Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews has announced the news about Melbourne’s lockdown which is being extended to the 2nd of September after 22 new Covid cases were recorded on Monday. 17 were linked to known cases and 14 were in isolation for their infectious period and Mr Andrews said Melbourne was at a “tipping point”.
“We are at a tipping point, there is simply no option today but to further strengthen this lockdown and to, on the advice of the Chief Health Officer, extend it for a further two weeks,” the premier said.
The lockdown is being extended for Metropolitan Melbourne until September 2 and a curfew is being introduced from 9pm tonight. The curfew will be in place from 9pm to 5am every day.
In metropolitan Melbourne, you cannot leave your home unless it is for one of five approved reasons – similar to previous lockdowns.
The reasons are: shopping for essentials; authorised work, if you cannot work from home, or education; exercise for up to two hours; caregiving, compassionate and medical reasons; and to get vaccinated.
Essential workers who can’t work from home will need to get a permit to go to work from 11:59pm Tuesday 17 August.
“If we don’t take these steps now, we will see numbers grow and we will see more and more people in hospital, and we will see similar situation to that which is occurring in other parts of our country,” Mr Andrews said.
“We don’t want that. I don’t want to have to stand here again and have to report deaths. I don’t want to have to stand here and report hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of cases every day and indeed, equal and perhaps even greater number of people in hospital.”
Last year, Melbourne was subject to some of the strictest lockdown measures in the world and successfully crushed the second wave of infections.
Though the new rules don’t come into effect until 11.59pm, the premier asked for people to observe the curfew from Monday night.
Playgrounds, basketball courts, skate parks and exercise equipment will be closed from 11.59pm on Monday.
Exercise is limited to just two people, plus dependants when necessary.
