Metro Melbourne lockdown extended

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Michaela Meade

Metropolitan Melbourne will be in lockdown for another seven days.

The five reasons to leave home will remain in place; shopping for essential items, authorised work and permitted education, to exercise with one other person for up to two hours, for care and compassionate reasons, or to get vaccinated.

There is a travel limit of 10 kilometres from the primary place of residence.

Schools will be open to year 11 and 12 students, and final year VCAL and IB qualifications students.

All retail will be required to use the Service Vic QR code phone app to record attendance in venues.

The previous 15-minute threshold will be removed, meaning anyone entering a shop or cafe will need to check in.

Eased restrictions will come into effect for regional Victoria, including the ability to leave home for any reason.

Acting Premier James Merlino announced the extension today following six new locally acquired COVID-19 cases.

Mr Merlino said “we do expect” settings to be able to be eased after the additional days have lapsed.

“If we don’t do this, this thing will get away,” he said.

“People will die.

“To stop that from happening, we need every Victorian to follow the rules, to get tested and to get vaccinated when it’s your turn.”

For more information about vaccination centres, visit: coronavirus.vic.gov.au/vaccination-centres.

To see where to get tested: www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/where-get-tested-covid-19.