Ballarat and all of Victoria will enter a hard sudden lockdown tonight as health authorities battle another outbreak of the deadly coronavirus.
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The state will enter a five-day 'snap' lockdown at 11.59pm to eliminate the spread of the more transmissible UK variant of COVID-19 after a serious outbreak at the Holiday Inn hotel.
Premier Daniel Andrews and health authorities have moved quickly, returning Victoria to stage four restrictions - that means there will be mandatory face masks indoors and outdoors, and only four reasons to leave the home.
These are for exercise, care and caregiving, work, and exercise within five kilometres.
People must stay within 5km unless for work or for essential shopping.
The only visitors allowed will be intimate partners.
Public gatherings are not permitted - this includes hospitality venues, which will need to be takeaway-only.
Schools will close for all students except those of essential workers, but childcare and early learning centres will remain open.
Indoor and outdoor sport will be banned, as will weddings and religious ceremonies, but funerals will be able to ahead with less than 10 people, and those necessary to conduct the funeral.
Community facilities, like libraries and pools, will be closed unless providing essential support services, as will non-essential retail, gyms, and entertainment venues.
The outbreak has grown to 13 cases and brings the total number of exposure sites listed on the Health Department's website to 30.
There are fears the Holiday Inn outbreak could spread interstate after an infected person spent more than eight hours at an airport cafe.
Regional Victoria has been included in the lockdown to keep cases out, according to Premier Daniel Andrews, as there would be no time to effectively set up a 'Ring of Steel'.
"If this was a longer term proposition we would appropriately differentiate (regional areas)," he said.
"My message to regional Victorians is we have no evidence of any regional cases and that's how we want to keep it."
IN OTHER NEWS
Mr Andrews described the lockdown as a "circuit-breaker" to stop a third wave, given the speed and infectiousness of the UK strain.
"By the time we find that case positive, they've already infected their close contacts, their families, people they live with, people they've spent time with," he said.
"I'm confident this short, sharp circuit-breaker will be effective, we will smother this.
"We'll be here on Wednesday next week announcing these restrictions will come off, but I can't do this alone.
"We are the only place in the world to have defeated a second wave, and today's announcements are not about dealing with a third wave, they are about making difficult choices to prevent a third wave."
MORE TO COME.
FULL COVID-19 EXPOSURE SITES (UPDATED)
- Brighton North Point Cafe - 2B North Rd, Brighton, VIC 3186 8:10am - 9:30am 31/1/2021 Case dined outside and used bathroom
- Brandon Park - Kmart, Brandon Park Shopping Centre, Cnr Springvale Rd and Ferntree Gully Rd, Brandon Park, VIC 3170 4:35pm-5:10pm 31/1/2021 Case attended venue
- Clayton South - Nakama Workshop, 85 Main Rd, Clayton South, VIC 3169 11:15am - 12:00pm 1/2/2021 Case attended venue
- Glen Waverley - Commonwealth Bank, 28-32 Kingsway, Glen Waverley, 1:30pm-2:15pm 9/2/2021 Case attended venue
- Glen Waverley - HSBC Bank, 38 Kingsway, Glen Waverley, 2:15pm-3:30pm 9/2/2021 Case attended venue
- Heatherton - Melbourne Golf Academy, 385 Centre Dandenong Rd, Heatherton, VIC 3202 5:19pm - 6:35pm 1/2/2021 Case attended venue
- Keysborough - Aces Sporting Club (Driving Range), Cnr Springvale Rd and Hutton Rd, Keysborough, VIC 3173 10:00pm-11:15pm 30/1/2021 Case attended venue
- Keysborough - Kmart, Parkmore Keysborough Shopping Centre, C/317 Cheltenham Rd, Keysborough, VIC 3173 4:00pm-5:00pm 31/1/2021 Case attended venue
- Maidstone - Marciano's Cakes,126 Mitchell St, Maidstone VIC 3012 9:45am - 10:25am 5/2/2021 Case attended venue
- Melbourne - Brunetti: Terminal 4, Melbourne Airport 4:45am - 1:15pm 9/2/2021 Case attended venue
- Melbourne Exford Hotel - 199 Russell St Melbourne, VIC 3000 11:00pm - 11:35pm 29/1/2021 Case attended bottle shop
- Moorabbin Airport - Lululemon, DFO Moorabbin, Shop G-039/250 Centre Dandenong Rd, Moorabbin VIC 3194 5:00pm- 5:45pm 1/2/2021 Case attended venue
- Noble Park - Club Noble, 46/56 Moodemere St, Noble Park VIC 3174 2:36pm -3:30pm 30/01/2021 Case attended venue
- Springvale Bunnings - 849 Princes Hwy, Springvale, VIC 3171 11:30am - 12:15pm 1/2/2021 Case attended venue
- Springvale Coles - 825 Dandenong Rd Springvale, VIC 3171 5:00pm - 6:00pm 31/1/2021 Case attended venue
- Springvale Sharetea - 27C Buckingham Ave Springvale, VIC 3171 6:50pm - 7:30pm 1/2/2021 Case attended venue
- Springvale Woolworths - 302 Springvale Rd Springvale, VIC 3171 6:30pm - 7:30pm 1/2/2021 Case attended venue
- Sunbury Cellarbrations - 34 Batman Avenue Sunbury VIC 3429 5:44pm - 6:19pm 7/2/2021 Case attended venue
- Sunbury Cellarbrations - 34 Batman Avenue Sunbury VIC 3429 6:17pm - 7:02pm 6/2/2021 Case attended venue
- Sunbury Sunny Life Massage - Sunbury Square Shopping Centre, 2-28 Evans Street Sunbury VIC 3429 4:30pm - 6:30pm 6/2/2021 Case attended venue
- Sunbury PJ's Pet Warehouse - Shop 2, 104 Horne Street Sunbury VIC 3429 3:37pm - 4:10pm 5/2/2021 Case attended venue
- Sunbury Bakers Delight - Sunbury Square Shopping Centre, 2-28 Evans Street Sunbury VIC 3429 3:40pm - 4:15pm 5/2/2021 Case attended venue
- Sunbury Aldente Deli - Sunbury Square Shopping Centre, 2-28 Evans Street Sunbury VIC 3429 3:45pm - 4:23pm 5/2/2021 Case attended venue
- Sunbury Sushi Sushi - