Melbourne Will Remain in Its Current Lockdown for a Second Week

Overview

Lockdown number six has been underway across Melbourne since Thursday, August 5 — and it'll remain in place throughout the city until at least 11.59pm on Thursday, August 19. Although regional Victoria was released from stay-at-home conditions on Monday, August 9, COVID-19 numbers still remain high in the state's capital. Accordingly, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has advised that the lockdown won't end after a week as initially planned, as another seven days at home is currently needed.

At Victoria's daily coronavirus press conference today, Wednesday, August 11, the Premier said that he'd "love to be standing here announcing that we're coming out of lockdown this coming Thursday, but that is simply not possible. We need to go until next Thursday — that is public health advice."

He continued: "there are too many cases, and too many cases the origins of which are not clear to us — too many unanswered questions, too many mysteries, for us to safely come out of lockdown now. This is working, though."

As a result, Melbourne will remain under the same rules that've been in place again for the past six days, with the city's residents only permitted to leave home for five reasons: shopping for what you need, when you need it; caregiving and compassionate reasons; essential work or permitted eduction that can't be done from home; exercise; and getting vaccinated against COVID-19.

Exercise must be limited to two hours a day with your household members, your intimate partner or one other person who is not from your household or your partner. Victorians must also stay within five kilometres of their homes, unless you're leaving for permitted work or shopping for essentials if there are no shops in your radius.

Masks are mandatory everywhere outside of your home — and private gatherings are banned, as are public gatherings. While you can't have any visitors enter your home in general, there are single bubbles, and intimate partner visits are allowed. So, if you live alone, you can form a bubble with another person or see your other half.

Weddings are not permitted, unless on compassionate grounds, while funerals are limited to ten. Hairdressing and beauty services, indoor physical recreation and sport venues, swimming pools, community facilities including libraries, entertainment venues and non-essential retail venues remain closed — and hospitality venues have reverted back to takeaway-only. Supermarkets, bottle shops and pharmacies are still open, however.

Victoria currently has 118 active COVID-19 cases, including 20 new locally acquired cases identified in the 24 hours to midnight last night. There's also nearly 300 exposure sites around Greater Melbourne, and more than 12,000 active primary close contacts.

As always, Melburnians can keep an eye on the local list of exposure sites at the Department of Health website — it will keep being updated if and when more sites are identified.

For those looking to get tested, you can find a list of testing sites including regularly updated waiting times also on the Department of Health website.

And, has remained the case throughout the pandemic, Melburnians should be looking out for coughs, fever, sore or scratchy throat, shortness of breath, or loss of smell or taste, symptoms-wise.

Victoria will remain in lockdown until at least 11.59pm on Thursday, August 19. For more information about the rules in place at the moment, head to the Victorian Department of Health website.