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Victoria Premier Dan Andrews has warned he's set to tighten travel restrictions even further as the border with New South Wales looks set to stay firmly shut indefinitely. 

The state branded NSW a red zone ahead of last week's snap five-day lockdown after a team of Sydney removalists brought the deadly Delta variant of Covid to Victoria.

The border closure currently means anyone now arriving from NSW must apply for an exemption before they are allowed entry into the state. 

But as the Victoria lockdown was extended on Monday after the state recorded 16 new Covid-19 cases, Mr Andrews hinted at even tougher measures ahead.

The state is already using spy-in-the-sky drones, police helicopters and checkpoints to keep out any unauthorised visitors from the north. 

Victoria Premier Dan Andrews has warned he's set to tighten travel restrictions even further to keep out visitors from NSW. Seen here is a woman at a Melbourne tram stop on Sunday

The border with New South Wales looks set to stay firmly shut indefinitely. Seen here is a border checkpoint checking paperwork on June 25

But the Victorian premier took another swipe at NSW for not getting a grip on the disease in Sydney - which had 98 new cases on Monday - which could bring even more hardline measures. 

'I certainly can't rule out further changes and further limiting movement from NSW to Victoria,' he said on Monday after admitting the state's lockdown would extend beyond the planned conclusion at midnight on Tuesday.

'That is not easy and we know that dramatically inconveniences a lot of people but so too does this virus. It has to be pulled up in Sydney.  

'If we had been open, the numbers I reported earlier are but a tiny percentage of the overall problem. In any race you can only give the thing a two lap head start and I'm determined not to do that.

The state is already using spy-in-the-sky drones (pictured), police helicopters and checkpoints to keep out any unauthorised visitors from the north

The border closure currently means anyone now arriving from NSW must apply for an exemption before they are allowed entry into the state. Pictured here is a VICPOL helicopter used to monitor the NSW-Victoria border

'Then you are in a Sydney situation because it has got so far ahead of you that you can't catch up let alone get in front of it.

'That's why we shut down last Thursday night because we are not prepared to give this thing a head start on us.'  

He added: 'Look at Sydney's hospitalisation rates, look at the otherwise healthy people in quite young age groups who are in ICU. 

'We will finish up with our hospitals very full.' 

The state premier said he was confident about plunging the state into lockdown sooner rather than later, claiming the outbreak could have been much worse.

'Even this outbreak, as complex and challenging as it is, until it is dealt with and case numbers in Sydney reduce, we have an ongoing challenge in terms of defending that border to the north,' Mr Andrews said.     

Victorian premier Dan Andrews took another swipe at NSW for not getting a grip on the disease in Sydney which could bring even more hardline measures. Seen here is a testing facility in Sydney's south-west on Monday

'I'm confident we will face that reality open as opposed to closed which is where Sydney finds itself now and for the foreseeable future.

'We wish them well. There is no sense of criticism. If they have a problem, the whole country has a problem and that is why I wish them well in their efforts.'  

But Mr Andrews admitted the delay in lifting the state-wide Victoria lockdown would be a 'challenge' for locals.

'To do so would not be the right thing to do,' he said at a press conference on Monday. 'I know this is not the news people want to hear but we have to do the right thing.' 

Mr Andrews stopped short of saying for how long the restrictions would be extended and revealed an update would be provided by Tuesday morning.  

Victoria's five-day snap lockdown has been extended as the state recorded 12 new Covid-19 cases

'This lockdown will be on only for as long as it needs to be, not a moment longer,' he said.

'I do not want to be in a situation where we failed to extinguish this and these chains of transmission, only to open an event, for it to be closed again a short time thereafter. That is not right.' 

The department of health had announced 12 new cases on Monday morning - though four more cases were added to the tally during the press conference later in the day.  

'All four have been tucked away in isolation for 100 per cent of their time. That is a trend we want to see continue,' Mr Andrews said.

Premier Daniel Andrews announced that the hardline restrictions would not be lifted as intended at 11.59pm on Tuesday

A family of six were also escorted by police off Hamilton Island, in Queensland's Whitsundays, on Sunday

The new cases came after 54,839 tests were conducted and 14,758 vaccine doses administered in the last 24 hours. There are now 81 active cases.  

