Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews reimposes stage three lock down for Melbourne hot spots

After Victoria’s 14th consecutive day of double-digit coronavirus case growth, the Premier has announced a radical plan.

Coronavirus hot spots across Melbourne will be locked down under stage three restrictions, Premier Daniel Andrews has announced this afternoon.

Residents living in the following postcodes will only be allowed to leave their homes for four reasons: grocery shopping, care giving reasons, daily exercise and school or work purposes.

Those living in 33038, 3064, 3047, 3060, 3012, 3032, 3055, 3042, 3021 and 3046 will be affected.

Victoria Police will randomly pull over vehicles and ask motorists and passengers why they are out.

Mr Andrews warned “booze bus style” stations will be set up across major thoroughfares in affected suburbs.

The restrictions come into effect from 11.59pm on Wednesday and will be in place until July 29.

A total of 928 people living in Melbourne’s coronavirus hot spots have refused to be tested for the deadly virus, Mr Andrews said.

There have been 233 positive COVID-19 cases recorded in Melbourne’s hot spots since the suburban blitz started.

The Premier said this was an “unacceptably high” figure.

Mr Andrews also announced there will be no more people entering hotel quarantine in the next two weeks with all planes now being diverted to other cities.

“The Chief Health Officer has today advised the Government that a number of our cases through late May and early June can be linked to an infection control breach in the hotel quarantine program.

“Clearly there has been a failure in the operation of this program.

The whole way through this, I’ve been upfront with the people of Victoria. And to say I’m disappointed about what’s happened would be an understatement.

“I have today ordered the establishment of an inquiry, led by a former judge,into the operation of the hotel quarantine program.”

The inquiry will report in eight to ten weeks.

It comes after Victoria recorded 64 new cases of coronavirus today, taking the state’s total to 2159.

A total of 13 new cases were linked to outbreaks, 20 new cases through routine testing, 31 under investigation and no new cases in hotel quarantine.

There are a total of 321 active cases in Victoria.

Six new cases are part of the Stamford Plaza outbreak, taking the total to 29, while two new cases were linked to Albanvale Primary School, taking the total to seven.

One was a student who was a close contact of the original case, and the second is a household contact of a known case.

The Department of Health and Human Services has linked a new case to the outbreak at the Coles Chilled Distribution Centre in Laverton, taking that total to five.

Two staff at the StarTrack facility in Tullamarine have tested positive. Both worked while infectious.

Two cases were linked to the Hugo Boss store on Collins St in Melbourne where a staff member and a household contact tested positive, taking the total to three.

South Australia has dumped its plan to lift quarantine measures for Victoria, NSW and the ACT next month on the latest health advice.

Queensland has also today announced it will not allow Victorians from entering, with the state’s border opening on July 10 to all other territories and states except Victoria.