Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has warned the number of coronavirus cases will continue to climb and lockdowns could be extended if people do not isolate after showing symptoms and getting tested.
While giving his latest update on the situation in Victoria, Mr Andrews also urged people to stay home if they feel sick and said there was a $1,500 financial support payment available.
Here are some of the other key points from the Premier’s update on Wednesday afternoon.
People not isolating when they should be a major driver of new infections
Mr Andrews said 53 per cent of people waiting for a coronavirus test result had continued about their lives, going shopping and to work “even though they’ve got symptoms”.
“They feel sick, sick enough to get a test, and then, somehow, not willing to stay at home and wait — on average — a couple of days, and sometimes sooner — to get the results of that test,” he said.
He said that kind of behaviour would lead to numbers continuing to increase, which would cause the current lockdown to be extended.
“A six-week shutdown will not be for six weeks. It will run for much longer than that,” he said.
Mr Andrews broke it down to what he called three “key points”.
- The first is when you feel sick
- The second is when you go for a test after feeling ill
- The third is when the test results come back
He said unless people get tested quickly and stay home while waiting for the results, case numbers wi