Victoria recorded zero new coronavirus on Thursday morning, as national cabinet is poised to discuss testing and quarantining of travellers from the United Kingdom.
With no new infections found locally or in hotel quarantine, it brings active cases across the state to 38, down from 41 on Wednesday.
There were 32,767 tests completed across Wednesday, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
It's the first time Victoria has recorded a 'doughnut day' – zero new cases and zero deaths from COVID-19 – since December 30. But three cases were announced late in the evening on that day, and included in the total for December 31.
National cabinet has been recalled a month early to decide whether to tighten precautions on international arrivals over fears travellers from the UK will spread a more infectious mutant coronavirus strain.
Authorities in Victoria and Western Australia want people flying from the UK to be tested before they board a plane and to be banned from travel if they return positive results.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said national cabinet will consider a proposal that he requested Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly review through the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee, "particularly in the context of the UK strain".
"The proposal is to further strengthen the COVID safety of end to end international travel processes, from arrival at airport of embarkation in the exit country, to final clearance from hotel quarantine in Australia," Mr Morrison said in a statement on Facebook.
Just one COVID-19 case was reported in Victoria on Wednesday, a man in his 30s who attended sales at Chadstone on December 26 and the MCG Boxing Day Test match on December 27, before later testing positive to the virus.
Professor Cheng said the decision to list Chadstone and the MCG as possible acquisition sites for the mystery case was precautionary, and it was more likely he caught the virus elsewhere
"He has had a number of contacts in private houses. I think they would probably be more likely," he said.
"I think it’s most likely we have another cluster going on."
More to come
With Katina Curtis
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