian record has been set for new coronavirus confirmations, with 127 cases confirmed on Monday morning.
There are now 645 active COVID-19 cases in Victoria.
Thirty-four of the new cases are linked to confirmed outbreaks, 40 were discovered through routine testing and 53 cases are being investigated.
A Victorian man in his 90s has died, becoming 105th Australian victim of the coronavirus pandemic.
There has not yet been any further details on coronavirus locations today.
The dramatic decision to close the border was made at an early morning hook-up between Premier Daniel Andrews, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday.
Mr Andrews is expected to announce the border closure at a press conference at 10.45am on Monday.
The border is expected to close at midnight on Tuesday.
It will be the last state border to close in Australia, following the remaining states that have remained closed for weeks.
How the border closure will work
- The border will close from 11.59pm Tuesday night
- Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and NSW Premier Gladys Berejikilian agreed the measure on Monday morning
- Border will be enforced from the NSW side
- Permit system will be used for people with unavoidable travel to NSW
- People living in border communities will be able to travel for work and essential health services
- Specific arrangements will be set up for healthcare in Albury-Wodonga - Victoria runs the Albury Hospital even though it is located in NSW
Twelve Victorian postcodes and nine public housing towers have been put into lockdown in order to prevent the spread of the virus in the state, which now has 2536 confirmed cases.
More than 500 remain active.
The border between the two states has remained open throughout the health crisis, as towns share infrastructure, including the Albury-Wodonga Health public hospital.
"I'm not interested in closing our borders I don't think that makes a lot of sense for us," Mr Andrews said in March.
