Michaela Meade
Metro Melbourne’s COVID-19 lockdown will be extended a further seven days.
Premier Daniel Andrews announced today that the sixth lockdown would be extended until at least 11.59pm Thursday, August 19.
There are currently 116 active locally acquired cases, with 20 new cases reported today, and almost 300 exposure sites.
The five reasons to leave home will remain in place, including to get necessary food and supplies, for exercise for up to two hours, for care or caregiving, permitted work or education if not possible at home, or to get vaccinated at the nearest possible location.
The five-kilometre travel limit remains in place, and masks remain mandatory outdoors and indoors when not at home.
Mr Andrews said coming out of lockdown tomorrow was “simply not possible”.
“There are too many cases, and too many cases the origins of which are not clear to us,” he said.
“[There are] too many unanswered questions, too many mysteries, for us to safely come out of lockdown.
“This is working, though.”
Mr Andrews said the number of mystery cases was the main concern for health officials.
“Some of these new cases today, and the potential chains of transmission that sit behind them, and the fact that we are getting further mysteries… that is a real concern to us,” he said.
More information on exposure sites: www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/exposure-sites
To find out where to get tested: www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/where-get-tested-covid-19
