Due to the current level of community transmission of coronavirus in Victoria from the recent New South Wales incursions, the Victorian Government has announced today that the current lockdown across Melbourne will be extended for another seven days.

Victoria’s Chief Health Officer has declared that the current restrictions in metropolitan Melbourne will remain in place until at least 11:59pm, Thursday 19 August, to stamp out this Delta variant and keep Victorians safe.  

Victoria’s contact tracers have worked around the clock to contain this virus but today we still stand with 116 active locally acquired cases, nearly 300 exposure sites and more than 12,000 active primary close contacts around Greater Melbourne.

For the next seven days, you can still only leave home for five reasons:

  1. To get the food and the supplies you need
  2. For exercise for up to two hours
  3. For care or caregiving
  4. Permitted work or education if you can’t do it from home
  5. Or to get vaccinated at the nearest possible location

Shopping and exercise must be done within 5km of your home or the nearest location.

Face masks will remain mandatory indoors (not at home) unless an exception applies – this includes all workplaces, and secondary schools.

Residents of the cross-border community local government areas will now be required to obtain a permit to cross between Victoria and NSW from 6pm, Friday 13 August.

The reasons Cross Border Community Area residents can cross the Victorian-NSW border still include:

  • Necessary goods and services, including medical care
  • Care or other compassionate reasons
  • Work (whether paid or voluntary, including for charitable or religious purposes)
  • Education (including childcare or early childhood services) 
  • Receiving a COVID-19 vaccination
  • Organised/community sport and exercise connected to or organised by a club or facility

Residents will be able to apply for a permit from Thursday afternoon at the Service Victoria website, service.vic.gov.au and via the Service Victoria app.