The Victorian government has announced major border changes amid escalating Covid-19 case numbers, with non-locked down areas of NSW and the ACT moving from red to orange zones from midnight.

Victoria will slam shut its border with NSW from 11.59pm on January 1 as the state recorded five locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 on the final day of 2020.

Last week, the Victorian government signed up to trial the Commonwealth's home-quarantine program, which will grant 200 Victorians stranded on the border a permit to isolate for a fortnight in ...