Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced a lockdown of metropolitan Melbourne as the state records its largest daily increase in COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic.
Follow today’s events as they unfold.
Live updates
By Kelsie Iorio
Key EventPinned
What restrictions will be in place for Metro Melbourne and Mitchell Shire residents
From 11.59pm on July 8, residents must stay at home unless it’s for:
- Shopping for food or other essentials
- Medical purposes and caregiving
- Work and study if it can’t be done from home (only Year 11/12/VCE students and special needs students will return to classrooms as normal)
- Exercise (but people cannot leave or enter the restricted areas of Metropolitan Melbourne/Mitchell Shire)
Limits on gatherings:
- No visitors at home
- No more than two people (or your household group) gathering in public
- Weddings limited to five people
- Funerals limited to 10 people (plus those conducting)
- Intimate partners can visit each other
Businesses:
- Retail, markets and hairdressers can stay OPEN (subject to conditions)
- Cafes, restaurants, pubs, clubs and bars can do TAKEAWAY ONLY
- Arenas, stadiums, food courts, cinemas, concert venues, casinos and gaming, brothels and strip clubs, beauty services, holiday accommodation, campgrounds, pools, playgrounds, saunas, galleries, museums and zoos will CLOSE
- Real estate auctions will be done remotely and house inspections only by appointment
Activity:
- Subject to conditions, fishing, boating, tennis, golf and surfing can CONTINUE
- Community sport and indoor sport and recreation will CLOSE
- Religious ceremonies will be BROADCAST ONLY
Holidays:
- If you’re already holidaying, you can complete that holiday
- No new holiday travel can be undertaken from 11.59pm on July 8
- You can’t visit a second residence outside the restricted areas
By Kelsie Iorio
What will and won’t be allowed
Holidays? Visitors at home? Community sport? So many of you have lots of specific questions about how these new lockdowns will impact you.
By Kelsie Iorio
Applying for a permit to enter NSW from Victoria
Some more details are available on border permits to travel from Victoria to New South Wales!
At time of writing it doesn’t look like you can actually complete the application yet — but it does provide this list of eligibility criteria to get a permit.
To be eligible, you must be:
- a NSW resident coming home
- a cross-border resident (living within 50 km of the NSW border)
- an MP or staff member
- a consular official or security services worker
- a person providing critical services
- a seasonal worker
- a boarding school/university student or a parent/guardian accompanying a student
- a carer for an individual entering NSW
- travelling through NSW on your way home to your home state/territory
- carrying out child access and care arrangements
- receiving an essential medical treatment with a medical practitioner or hospital in NSW
- required or authorised by or under law to travel to NSW, including for a court appearance, or
- applying on compassionate grounds (you’ll need a valid exemption code from NSW Health before applying for your permit for this one)
The criteria also says you won’t be eligible if you’re prevented from travelling due to Victorian public health restrictions.
Here’s the link to the NSW Government’s information, which includes details on what you need to apply and how to do it.
By Kelsie Iorio
Am I in a lockdown zone?
Lots of people have been asking for maps — hopefully this will help!!
‘Metropolitan Melbourne‘ takes in about 5 million people across almost 10,000 square kilometres. It encompasses 31 local government areas, and when you add in Mitchell Shire, that puts 32 local government areas on the lockdown list.
By Kelsie Iorio
Keeping fit in lockdown
Are residents in Metro Melbourne still allowed to leave the house for exercise?
-A bit confused
They can, A Bit Confused — but you cannot leave the restricted area to exercise, and if you’re not in it, you can’t enter it for exercise either.
I am confused as im in the affected areas and someone who likes to go fishing. Can i still fish in victoria?
-Tariq
Fishing, boating, tennis, golf and surfing are permitted as exercise for those in restricted areas, but only if you don’t have to leave the restricted area to do so.
Pools, indoor sports facilities and recreation centres will close in those zones — that’s set to include gyms.
It can be extra tough, but giving your physical health some love in these tough times is really important — maybe bust out the old aerobics videos!
By Kelsie Iorio
We love your questions
Hi friends — I’ve been lurking around a little already this afternoon, but I’m officially here to answer as many questions as I can for the next little while.
There’s no shortage of great questions coming through, but we always love hearing from you so hit that blue button!
By James Maasdorp
Handing over to the divine Kelsie Iorio
Kelsie and James, thanks for your hard work. It must have been an incredible afternoon, processing all this info! As things change quickly once again, we are grateful to rely on you- and our brilliant ABC – for clear, accurate reporting.
-Thank goodness for Aunty
It’s been our pleasure, TGFA. With that, I’m signing off for the night, and the