Victoria will stay in lockdown until at least July 27, as it records nine new locally acquired cases of coronavirus.
Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed the lockdown extension of at least seven days on Tuesday, hours before it was originally flagged to end.
The state recorded a total of 13 new local infections in the previous 24 hours, four of which were previously announced by authorities.
“As promising as our progress has been, avoiding a New South Wales-style long, lengthy, very challenging lockdown where you just lose control of cases, we have avoided that,” Mr Andrews told reporters.
“But, we need more time. That is why on the advice of the chief health officer we will extend these lockdowns for a further seven days.
“So far, the strategy is unfolding exactly the way that we would like it to unfold, but we have had a couple of super spreader events.”
Almost a third of Victoria’s locally-acquired coronavirus cases can be traced back to a sports fan who attended an AFL match, a Euro 2020 viewing party and the rugby while unknowingly infectious.
That man caught the virus from a resident of a Maribyrnong apartment complex who caught the virus from unmasked NSW removalists and went on to spread it to friends and family.
Twelve of Tuesday’s cases are linked to the current outbreaks of the Delta variant in the state, which originated in NSW, while one case remains under investigation.
Nine of the cases were in isolation during their infectious period.
Two of the four reported cases are linked to an outbreak at the restaurant Ms Frankie in Cremorne, while two are household contacts of a person who contracted the virus at the Geelong-Carlton game at the MCG on July 10.
One new case, a woman in her 20s from Roxburgh Park, is believed to be connected to a family from Hume local government area who tested positive after returning from NSW earlier this month.
The state also recorded two cases in hotel quarantine, bringing the total number of infections to 96.
Red zone travel permits, needed to get into Victoria from NSW, will be paused for two weeks.
“The only people that will get a permit to travel from a red zone into Victoria are those who are authorised workers and those who apply for and get a compassionate exemption to the new rules,” Mr Andrews said.
There will also be minor changes to exempted workers to include services that operate solely outdoors where physical distancing can be maintained, such as pet grooming mobile services and pamphlet delivery services.
And from Wednesday, July 21, students with disability will be able to return to on-site learning if a parent or carer indicates the student cannot learn from home due to vulnerability or family stress.
A full list of Victorian exposure sites can be found at https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/exposure-sites
AAP
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