People who live in Ballarat and work in Melbourne in essential jobs, and vice versa, will still be allowed to do so while the city is under coronavirus restrictions.
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The strict stage three lockdown measures, from Wednesday night, mean people in the restricted local government areas in Melbourne, and Mitchell Shire north of the city, can only leave their primary place of residence to work or study if they are unable to do so from home, to get food and essential supplies, or to give or receive care.
According to the state government, people who live in Melbourne but work in regional areas, or people who live in regional areas but work in Melbourne, will be allowed to go to work and go home across the borders, either driving or using public transport.
V/Line trains will continue to operate between the city and regional areas with no change to timetables while Melbourne is in stage three restrictions.
"We continue to run a full public transport timetable to ensure those who need to travel for one of the permitted reasons can do so safely. Otherwise - you must stay home. Victoria Police will be monitoring those leaving Melbourne to ensure they are travelling for one of the three reasons," a Department of Transport spokesperson said in a statement.
"If you have even the mildest of symptoms, do not go to school or work, or travel on public transport - you must stay home and get tested."
READ MORE:
- What am I allowed to do in Ballarat now Melbourne is in lockdown?
- Can Ballarat residents still cross the state through locked down areas?
- Ballarat coronavirus update: no active cases in the city
- Melbourne lockdown: how will the boundary be enforced?
- How did our leaders react to Melbourne's return to lockdown?
Any changes to services will be communicated on V/Line's website, app or twitter feed as soon as they are confirmed.
Cleaning has increased across the network, with a particular focus on the places passengers spend the most time, including tram and train carriages and buses, and at stations and stops, and V/Line carriages will also undergo nightly sanitation with all touch surfaces wiped down.
Ballarat residents can also still drive through affected areas of Melbourne to visit relatives or go on holidays on the other side of the state.
The lockdown measures will almost cut the state in half for six weeks to prevent the coronavirus spreading.
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