Tasmanian families reunite after months apart

Victoria said on Friday (November 27) it has gone 28 days without detecting any new infections, a benchmark widely cited as eliminating the virus from the community.

The state also has zero active cases after the last COVID-19 patient was discharged from hospital this week, a far cry from August, when Victoria recorded more than 700 cases in one day and active infections totalled nearly 8,000.

The spread of the virus was only contained after a lockdown lasting more than 100 days, leaving some 5 million people in Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city, largely confined to their homes.

Australia's southern island state, Tasmania, was the last to open its border to Victorians.

Tasmania closed its borders in March.