Victoria plunged into seven-day lockdown from midnight

Victorians are being plunged into a seven-day lockdown as the Andrews government takes drastic measures to stop the spread of the latest coronavirus outbreak. From midnight tonight a state-wide circuit breaker lockdown will be imposed until June 3. Acting Premier James Merlino announced this morning more than 10,000 primary and secondary contacts had been identified. “If we can ease those restrictions earlier we will but this is a seven-day circuit breaker lockdown,” he said. Under the lockdown, residents will have five reasons to leave home including essential shopping, a two-hour exercise period, giving compassionate care and for medical reasons. Mr Merlino confirmed a new fifth reason to leave home is to get vaccinated. State residents will also be required to wear masks in every setting except for their homes. Victorians will only be allowed to accept intimate partners into their homes, however, people living alone can form a bubble with another single-person household. Public gatherings have also been suspended, although approved professional sports events will go ahead without spectators. Restaurants, cafes and pubs will be open for takeaway only and essential workers and workplaces – such as supermarkets – will be allowed to continue operating. Schools will also be moving to remote learning – except for vulnerable children. Victoria recorded 11 new local cases overnight, taking the state’s total case load to 26.

from Breaking National News and Australian News | Daily Telegraph https://ift.tt/3uqbIWP