Victoria has yet again recorded its biggest day of COVID-19 growth, with 288 new cases confirmed.
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The alarming number is the first time Victoria has exceeded 200 cases in one day, swamping the previous 24-hour record of 191.
The vast majority of cases are still being investigating by public health officials, with 262 of the new cases still under investigation.
There were more than 37,000 tests done in Victoria on Thursday.
"When you're looking that much, you are trying to find these cases," said Premier Daniel Andrews.
"I know there will be particular concern about the numbers, people will be very worried to see it as high as it is.
"It was always going to get worse before it got better and we are doing more tests than ever - not by a small margin but by a great margin."
As of Thursday, Ballarat remained without an active case. However, Bendigo had four cases and Geelong had six.
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Friday's location data has not yet been released.
Mr Andrews also made the move to request Victorians wear masks when leaving home and unable to maintain social distance.
This includes shopping and catching public transport.
It has not been made compulsory, but requested particularly for people living in Melbourne.
Professor Sutton said masks have been shown to reduce community transmission of the virus by up to two thirds.
"That's a really important additional measure and we are trying to do absolutely everything in Victoria to drive transmission down, it's a really important additional tool," he said.
He said Friday's figures were "pretty ugly" but warned case numbers may rise over the next two weeks until the latest lockdown has an impact.
In Melbourne's north, Roxburgh Park and Craigieburn have seen an increase in cases, as has Truganina in the west, where the state's largest cluster at Al- Taqwa College is located.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said 60 fines have been issued to people for breaking stay-at-home rules in the past 24 hours.
They include 16 people at a Dandenong birthday party, who were fined a total of $26,000.
Victoria Police was tipped off about the gathering by a paramedic who spotted two people ordering 20 meals at KFC at 1:30am on Friday.
"It is an expensive night when you think apart from the KFC, we have issued 16 infringements at that amount ($1652), that is $26,000 that birthday party is costing them," he said.
"That is a heck of a birthday party to recall."
Four sex workers were fined in Glen Waverly, while a Docklands couple were caught trying to leave the city to go to a Phillip Island holiday house.
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