People living outside the 10 hotspot postcodes have also been ordered to stay away from the areas.
“You shouldn’t be going into those postcodes over the next four weeks unless it is for work and only for work that you have to do in person,” Mr Andrews said.
“You shouldn’t be going into those postcodes unless it was for instance to get care or to give care.”
The geographical lockdown comes amid the state’s testing blitz across 10 coronavirus hotspot suburbs including: Keilor Downs, Broadmeadows, Maidstone, Albanvale, Sunshine West, Hallam, Brunswick West, Fawkner, Reservoir and Pakenham.
Mr Andrews today said 928 people had refused to be tested in Broadmeadows and Keilor Downs, which were the first two suburbs to be targeted under the suburban testing scheme.
Victoria’s restrictions: The suburbs going into lockdown
3012: Brooklyn, Kingsville, Maidstone, Tottenham, Wesst Footscray
3021: Albanvale, Kealba, Kings Park, St Albans
3032: Ascot Vale, Highpoint City, Maribyrnong, Travancore
3038: Keilor Downs, Keilor Lodge, Taylors Lake, Watergardens
3042: Airport West, Keilor Park, Niddrie
3046: Glenroy, Hadfield, Oak Park
3047: Broadmeadows, Dallas, Jacana
3055: Brunswick South, Brunswick West, Moonee Vale, Moreland West
3060: Fawkner
3064: Craigieburn, Donnybrook, Mickelham, Roxburgh Park, Kalkallo
Businesses and facilities located inside these postcodes will also once again face restrictions, with cafes and restaurants only being able to open for take-away and delivery.
Mr Andrews said residents living in the hotspot postcodes must also cancel holiday plans.
“Between now and midnight tomorrow night, if you are not on holiday you will be prevented from going on holiday,” he said.
“That is not one of the four reasons that you are permitted to leave your home for.”
Residents living inside the hotspot postcodes will also not be permitted to travel to New South Wales, as interstate travel or regional travel was not part of the four reasons to leave home.
“Travelling to New South Wales is not one of the four reasons to leave your home,” Premier Daniel Andrews said.
Mr Andrews said there would be support provided to businesses and families living inside the postcodes. Impacted businesses may be eligible for an initial $5000 grant.
“I’m not for a moment pretending that this will be easy for those families or those businesses,” he said.
“That is why when I make it clear to you that we will provide support, we are absolutely serious about doing that.”
Victoria’s COVID-19 cases ‘unacceptably high’
More than 93,000 coronavirus tests have been conducted across Victoria since last Thursday, Mr Andrews also revealed.
About 37,000 doors have also been knocked on by public health authorities, particularly in the state’s 10 hotspot suburbs.
“There have been some 233 new cases of coronavirus since last Thursday, since that testing blitz began,” he said.
“That is an unacceptably high number and one that poses a real threat to all of us, not just in those hot spot suburbs but indeed in every suburb and ultimately every community across our state.”
The suburbs with the highest number of new cases were Broadmeadows, Fawkner and Albanvale.
The reasons Victorians in lockdown can leave homes
The four reasons people living in Victoria’s lockdown postcodes can leave home include: food and supplies, medical and caregiving, exercise and work and education if it can’t be done from home.
Mr Andrews said police would be “actively enforcing” the suburban lockdowns across the restricted postcodes.
“They will be patrolling throughout these communities and if people are out of their home then they will be politely asked why are you out of your home and if you are out of your home for anything other than a permitted reason then financial penalties apply – on-the-spot fines apply,” he said.
“I do sincerely hope it doesn’t come to that, but this needs to be taken seriously. It needs to be dealt with appropriately.”
State-wide lockdown not ruled out
A complete state-wide lockdown has not been ruled out for Victoria, with Mr Andrews revealing the 10 postcodes restricted to the stay-at-home orders was just the “first step” into bringing the state’s coronavirus surge under control.
“I certainly can’t rule out other postcodes having to be locked down,” he said.
“I can’t rule out further measures having to be taken – further steps having to be taken.”
Premier has asked PM to divert flights
“I will have conversations with other state leaders to explain that and to thank them in advance of the extra load that they will carry,” he said.
“That is for the abundance of caution. I would also make the point that just as we are having to focus exclusively on tracking and tracing these spikes in numbers and the enforcement of the stay-at-home stage three, in effect, restrictions we have imposed on those 10 postcodes, we need to have all of our focus on that.”
Inquiry into hotel quarantine breaches
An inquiry will be conducted by a former judge into coronavirus infection-control protocol breaches inside hotel quarantine in Melbourne.
Mr Andrews stressed the recent outbreaks of COVID-19 at quarantine hotels were a “separate issue”, with the inquiry to focus on issues from “some weeks ago”.
“I hasten to add this sequencing relates to outbreaks and chains of transmission from some time ago,” he said.
Source: 9News
