With Melbourne's coronavirus cluster growing to 26 infections overnight, the Victorian Government has announced a 7-day lockdown to slow the spread of the virus.
Overnight, the state recorded 12 new infections with the Acting Premier James Merlino saying this particular strain of the virus, first identified in India, is moving faster than Australia has ever seen before.
The Acting Premier also shared that the Victorian contact tracers have identified 10,000 primary and secondary contacts in relation to the current 26 locally acquired infections.
Watch: Victoria's Acting Premier announces 7-day lockdown. Post continues below.
Here's what you need to know about the lockdown.
7-day, circuit-breaker lockdown.
From 11:59pm tonight, Victoria will enter a 7-day circuit breaker lockdown, the Acting Premier announced.
There are now five reasons to leave home, instead of the original four that has been used in previous lockdowns. People can leave their home for:
- Shopping for necessary goods and services
- Authorised work or permitted education
- Exercise - a 2-hour limit with one other person
- Caregiving, compassionate, and medical reasons
- To get vaccinated
Other rules:
- There are to be no visitors to your home other than an intimate partner.
- Single bubbles will be permitted.
- No public gatherings.
- Restaurants, pubs, and cafes can provide takeaway only.
- Essential retail (supermarkets, food stores, petrol stations, banks, bottle shops and pharmacies) can stay open.
- Other retail stores can provide click and collect.
- Childcare and kinders will be open.
- Approved professional sporting events will proceed but without crowds.
- Schools will move to remote learning, except for vulnerable children, and children of authorised workers.
- Higher education will move to remote learning only.
- No visitors at aged care facilities, except for limited reasons.
- In hospitals, visitors only for: end of life, to support a partner during birth, or a parent accompanying a child.
- Funerals - a maximum of 10 people plus those running the service.
- Weddings cannot proceed unless end of life or deportation reasons apply.
- Religious activities will not proceed other than through broadcast with a maximum of five people.
Listen to The Quicky, Mamamia's daily news podcast. Today's episode is on vaccine hesitancy in Australia. Post continues below.
Vaccination update.
Vaccination eligibility in Victoria will expand to include those in the 40 to 49-year-old age group for the Pfizer vaccine.
Acting Premier James Merlino said 12,677 people got vaccinated in the past 24 hours, however he urged more people in Victoria to be willing to get vaccinated to mitigate the spread of the virus.
"The only pathway through the pandemic is for people to get vaccinated as soon as they're eligible," Merlino said.
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