Lockdown extended Acting Premier James MerlinoLockdown extended Acting Premier James Merlino

As was anticipated all along, the lockdown in Victoria has been extended by seven days. Victoria’s total number of active cases grew to 67 when the state recorded new 6 cases in the past 24 hours. Not surprisingly, Acting Premier James Merlino made the announcement that Victoria’s circuit-breaker lockdown will be extended by seven days.

While the state is in lockdown, the same five reasons are still in operation for Victorians to leave home:

(i)shopping for groceries;

(ii) work/study;

(iii) exercise;

(iv) caring responsibilities; and

(v) to get vaccinated.

There are two changes from the previous COVID-19 lockdown settings.

  1. Year 11 and 12 students will return to face-to-face learning; and
  2. the 5km radius will be extended to 10km.

Mr Merlino said it would give Victoria a lockdown of one full cycle of the virus.

Also read: 7 Day lockdown from midnight tonight

Virus could ‘explode’ if not run to ground says James Merlino

With the current outbreak having grown to 67 active cases and the state currently having more than 350 exposure sites, the risk of letting people go back to routine of their normal living styles is too great. Victoria cannot afford to see the COVID onslaught of the kind of faced by countries like India.

“Our teams are working harder than ever to test, trace, and isolate every case,” he said. “If we let this thing run its course, it will explode. We’ve got to run this to ground, because if we don’t, people will die.”

The acting premier hoped there will be no more the need to further extend the lockdown at the end of it and we may see easing of restrictions next week.

“At the end of another seven days, we do expect to be in a position to carefully ease restrictions in Melbourne,” he said.

It all depends on a few variables.

“But there will continue to be differences between the settings in Melbourne, compared to regional Victoria.”

By Singh