Victoria's lockdown extended

The Victorian Government has announced that the statewide lockdown will be extended due to the level of community transmission of COVID-19 and the number of unlinked cases.

Almost all of the current restrictions will remain in place until 70 per cent of Victorians have had at least one dose of vaccine. This is estimated to be around 23 September.   

When 70 per cent of Victorians have had at least one vaccine dose, the government will look to increasing the number of construction workers on site to 50 per cent when 90 per cent of workers have received at least one vaccine dose.

Until then, there are still only five reasons to leave home: shopping for food and supplies, authorised work and study, care and caregiving, exercise, and getting vaccinated. Other restrictions – including wearing face masks – will stay the same.

However, from 11.59pm on Thursday 2 September:

• Playgrounds will re-open – with strict rules to keep everyone safe, including QR codes for checking in.
• In-home care – like babysitters – will be expanded to school aged children but only if both parents are authorised workers.

While these restrictions are implemented statewide for now, consideration will be given to easing restrictions in parts of regional Victoria next week.

The construction sector page on coronavirus.vic.gov.au has FAQs on the current restrictions. 

Next steps

When 70 per cent of Victorians have had at least one vaccine dose, the government will look to ease restrictions further:

• Increasing the number of construction workers on site to 50 per cent when 90 per cent of workers have received at least one vaccine dose.
• Allowing up to five staff to work onsite at entertainment venues to broadcast performances.
• Permitting private inspections of unoccupied premises for a new purchase or end of lease. Only one household may attend at a time, with the agent staying outdoors during the inspection.
• Allowing outdoor personal training with up to two people plus the trainer.
• Expanding the 5km radius to 10km – so exercise and shopping can take place up to 10km from your home. If there are no shops in your 10km radius, you may travel to the one that is closest to you.
• Increasing exercise time by an extra hour – to up to three hours per day.
• Reopening outdoor communal gym equipment and skateparks.

When 70 per cent and 80 per cent of Victorians have received both doses, more restrictions will be eased at set intervals as part of the National Plan to transition Australia’s National COVID-19 Response.

Vaccination appointments update

Getting vaccinated has never been more important. The best vaccine is the vaccine you can get today. While there are limited Pfizer appointments because of supply, there are 72,745 AstraZeneca appointments available across Victoria over the next three weeks. AstraZeneca is a safe and effective vaccine.

All Victorians are encouraged, where possible, to book their vaccination appointment by visiting portal.cvms.vic.gov.au or by phoning the Coronavirus hotline on 1800 675 398.

For a detailed overview of the restrictions, visit coronavirus.vic.gov.au.

Thank you for doing your part to keep Victoria safe.