Victoria’s short, sharp ‘circuit-breaker’ lockdown to end at midnight

After five days, Victorians will be released from lockdown but a number of things will be different from the way the were before.

Victorians will emerge from a short, sharp “circuit-breaker” lockdown at midnight tonight after five days, the Premier has confirmed.

Daniel Andrews addressed the media this morning, revealing the good news as well as a number of new rules that will apply after 11.59pm.

“This will be a five-day, short, sharp circuit breaker,” he said. “Restrictions will come off at midnight tonight.”

He said the lockdown was “exactly what we said we needed, exactly what we said would work”.

“We’ve been able to contain this outbreak. I’m very proud of every single Victorian.”

RELATED: Victoria records zero new cases

Statement on Victoria's Circuit Breaker Action and Easing of Restrictions pic.twitter.com/z9TKnaMSlZ

— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) February 16, 2021

A number of new rules are in place. The Premier said schools will return to normal on-site learning on Thursday and masks will be required indoors and outdoors when people are unable to socially distance.

There will be a greater restriction on visitors to the home until Friday next week. While 15 people could previously visit, now only five people will be allowed inside the home.

Outdoor gatherings will go down from 30 to 20 from any number of households.

Office workers, both public and private, can return to work at a 50 per cent rate and restaurants and retail can reopen with limits on crowd sizes.

“We are very well placed,” Mr Andrews said. “The issue is not over and the virus is not gone.”

Asked by reporters whether another lockdown could happen, Mr Andrews said he would not hesitate to listen to expert health advice if it meant locking down again.

“To be honest, it’s not about politics. I’ve got literally no interest in that, because it doesn’t work against this. So, constant criticism, political point scoring, the loudest voices ... All this sort of thing ... doesn’t work against the virus.”

He said it is “not our intention to do this again” and “we would only ever do it again if the advice was that so much more was at risk than the price you would pay for a short and sharp circuit breaker lockdown”.

Department of Health testing commander Jeroen Weimar said there had been “a phenomenal response” from Victorians who came forward to get tested.

“We will continue our testing drive,” he said. “We need people to keep coming forward to get tested today and over the next few days.

“We need to continue to be vigilant. We have a lot to do over the next nine or 10 days to close down this outbreak.”

The Holiday Inn cluster that grew to 19 cases on Tuesday appears to be under control after the state recorded no new cases on Wednesday. Almost 40,000 Victorians were tested in the last 24 hours.

The end of lockdown was announced after Victoria’s Cabinet met on Tuesday night and again on Wednesday morning to finalise data on infection rates.

Premier Daniel Andrews said Victoria’s lockdown will end at midnight. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

Melbourne University epidemiologist Professor Tony Blakely told news.com.au it was likely lockdown would end as long as there are no cases identified in anyone outside of the group of close contacts who had already been quarantining.

“If there is a case in the community and they have not already been identified as a close contact, I think that is a pretty different scenario,” he said.

Deakin University Chair in Epidemiology, Professor Catherine Bennett said coming out of a “circuit breaker” lockdown would be different to when Victoria came out of lockdown following the second wave.