Overview
Nine days after coming out of the state's last lockdown, Victoria will be placed back under stay-at-home conditions from 8pm today, Thursday, August 5. This new lockdown — Melbourne's sixth — was announced this afternoon by Premier Daniel Andrews in response to a growing number of locally acquired COVID-19 cases. At this stage, the stay-at-home restrictions will run for seven days, which means that the target end date is 8pm on Thursday, August 12.
In the press conference revealing the news, the Premier said: "I want to make it very clear — we only get one chance to act fast, only one chance to make difficult decisions that are the right decisions. I would prefer to wait two or three days, I would prefer we didn't have to make this decision now. But my fear is if we were to wait a few days — and the advice to me from the experts if we were to wait even just a few days — there is every chance that instead of being locked down for a week, this gets away from us, we are potentially locked down until we all get vaccinated. That's months away."
He continued: "others are living that at the moment, others are having to deal with that at the moment. We wish them well and we support them, but we do not want that here. I am determined to do everything popular or otherwise to avoid that happening to us."
Not that anyone needed any reminding, especially Melburnians, but the new lockdown demonstrates just how quickly things can change during the pandemic. Just yesterday, on Wednesday, August 4, Victoria celebrated its first doughnut day since early July, recording zero new COVID-19 cases in the state. Now, a mere day later, there's eight new cases — six reported in this morning's official case numbers, and two more announced at a press conference earlier today — and Victoria is going back into lockdown.
By now, everyone is definitely familiar with the rules and restrictions from past lockdowns. Just like last week, you'll only be able to leave your 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. Once again, though, Victorians must stay within five kilometres of their homes, unless you're leaving for permitted work or you're shopping for essentials if there are no shops in your radius.
Masks remain mandatory everywhere outside of your home — and private gatherings are banned, as are public gatherings. But, while you can't have any visitors enter your home in general, there will be 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 will all close again during the seven-day period — and hospitality venues will once again revert back to takeaway-only.
Supermarkets, bottle shops and pharmacies will remain open — and professional sports can proceed, but without crowds.
Last time that Victoria went into lockdown — yes, just nine days ago — the stay-at-home period lasted for just under two weeks across all of the state. Since then, Victoria has been living under COVID-19 restrictions regarding gatherings and venues, as always happens after a lockdown.
Victoria currently has 66 exposure sites, with a large number of new venues added today.
As always, the usual advice regarding COVID-19 applies. So, requests regarding social distancing if you do leave the house for an essential purpose, and getting tested if you're feeling even the slightest possible COVID-19 symptoms in general, remain in effect as they have since March 2020.
All of Victoria will go back into lockdown from 8pm on Thursday, August 5 until the same time on Thursday, August 12. For more information about the rules, head to the Victorian Department of Health website.