VICTORIAN Premier Daniel Andrews has fronted a late afternoon press conference to announce Victoria will be plunged into its fifth lockdown.
The entire state will go into a five-day lockdown from 11.59pm on Thursday, until 11.59pm next Tuesday.
“We only get one chance to go hard and go fast,” Mr Andrews said.
“I am not prepared to avoid a 5-day lockdown now only to find ourselves in a 5-week or a 5-month lockdown.”
The terms of the lockdown mirror the “circuit-breaker” lockdown last month, with people able to leave home for essential shopping, education, work, exercise, care and caregiving, or to get vaccinated. The 5km radius will also return.
Face masks must be worn at all times when not at home – inside and outside.
“This will be a hard lockdown, similar to or identical to what we did a couple of weeks ago,” Mr Andrews said.
“If you were authorised to work then, you will be authorised to work now. If you were closed then, you will be closed now.
“It is essentially a repeat of the successful strategy from couple of weeks ago.”
Mr Andrews suggested restrictions on regional areas could lift before Tuesday if tests from regional Victorian residents come back negative and cases stay confined to metropolitan areas.
“We’ve got outstanding tests from a number of different regional communities,” he said.
“If they come back as we hope, negative, then … we may be able to release part of regional Victoria.
“I know and understand how frustrating it is for communities and townships that do not have cases and don’t have exposure sites to be locked down.
“I acknowledge if you’re in the far … north-west of the state, it is very challenging to be locked down because of things happening in Melbourne.”
Victoria recorded an additional two cases since this morning, taking the state’s total to 18 cases as Australia battles to keep outbreaks of the Delta variant under control.
Victoria also had 75 exposure sites, 1,500 primary close contacts and 5,000 secondary close contacts as of Thursday evening.
