As of 11:59pm tonight, metropolitan Melbourne will begin a two week curfew alongside an extended lockdown, as Victoria records 530 exposure sites and 22 new locally acquired cases of the Delta variant of COVID-19.
The policing policy will officially come into play at 11:59pm on Monday August 16, but those in the metropolitan Melbourne area are being asked by Premier Dan Andrews to “respect” it from 9pm, and be at home. The curfew is slated to end at 11:59pm on September 2.
The Melbourne curfew will see Melburnians back inside their homes every night from 9pm-5am, and masks will still be required whenever you leave the home. Exercise is permitted for a maximum of two hours, albeit with only one other person from your household, and the 5km travel limit is still in place.
“Unfortunately, based on the current trajectory of the outbreak, we will not be in a position to lift restrictions on Thursday as planned,” read a Victorian media release.
“Victoria’s Chief Health Officer has declared that from tonight the lockdown restrictions will be strengthened and extended in metropolitan Melbourne, until 11.59pm on Thursday, September 2. This is an additional 14 days on the previous directions.”
Workers will now be required to carry permits if they are attending authorised work or construction sites, similar to how it was during the Melbourne outbreak last year.
“Permits will be required to leave the house for authorised work, consistent with the arrangements that were in place last year.
“Additional restrictions will also apply to the construction industry, again operating as it did last year with staffing reductions in place except for critical infrastructure and emergency repairs.”
Large scale construction sites are being asked to reduce their staffers to 25 per cent or five people, whichever is higher.
Curfew technically begins at 11.59pm tonight but people are being asked to respect it from 9pm tonight. @10NewsFirstMelb
— Simon Love (@SimoLove) August 16, 2021
All adult Aussies (yep, even if those of us under 40) are currently able to get the safe and effective AstraZeneca vaccine through a GP. Click here to see which clinics are offering it, and talk to a doctor to see if it’s right for you.
Alternatively, you can triple-check to see if you’re eligible for the Pfizer vaccine here.
The best vaccine is the first one you can get, and that’ll be our ticket out of this mess.
