Victoria increases coronavirus lockdowns, declares ‘state of disaster’
Premier Daniel Andrews has placed Victoria in stage four lockdown. Photo: AAP Photo: AAP
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has bowed to the realities of his state’s spiralling coronavirus infections and introduced the nation’s toughest lockdown restrictions.
More important announcements are on the way for Victoria on Monday also, with Mr Andrews saying incoming rules for specific industries will force some businesses to close, and others to slow down operations.
The state recorded 671 new cases on Sunday, and seven more elderly Victorians have died.
Six of the fatalities were connected to virus outbreaks in aged-care homes.
On Sunday, Mr Andrews declared a “state of disaster” will be in place from 6pm and metro areas will be put under stage four lockdown restrictions, including a strict night-time curfew.
“Absolutely straight up … if we don’t make these changes we are not going to get through this,” he said.
Victorian students will return to “flexible and remote learning” from Wednesday, with a pupil-free day declared for Tuesday.
Mr Andrews said the advice had been that if the government did not change tactics now, Victoria would continue to see cases growing and would need to be under the current rules until Christmas.
Instead, a tougher stage four lockdown will be in place for six weeks.
“Six weeks versus a slower strategy … that takes up to six months, I’m not prepared to accept that,” Mr Andrews said.
These are very significant steps – they’re not taken lightly.’’
Victoria’s chief health officer Brett Sutton was asked if a further six-week lockdown would be enough to curb the state’s issues.
“I hope so. It is entirely contingent on everyone in Victoria to make sure it is enough,” he said.
“If we do the things we know work … six weeks should be enough.”
Mr Andrews has been under mounting pressure to further lock down Victoria as the previous stay-home orders and mandatory face mask restrictions fail to curb the steepening curve of new infections.
The Premier confirmed stage four lockdown restrictions for metro areas would include stopping people going further than five kilometres from their homes and limiting exercise to one hour per day.
Only one person per household will be allowed to go shopping.
From 8pm on Sunday, a curfew will exist in metropolitan Melbourne.
People will only be allowed out of home between 8pm and 5am to go to work, or give and receive care.
“Going to a mate’s place, going and visiting friends, being out and about for no good reason … that will spread the virus,” Mr Andrews said.
From midnight on Wednesday, regional areas will be moved to stage three.
“We cannot let this virus tear through regional aged care in the way it has with private-sector aged care in Melbourne,” Mr Andrews said.
“We cannot let it mean more Victorians in hospital beds. More Victorians hooked up to machines just to breathe.
And more Victorians – more grandparents, parents, sons, daughters, partners and loved ones – choked to death by an invisible enemy.’’
It means non-essential businesses such as restaurants, gyms and bars must close from midnight on Wednesday.
The new stage four lockdown restrictions for Melbourne include:
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From Sunday, an 8pm-5am curfew in Melbourne. “The only reasons to leave home during these hours will be work, medical care and caregiving,” Mr Andrews said
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People will be limited to staying within five kilometres of their home
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Only one person, per household, per day will be allowed to go shopping
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Exercise will be limited to a maximum of one hour per day and no more than five kilometres from your home, with a group size limited to a maximum of two – “you and one other person – whether you live with them or not.”
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TAFE and uni study must be done remotely
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From Wednesday at 11.59pm, weddings in Melbourne cannot occur.
From 11.59pm on Wednesday, regional Victoria is also returning to its stage three ‘stay home’ orders, meaning people must remain in their house unless going out for essential shopping, care and caregiving, daily exercise, and work or study.
Regional businesses will also be affected, with food businesses restricted to delivery and takeaway.
Beauty and personal services, entertainment and cultural venues, and community sport will have to close.
Mr Andrews said Mitchell Shire, which was previously linked with the Melbourne restrictions, will now be classed among the rules for regional Victoria.
Melbourne was placed into lockdown for a second time on July 9, as cases began to balloon.
It was hoped the new restrictions would help flatten the curve of new cases, but even after the mandatory masks order, Victoria’s numbers continued to grow, with several days of more than 600 new cases in the past week.
Mr Andrews and Prime Minister Scott Morrison had flagged last week that tougher rules were on the way for Victoria, when the Premier said Melbourne was already at “essentially stage four”.
“That is in some respect our biggest challenge,” he said.Mr Andrews said on Saturday he was worried about potential “mystery cases” of community transmission in Victoria, above and beyond what was being detected in tests and official data.
Mask orders in Victoria have not been enough to slow the virus spread yet. Photo: AAP