Deliveroo offers free delivery during Victoria’s snap Covid-19 lockdown

A food delivery service is offering customers in Victoria a surprise bonus during the snap lockdown.

Food delivery service Deliveroo has offered Victorian customers free delivery during the state’s snap lockdown.

When the state’s lockdown measures kick-in from midnight on Thursday the company will offer customers free delivery until June 3.

“We hope that by offering Victorian customers free delivery from most restaurants, it will help to contain the spread as well as continuing to support our local hospitality providers through the next seven days,” company spokesman Ed McManus said.

He said the company would cover the fees to ensure no local business offering their products on Deliveroo is left out of pocket.

The move comes after acting premier James Merlino announced strict lockdown measures for the state.

Deliveroo is offering free delivery to Victorians.Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

Victorians will only be allowed to leave their homes for essential shopping, authorised work or education, two hours of exercise, medical or compassionate reasons and to get the Covid-19 vaccine.

The Victorian Government announced a “circuit breaker lockdown” for the entire state on Thursday following the recent spike in cases.

The lockdown measures will begin at midnight and will remain in place until June 3.

Acting Premier James Merlino confirmed 10,000 close contacts as contact tracers raced to update a list of exposure sites.

“It is the fastest our contact tracers have ever moved,” he said.

“But this variant is moving faster than ever. The time between catching the virus and passing it on is tighter than ever. In just 24 hours the number of cases has doubled. Unless something drastic happens, this will become increasingly uncontrollable.”