PREMIER Daniel Andrews has announced the state will enter a five day lockdown from 11:59pm tonight until 11:59pm Wednesday, following the growth of COVID cases linked to the Holiday Inn outbreak. Mr Andrews said Stage 4 restrictions will be in force from 11:59pm tonight statewide, after five new cases were identified bringing the total to 19 active cases. There will only be four reasons to leave your home including shopping for the things you need, care and caregiving, exercise and work. Exercise and shopping will be limited to five kilometres from your home. If there’s no shops in your five-kilometre radius, you’ll be able to travel to the ones closest to you. Face masks will need to be worn indoors and outdoors – whenever you leave home. You won’t be able to have visitors to your home, and any public gatherings won’t be able to go ahead. For school students, that means learning from home, unless they need onsite supervision as the children of essential workers. Unis and TAFEs will close or move to remote learning. Childcare and kinders will remain open. Gyms, pools, community centres, entertainment venues and libraries will all need to close. As with Stage 4 restrictions, all non-essential retail will close, but essential stores like supermarkets, bottle shops and pharmacies will remain open. Cafes and restaurants will only be able to offer take-away. Hotel and accommodation providers will be able to stay open to support guests already staying onsite, no new bookings can be made. Funerals will be able to go ahead with up to ten people. Weddings will need to be postponed, unless on compassionate grounds. Indoor and outdoor physical recreation and sport will be closed, outdoor playgrounds will remain open. For more information go to www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus. .
