Victoria extends state of emergency powers enabling lockdowns until July 1

The Victorian government has extended its power to enforce lockdowns, more than a year after the measure was originally brought in for a month.

The Victorian government has extended its state of emergency, the legal mechanism allowing it to take extraordinary measures to fight Covid-19 including lockdowns.

Health Minister Health Martin Foley extended the state of emergency last week to July 1.

He said it was extended “due to the ongoing serious risk to public health throughout Victoria”.

He consulted with chief health officer Brett Sutton and Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp before signing off on the order, he said.

The state of emergency has been in place in Victoria for over a year.

It first came into effect on March 16, 2020, and has been extended 17 times.

It was announced last March that it would be in place for four weeks.

Health Minister Martin Foley extended Victoria’s state of emergency last week in the middle of the state’s fourth lockdown. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

It would “assist with measures designed to ‘flatten the curve’ of COVID-19 and give our health system the best chance of managing the virus”, Premier Daniel Andrews and then-Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said about 15 months ago.

Brought in under the Public Health and Wellbeing Act, it gives the chief health officer and other authorised people the power to order “any direction an authorised officer considers reasonable to protect public health”.

That includes “detaining people, restricting movement and preventing entry to premises”, through measures such as lockdowns, enforcing mask wearing, and mandatory hotel quarantine for returned travellers.

It does not mean lockdown will be in place until July 1, but gives the government the power to extend lockdown or to bring in other restrictions during that period.

Originally published as Victoria extends state of emergency powers enabling lockdowns until July 1