Four of the new cases are linked to the Ms Frankie cafe, two to Trinity Grammar, one to AAMI Park, and one to Young and Jackson's pub.

Another is connected to Philip Island, one to Bacchus Marsh Grammar and one to Crafty Squire pub.   

A 17th case - a man from Mildura in his 30s - was also included in Monday's figures, though had been reported yesterday. 

The man was treated in the emergency department at Mildura Base Public Hospital which has prompted 40 staff to go into isolation and get tested for the virus.  

It was revealed the family of six had left Victoria just before the state was plunged into a snap-five day lockdown on Friday

Stay-at-home orders are due to expire at midnight on Tuesday but Premier Daniel Andrews has warned they could be extended

There are 15,800 close contacts in Victoria with thousands connected to major exposure sites across the state.

More than 3,000 are linked to the MCG, 1,800 to AAMI Park stadium, 2,300 to Trinity Grammar and 2,700 to Bacchus Marsh Grammar.

'There's still many tests to be taken, many tests that are in the labs, and we won't get the results of those today and probably into tomorrow,' Mr Andrews said.

'There are more than 250 exposure sites that are connected to this outbreak, stretching from Phillip Island to the Mallee.' 

Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton revealed one of the new cases at AAMI Park was seated nowhere near a previously confirmed case.

Professor Sutton said it had raised concerns among health authorities and urged spectators to get tested.

'As a reminder of what our definitions of AAMI Park were, if you were seated in sections 22, 23 or 24 in zone two on level one, or if you entered gate seven between 7.56pm and 8.13pm, then you have to get tested and isolate,' he said. 

Melbourne residents will now prepare to go into an extended lockdown which was due to end at 11.59pm on Tuesday

The new cases came after 54,839 tests were conducted and 14,758 vaccine doses administered in the last 24 hours

Victoria has recorded 12 new Covid-19 cases while a family of tourists travelled from Covid-ravaged Melbourne to a popular Queensland holiday island

A family of six were also escorted by police off Hamilton Island, in Queensland's Whitsundays, on Sunday.

It was revealed they had left Victoria just before the state was plunged into a snap-five day lockdown on Friday. 

They are considered to be close contacts of a Covid-19 positive case in Victoria. 

The group were taken back to mainland Queensland and two of the family members were placed into 14-day private quarantine.

The remaining four have been taken to Prosperine Hospital where they will be tested before they are reunited with their family in isolation.

A Hamilton Island spokeswoman said the group had been isolating in their rooms, before they got tested for Covid-19 and returned a negative result.

'As a precaution, Queensland Health advised that they would need to be moved to a designated hotel quarantine facility on the mainland,' she said.

'Queensland Health has advised there is no concern for the community or other guests.' 

All the new cases recorded in Victoria are linked to the current outbreaks of the Delta variant in the state, which originated in New South Wales

Authorities estimated over the weekend that there were 10,000 'primary close contacts' in Victoria and by Sunday morning had identified 217 potential COVID-19 exposure sites across the state, some regional 

Queensland Health said in a statement the family had left Victoria before lockdown orders came into effect on Friday.

'All persons who have been to an interstate exposure site and identified as close contacts will be required to isolate, get tested and await further advice from Queensland Health,' a spokeswoman said.  

All the new cases recorded in Victoria are linked to the current outbreaks of the Delta variant in the state, which originated in New South Wales.

The state also recorded one new infection acquired overseas.

There are currently more than 250 exposure sites listed across Victoria

St Vincent's Hospital, near Melbourne's CBD, was listed as a site after a Covid-19 positive case visited the Fitzroy campus on Friday.

The case is had visited the Anaesthetics Department and no patients are considered to be a close contact. 

'Anyone who may have been exposed is being placed in precautionary quarantine as part of our contact tracing process … we are providing support to affected staff,' a hospital spokeswoman said.

'Our highest priority is keeping our patients, our staff and our community safe. We are working closely with the Department of Health and we will provide further updates should the situation evolve.' 

The nearby Courtyard 55 cafe has been flagged with patrons told to get tested if they visited the venue between 2pm and 2.30pm on Friday.

A store keeper wearing a mask hands over an order in the deli section of the Queen Victoria Market