5-day lockdown for Victoria from midnight tonight
The move is in response to the fast-moving UK strain of COVID-19, described as "smart, and faster, and more infectious".
The Premier has announced the entire state will go into lockdown from 11.59pm tonight, for five days.
The move is in response to the fast-moving UK strain of COVID-19, which Daniel Andrews described as "smart, and faster, and more infectious".
Although there are currently no known cases of the virus outside of Melbourne, the Premier said the state-wide lockdown was designed to keep Melburnians and the virus, out of regional Victoria.
"The message to regional Victoria is, there is no evidence of cases (in regional areas) and we want to keep it that way."
He said that while the lockdown would be "difficult and painful" for people, the response needed to "go beyond contact tracing".
"Right now, we are reaching close contacts well within the 48-hour benchmark. But the time between exposure, incubation, symptoms and testing positive is rapidly shortening. So much so, that even secondary close contacts are potentially infectious within that 48-hour window.
"In short: this hyper-infectious variant is moving at hyper-speed."
The Stage 4 lockdown, with its five-kilometre travel limit, means visitors or holiday homeowners should not visit Phillip Island or Bass Coast over the next five days.
Hotel and accommodation providers will be able to stay open to support guests already staying onsite, but no new bookings can be made.
The Premier said anyone at their second residence should stay there for the five days if possible. He said the restrictions were designed to limit movement around the state.
He urged people not to travel to second homes between now and midnight unless absolutely necessary.
Lockdown restrictions
All of Victoria will return to Stage 4 restrictions from tonight, until 11.59pm on Wednesday.
That means there will be four reasons to leave your home: shopping for the things you need, care and caregiving, exercise and work, if it is essential.
Exercise and shopping will be limited to five kilometres from your home. If there are no shops in your five-kilometre radius, you’ll be able to travel to the ones closest to you.
Face masks will need to be worn indoors and outdoors – whenever you leave home.
You won’t be able to have visitors to your home. And any public gatherings won’t be able to go ahead.
For school students, that means learning from home, unless they need onsite supervision as the children of essential workers. Unis and TAFEs will close or move to remote learning. Childcare and kinders will remain open.
Gyms, pools, community centres, entertainment venues and libraries will all need to close.
And as with Stage 4 restrictions, all non-essential retail will close, but essential stores like supermarkets, bottle shops and pharmacies will remain open. Cafes and restaurants will only be able to offer take-away.
Hotel and accommodation providers will be able to stay open to support guests already staying onsite. No new bookings can be made.
Funerals will be able to go ahead with up to ten people. Weddings will need to be postponed.
A list of who is considered an essential worker will be made available online. If you were a permitted worker during Stage 4 restrictions – you’ll most likely be an essential worker now too. Everyone else needs to work from home.
Fines will be handed out to anyone who doesn't abide by the restrictions.
A full list of Stage 4 restrictions available at www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus
