Rolling coverage: Victoria to enter stage-three lockdown, 12 new Covid cases overnight
Anti-lockdown protesters gathered on the steps outside Flinders Street station in response to Melbourne’s new restrictions.
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Victoria will be plunged back into stage three lockdown restrictions from midnight as the state battles a rapid-moving Covid-19 outbreak.
The lockdown will begin 11.59pm Thursday and is set to end 11.59pm Thursday, June 3, with authorities saying they would lift the lockdown earlier if possible.
Victorians will only be allowed to leave home for essential shopping; authorised work or education; exercise; caregiving, compassionate or medical reasons; and to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.
There is a two-hour limit on exercise, and Victorians will only be allowed to exercise with one other person.
The “circuit breaker” will prevent Victorians from travelling more than 5km from their home, although people can travel further if there are no essential shops within that radius.
Shopping will be limited to one person per day, per household.
Face masks must also be worn indoors and outdoors, except when in the home.
Schools will close, with only vulnerable pupils and the children of essential workers allowed onsite. But childcare centres and kindergartens will remain open.
Private and public gatherings will not be permitted, although Victorians will be allowed to visit their intimate partner.
Single-person bubbles will also be allowed, with solo dwellers allowed to form a bubble with one other person.
Pubs, cafes, restaurants and other hospitality venues will be closed, except for takeaway. Hotels, clubs, TABs and the casino will be closed.
Hospitals are only allowing visitors if they are to support a partner during birth, a parent accompanying a child, or for end-of-life reasons.
Religious ceremonies can be broadcast with a maximum of five people but congregations are not allowed.
In the wake of the news, calls to the Department of Health’s coronavirus hotline went unanswered on Thursday afternoon.
When dialled, callers could not connect with the automated operation menu as a “user busy” message flashed on screen.
A Department of Health spokesman could not confirm whether the helpline was experiencing a spike in demand from Victorians wanting clarification on the state’s fourth lockdown, or technical difficulties.
One hundred exposures sites are now listed on the Health Department’s website, as contact tracers scramble to contain an escalating crisis.
A number of sites were added on Thursday afternoon, just hours before Victoria was plunged into a fourth lockdown, including a screening of ‘Those Who Wish Me Dead’ at Palace cinema, a Melbourne gym and a Bundoora massage parlour.
At least 40 suburbs have now been visited by a confirmed case with Westfield Doncaster, Marvel Stadium, the MCG and Highpoint Shopping Centre among the most concerning locations found. See the full list of every site here.
Meanwhile, Chief health officer Brett Sutton urged Victorians to cancel their Thursday plans before lockdown officially began.
“I’m confident that Victorians know what to do, they won’t wait until midnight,” he said.
“I would also encourage them: If they’ve got plans they can put off now that were for this afternoon, for this evening — people they might normally have seen — to cancel them.
“Because we really need to start these measures as soon as possible. They become mandated from midnight, but Victorians … have done it before and we’ve done it better than anyone.”
It comes as 12 new cases emerged overnight — including one announced the previous day — from more than 40,000 tests. There are currently 34 active cases, including 26 in the northern suburbs cluster.
One infected case is also fighting for life in hospital, with Acting Premier James Merlino saying the elderly patient is on a ventilator in intensive care and “not in a good way”.
“The reason why we are dealing with this outbreak today is because of a hotel breach in South Australia,” he said.
“That is not a criticism, it’s just a fact: we have had breaches in hotel quarantine right around our country.”
The acting Premier added: “If we had the vaccine, the commonwealth’s vaccine program effectively rolled out, we may well not be here today.”
With only hours until lockdown begins, authorities urged Victorians to stay put.
“Where you are tonight is where you need to be for the duration of this lockdown,” Mr Merlino said.
“That should be your place of residence. We do not want people moving around. We need people staying at home and only moving around as per those five exemptions.”
Health authorities have been left alarmed at the speed at which case numbers are rising and fear Melbourne could follow international cities who went from no cases to significant outbreaks.
There are more than 150 exposure sites across the state, with the exposure list struggling to keep up.
“In the last day, we’ve seen more evidence we’re dealing with a highly infectious strain of the virus, a variant of concern, which is running faster than we have ever recorded,” Mr Merlino said.
“The number of cases has doubled in 24 hours. Unless something drastic happens, this will become increasingly uncontrollable.
“If we make the wrong choice now, if we wait too long, this thing will get away from us.”
Prof Sutton said the state needed to ready itself for seven days of lockdown.
“We really just need to see each and every day what new cases might emerge, hopefully, all of the positives will be they have been contacted, they’re in quarantine already, and that when they test positive, there’s no new exposure sites generated,” he said.
He also defended Victoria’s contact tracers, slamming accusations that the state’s tracing system had gone wrong.
“That is absurd … it is an absurd proposition that contact tracing has gone wrong,” he said.
“We have talked about exactly what the contact tracing team have done here and it is extraordinary.
“Contact tracing is an integral part of how to get control. It does not do magic. Every country in the world started with one or two cases in their countries and had contact tracers that could have worked in that limit but that is not the case … When an individual is not infectious and happens to have breached out of hotel quarantine and they are in the community, if they are not infectious, there is nothing to respond to.”
LOCKDOWN PROTESTS KICK OFF
Dozens of protesters gathered on the steps outside Flinders Street Station on Thursday evening in response to Melbourne’s snap circuit-breaker lockdown.
Groups of Victoria Police officers could be seen patrolling the station after the rally, organised by the Victorian arm of Reignite Democracy Australia, was announced on Thursday afternoon on the group’s Facebook page.
“We will not accept the constant threat of lockdowns at a cost to our business, our incomes and our lives,” the post read.
Passing drivers honked their horns in support of the protesters.
Police lined themselves along the street as more people gathered outside the station.
Dean West, 46, said he attended the rally because he believed the government had not been transparent enough about those infected with COVID-19.
The privacy of those infected with the virus was not a priority for Mr West, who said: “There is so much we don’t know about them”.
“They are not telling us anything.
“Why can’t we know their names? There is so much we don’t know.”
Missy Kimpton, 63, said she travelled to the CBD from her Chirnside Park home for the rally because “they (the government) are responsible for spreading the virus”.
“There are all these cases out there and we don’t know anything about them,” Ms Kimpton said.
“We’ve been a free country up until now,” one woman could be heard saying.
The crowd chanted “no more lockdown” while blowing whistles and waving the Australian flag.
Protesters of all ages were in attendance.
“This whole thing is a total farce,” a protest organiser said as she addressed the crowd.
“We have enough of this. It has been 14 months since they told us it would just be two weeks (in lockdown),” she said.
“The virus is as we know, no different to others that we’ve lived with for thousands of years.”
“We are not cattle.”
Riot police filmed the protest and tried to keep the crowd off tram tracks.
About 8pm, the crowd marched to the steps of state parliament.
Hundreds could be heard chanting “f--- Dan Andrews” as they walked down Flinders St.
Protest speakers likened the coronavirus to the “f---ing flu” despite various strains of the virus, including the deadly UK and Indian strains, killing thousands around the world.
SUPPORT FOR AGED CARE WORKERS, WELFARE RECIPIENTS
Australia’s expert medical panel met on Thursday, after the Victorian government announced the seven-day lockdown, with Health Minister Greg Hunt announcing that greater Melbourne would be declared a hotspot area for purposes of commonwealth support.
“That in particular includes single worker support for all aged care and residential facilities within that hotspot area,” Mr Hunt said.
The federal government also made funding available to providers, to cover workers additional entitlements, as the second wave kicked off in July last year.
This aimed to enable employees to work at a single site in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus.
Welfare recipients will also have their obligation to attend employment meetings or activities suspended until Monday, June 7.
This will apply to job seekers in jobactive, online employment services, disability employment services and participants in the ParentsNext program.
STATES SHUT BORDERS TO VICTORIANS
Most states have slammed their borders shut to Victorians.
Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania are the latest to block travellers from Victoria, following a similar move by the Northern Territory and South Australia on Wednesday.
NSW has demanded that anyone who has been to Victoria after Thursday afternoon must follow the stay-at-home measures that would have applied if they were still south of the border.
The rule will apply to anyone who has been in Victoria since 4pm on Thursday and who is in NSW or travelling there.
“This means anyone arriving in NSW who has been in Victoria since 4pm (Thursday) must remain at their home or place of residence in NSW for the seven-day duration of the Victorian measures,” NSW Health wrote in a statement.
Those people will only be allowed to leave those residences for shopping for essential things, medical care, caregiving, outdoor exercise or essential work and education.
Those living at the state border will be exempt from the stay-at-home order, provided they haven’t been outside the border region since 4pm Thursday.
An exact definition of that border region can be viewed on the NSW government’s website.
People arriving in NSW from Victoria should complete a declaration saying they haven’t been to any exposure sites.
For NSW residents planning to go to Victoria in the coming days, the Berejiklian government has asked them to reconsider their plans unless the trip is absolutely essential.
Earlier on Thursday, it was reported that some people, wary of having to go through a potential fourth lockdown, had already left Victoria for NSW.
A man who called into Melbourne’s 3AW radio station on Thursday said he had packed the car and was heading to Sydney to avoid the prospect of a lockdown.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian urged people to “please do the right thing”.
“If you’ve been at an exposure site, if you’ve been to greater Melbourne, all those other areas that have been identified, please do the right thing,” she said.
“Please make sure you monitor for symptoms, get tested, isolated when you’re asked to do so.”
Tasmania closed its borders to Victoria from 2pm on Thursday, Premier Peter Gutwein says.
Victoria has been declared a high-risk location and no travel will be permitted between Victoria and Tasmania without an essential traveller permit, Mr Gutwein told reporters in Launceston.
All permits under the government G2G PASS app will be cancelled at 2pm and residents wishing to return will be required to isolate in their own homes if granted an exemption, or in government-provided accommodation if they are not.
Those who have been to high risk locations will not be permitted to return at all and will have to remain in Victoria, Mr Gutwein said.
He said the border closure would remain in place for at least seven days.
Read the full story here.
South Australia has also shut its border to Melbourne as a precaution over the city’s Covid crisis.
The restricrtions came into effect from 6pm on Wednesday, imposing 14-day hotel quaratine regulations on Victorians.
It means that no one from Melbourne will be allowed to enter South Australia, except essential workers or those with exemptions.
South Australian residents who have been in Victoria will be allowed to return home after the 6pm cut off but must quarantine at home for two weeks.
Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan has announced a hard border with Victoria after seven people in the western state visted Victorian exposure sites.
Mr McGowan said those people were now in quarantine, with one returning a negative test result and the others still waiting for their outcome.
“This is a concerning and fast-developing situation, however the controls we have already put in place have mitigated the risk,” he told reporters on Thursday.
“It is essential we take action to protect the health of West Australians.”
Western Australia is slamming its border shut to Victoria after the state recorded 26 cases of coronavirus, including 12 in the past 24 hours, with the list of 79 exposure sites continuing to climb.
From 10am on Thursday, Victoria would be deemed a “medium risk” state under Western Australia’s controlled interstate border regime.
MORE VICTORIANS ELIGIBLE FOR VACCINE
The vaccination hotline has crashed after authorities announced that Victorians aged in their 40s would become eligible for the Pfizer Covid-19 jab from Friday morning.
No walk-ins would be accepted for the Pfizer vaccine, although people opting to get the Astra Zeneca jab can walk up still.
“My message to all Victorians is if you are eligible to get vaccinated, make yourself a plan to do that today, and get it done,” Health Minister Martin Foley said.
He added: “But bookings for the Pfizer vaccine, they are essential. People between 40 and 49, who will be provided that vaccine, need to lock in that booking time, given the particular nature of that vaccine.”
Long waits were in store as callers flooded the vaccine hotline, overwhelming it with calls.
“We are in the process of bringing in substantially more resources to the hotline,” Mr Foley said.
“We will more than double the number of operators coming talk also exploring what industry does construction with my head.”
He said authorities would make sure the phone hotline was working to ensure bookings.
ALARMING RATE OF VIRUS SPREAD
The strain of COVID-19 loose in Victoria is a “highly infectious” variant, infecting at least 26 people in Victoria.
The B1617 variant, known as the Indian variant of COVID-19, is a mutation of the original virus that is more contagious than previous strains.
Prof Sutton said the strain was different to what Victoria had faced before and urged Victorians to get vaccinated.
He said it was believed the mutation had a multiplication rate of five, meaning one person with the strain infected an average of five others.
“The other clear is element is the infectiousness of the virus,” Prof Sutton said.
“When we see a member become infected, almost all the household is infected. It speaks to the infectiousness of this B1617 variant but also the cycles it’s going through.
“It really is rapid and that’s led to the exponential increase.”
FURY AS LOCKDOWN ANNOUNCED
Victoria’s sudden lockdown is set to cost business at least $1 billion in productivity, the state’s leading business body has warned.
Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief Paul Guerra said the lockdown would devastate business and see Victoria’s reputation smashed nationally.
“This fourth wave lockdown will be devastating for business because there are no supports like JobKeeper or rent relief this time around,” he said.
“We estimated that the five-day Valentine’s Day lockdown cost Victorian business more than $1 billion so we are looking at a hit of around $1 billion this time around, and that’s if it remains confined to the seven days. The Victorian Chamber will be advocating for a substantial assistance package for impacted businesses.
“This lockdown will break some businesses, no doubt about it,” he said.
Mr Guerra said many businesses were “just hanging on by a thread” but would now be forced to close.
“The cost is not only monetary, there’s also the huge cost of jobs, confidence and reputation.
“We have taken a massive hit today about how we will be viewed on a national scale.
“All Victorians deserve better. Ironically, it was one year ago yesterday when COVID-19 escaped hotel quarantine prompting the start of our second wave, and here we are again facing a debilitating lockdown because the virus has again escaped and spread. Why does this keep to happening to us while other states manage it differently and effectively?
“Clearly the hotel quarantine and contact tracing systems have let us down again and the vaccine rollout has been way too slow. We’ve had months to get this right and Victorian businesses are once again paying the price. The Victorian business community is tired of the excuses.”
Businesses have already lashed out at the state government ahead of an imminent announcement of another snap lockdown.
Peak business lobby group Small Business Australia slammed government failures to keep the state open and said another lockdown would cripple struggling businesses.
“Every business owner in Victoria is today wondering why when it comes to dealing with the coronavirus is Victoria the worst in Australia,” executive director Bill Land said.
“It is the worst at hotel quarantine, the worst at contact tracing and the worst at being honest with the public and themselves.
“All we hear from the government is blame, whether that be a poorly trained security guard, a nebuliser, a banking app, the public or business owners, the one thing the Victorian government is certain of is that nothing is ever their fault.”
Mr Lang said other states had shown that it was possible to keep outbreaks under control without shutting businesses down.
“In Victoria we see time and time again the same outcome, a case escapes into the community, our contact and tracing fails, and our small business owners pay the price of lockdown,” Mr Lang said.
“Billions will be lost from our economy, the snap lockdown across Valentine’s Day alone cost business over a billion dollars, businesses who were just recovering will be pushed back to the brink, others will be pushed under and lockdown will hit business owners in the CBD incredibly hard.
“All of these businesses must be compensated for the losses they will suffer at the failure of the Victorian government to protect the state.
“Despite these continued failures there are no changes to those in charge of our pandemic response, no change in leadership of our government or those in charge of Victoria’s health response to outbreaks.
“Which goes some way to explaining why we have the same outcome of harsh lockdown – as the hammer and nail is the only response to Covid that works in this state.
“The leadership of the state, with its blame, lies and cover ups, is the real disease in Victoria.”
Despite JobKeeper ending, Mr Merlino said the state government would provide support for businesses in the coming days.
“Well, we know this is going to be particularly difficult for businesses, for events,” he said.
“We know for many businesses and for events that have to be called off for this period of the circuit breaker lockdown, we know this is very, very difficult. We’ll provide additional support and I’ll have more to say about that.”
Opposition leader Michael O’Brien said Victorians had once again been dealt a huge blow.
“A blow to mental health, a blow to small business, a blow to our economy – a blow to our confidence,” he said.
“Victorians are tired. We’re worn out. We’re fed up. We need a plan out of this latest lockdown and a plan for our economic recovery.
“Victorians ask why we are the only state to have a fourth lockdown. We ask why the government’s contact tracing hasn’t kept this outbreak confined.
“Whilst many of us feel a deep sense of disappointment and frustration, I am confident Victorians will all play our part in reclaiming the gains we made last year.”
Beyond Blue chief Georgie Harman said news of another lockdown would be difficult for many people to process.
“Let’s remember that we’ve overcome these challenges before, and we can do it again. Beyond Blue is here to support you through it,” she said.
“You don’t have to be in crisis to call us, Beyond Blue’s services are for everybody and it’s never too early or late to reach out.”
Beyond Blue lead clinical adviser Dr Grant Blashki said people may experience feelings of distress or anxiety, and these were typical responses to uncertainty.
“These are challenging circumstances and it’s very common to feel unsettled,” Dr Blashki said.
“If those feelings become intense, persistent or begin interfering with your daily life, you may benefit from speaking to someone,” he said.
“If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that Victorians are resilient and capable of supporting each other through tough times.”
LIST OF EXPOSURE SITES NEARLY DOUBLES
Victoria’s list of exposure sites has buckled under the rapid spread of the pandemic, with authorities revealing a rush to contact-trace more than 150 hot spots.
The official list only reveals about 80 exposure sites, with Mr Foley saying the long list included a number of private residences.
Eight new tier one exposure sites were identified by the Department of Health late on Wednesday night.
Any visitors to tier one sites must get tested and isolate for 14 days, with latest sites including
Bayswater North McDonald’s, Teppanyaki House in Burwood and Bicycle Superstore in Carnegie among the hot spots.
Other tier one locations include Degani cafe at Westfield Plenty Valley, Mill Park; Sporting Globe, Mordialloc; Nordie Cafe, Red Hill; and Insportz Knox, Wantirna South.
Attendees of a Melbourne Swordcraft’s medieval battle re-enactment at Ransford Oval in Parkville on May 21 must also get tested and isolate for 14 days.
Meanwhile, a post shared on the Warrandyte Business & Community Network Facebook page says Betty’s Burgers at Westfield Doncaster would soon be added as an exposure site, after an infected person visited on May 23.
“We can confirm Vic Health has made contact to inform Betty’s Burgers a positive COVID-19 case visited our Doncaster restaurant on Sunday 23rd May between 7.40pm and 9pm,” the post said.
“This restaurant site has been immediately closed and the team informed of the requirement to test and quarantine. A full deep clean of the restaurant is currently being co-ordinated. Any Betty’s guest that has visited the restaurant between these hours is advised to follow the Department of Health and Human Services directions.”
Betty’s Burgers and Westfield Doncaster have been contacted for comment.
It comes as thousands more footy fans potentially exposed to Covid-19 were forced into isolation and the number of exposure sites continues to grow.
Thursday’s 12 new cases have been linked to the City of Whittlesea and Port Melbourne Workplace outbreaks are in three men aged in their 40s, four men aged in their 30s, two men aged in their 20s and three women aged in their 20s.
As of Thursday morning, the Department had identified about 14,000 people who are either required to quarantine for 14 days, or test and isolate until negative.
The four exposure sites at nightclubs in Prahran and South Yarra remain a significant concern to public health officials.
As of 1pm on Thursday, 96 contacts were linked to the Stratton Finance exposure site. All positive cases detected in this outbreak so far are staff. A total of 84 staff have been identified as contacts, all have been tested with 82 returning negative results so far.
Victoria reported 10 new local cases on Tuesday, all connected to the City of Whittlesea outbreak. Those were a man in his 60s, a man in his 50s, two men in their 20s, two women in their 60s, two women in their 30s, and two women in their 20s.
Five of those are workplace contacts of Case 9, who is a family member of Case 5, the man thought to be the source of the outbreak. They all work at Stratton Finance in Port Melbourne.
At least one of the workers attended Prahran bar Three Monkeys from 9pm on Saturday, before moving to the nearby Somewhere bar at 10.30pm and finishing the night at Circus Bar in South Yarra where they partied until 4.15am the next morning.
One of the workplace contacts also went to the Collingwood-Port Adelaide clash at the MCG on Sunday, while another positive case watched Essendon defeat North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium on the same day.
Anyone at that game at Marvel who sat on level 1 between aisles 5 and 28, or level 3 in between aisles 6 and 29, must get tested and stay isolated until they have received a negative result.
A ticketing industry source said it could mean up to 15,000 fans need to get tested.
Essendon and Carlton headed out of Melbourne on Wednesday as the AFL put all clubs on a “war footing” to salvage its round 11 fixture and the season.
As of Wednesday morning, the Department of Health had identified at least 251 primary close contacts related to 65 exposure sites. 140 negative results had been returned. More than 100 of all contacts were linked to the Stratton Finance exposure site.
Authorities took comfort that each case was linked, but held serious concerns over the number and type of exposure sites.
Exposure sites emerged right across the state, including as far as Bendigo and Cohuna, with two close contacts also located in NSW.
They had been at Highpoint shopping centre but had returned negative tests, NSW health officials reported.
EXAM UNCERTAINTY AS SCHOOLS CLOSE
Australian Education Union Victorian Branch president Meredith Peace said the union has always encouraged Victorian schools and its members to follow the advice of the state government and health authorities.
“As disruptive as a lockdown may be, it is necessary to ensure the safety of both staff and students as well as the broader community,” Ms Peace said.
“Victoria’s teachers, principals and support staff have done an outstanding job during this pandemic, through difficult and uncertain circumstances.
“Once again, they have demonstrated that our principals, teachers and support staff are incredibly resilient and dedicated.”
Mum Christina Allan from Melbourne’s southeast, whose three children will undertake remote learning, said her family was “frustrated” after this morning’s lockdown announcement.
“This is so challenging for my family and for others out there. We’re scared it could go longer than seven days,” she said.s
“This affects their mental health and learning so much. Last year the kids didn’t cope, its really upsetting.”
Opposition education spokesman David Hodgett has slammed the state government for placing schools into remote learning, saying it would affect upcoming assessments including the GAT.
“Hasn’t the government learned from 2020? Schools should be locked down as a last resort,” Mr Hodgett said.
“At such an important juncture in students’ learning with mid-year assessments and exams, schools should be kept open as a priority.
“I feel for all the year 11 and year 12 students — it’s stressful enough without learning being compromised and SACs being cancelled or delayed. Not to mention the GAT is scheduled for June 9.”
MELBOURNE FLIGHTS AXED
Airlines have reacted swiftly by cancelling a number of flights, with more to come in the days ahead.
Virgin Australia announced it would cancel at least 10 flights that were due either to land or depart Melbourne.
“While most services in and out of Melbourne today are operating as normal, we are adjusting our forward schedule to better reflect changing travel demand and booking trends,” a Virgin Australia spokesman said in a statement.
“Customers impacted by any changes to their flight will be contacted directly.”
Virgin Australia said the airline was offering unlimited changes to flight bookings and would be waiving any applicable change fees until January 31.
A Qantas spokeswoman said the airline had cancelled 15 flights so far that were due to leave or come into Melbourne.
Passengers will have the option of choosing a flight credit or a refund. No cancellation or change fees will be charged.
~ Click here for information on Qantas flight changes ~
A Rex spokesman said several flights, mainly between Melbourne and Adelaide, and Melbourne and the Gold Coast, had been cancelled.
“Rex is the only airline in Australia that offers a Covid refund policy for bookings which guarantees full refunds for any passenger affected by Covid related cancellations, rescheduling, border closures and travel restrictions,” he said.
“We’ve obviously had to reduce our capacity to meet the demand and we are providing alternative travel options.”
He urged customers to head to the airline’s website for assistance or contact its call centre.
Twelve one-way Jetstar flights have been cancelled.
A Qantas Group spokesperson said affected customers would be contacted directly.
“Due to restrictions put in place by states and territories for travel out of Melbourne, Qantas and Jetstar have cancelled flights today,” the spokesperson said.
“Further cancellations will be made to flights over the next week.
“Qantas and Jetstar are offering increased flexibility for passengers who have bookings impacted by border restrictions, including the option to change travel dates or receive a flight credit.”
Customers can manage their bookings through Qantas and Jetstar’s websites.
Both airlines are experiencing a large number of calls, and passengers are advised not to ring unless they are travelling within the next 24 hours.
EXEMPTION CONSIDERED FOR SCHOOLBOY’S FUNERAL
The Victorian Government will consider granting an exemption for the funeral of an 8-year-old boy who drowned in Port Fairy on Friday, May 21.
Cooper Onyett, 8, drowned at Belfast Aquatics just before 11am while on a camp with Merrivale Primary School’s grade 2 class.
Cooper’s funeral is due to be held in the Wannon Rooms in Warrnambool on Friday morning, however the government on Thursday announced funerals would be restricted to a maximum of 10 people as part of the imminent stage three lockdown across Victoria.
Read the full story here.
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Originally published as Rolling coverage: Victoria to enter stage-three lockdown, 12 new Covid cases overnight
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