One of Australia’s leading infectious diseases experts says Victoria “jumped the gun” by shutting the border to all of NSW and the upcoming Australian Open poses “much more of a risk” to the state.

Professor Peter Collignon, Infectious Diseases expert at the Australian National University, said those who are stuck over the border or were forced to flee home early have every right to be unhappy, given the extremely low risk they posed.

“Regional NSW has been in communication with Sydney since early December,” he said.

“They’ve had over 100 cases in the Avalon cluster and none of that has transmitted to regional NSW, where there is a few million people, and spread.”

In contrast, the Victorian government is about to welcome hundreds of international tennis players and their entourages from COVID-19 hot spots all over the globe.

“I think having the Australian Open in Melbourne is much more of a risk than people coming into Victoria from regional NSW,” Professor Collignon said.

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