After new mask rules were put in place overnight, Premier Daniel Andrews has announced that all of Victoria is going into a five-day snap lockdown starting from 11.59pm tonight, Thursday July 15.

Premier Andrews said the snap lockdown was necessary because of how infectious the Delta variant is and how fast it moves. “You only get one chance. You go hard and you go fast,” he said. “We’ve got no choice; we’ve got to do this ... We want to deal with this with a short, sharp lockdown. This is the time to do this.”

From 11.59pm tonight, there will be only five reasons to leave home:

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• Shopping for food or other essential items (one person per household);
• Exercise, but only for two hours a day;
• Authorised work and education, if you can’t work or study from home;
• Medical care or caregiving;
• To get tested or vaccinated.

Shopping and exercise must be done within five kilometres of your home. And masks will be mandatory in all indoor and outdoor settings outside the home, while both public and private gatherings will be banned.

Hospitality venues will be able to operate for takeaway only.

The lockdown news comes after the state recorded 18 locally acquired cases across 75 exposure sites, all linked to current outbreaks.

The five-day snap lockdown is due to end at 11.59pm on Tuesday July 20.

“My job is to protect Victoria, and that’s what I’m doing,” said Andrews.

coronavirus.vic.gov.au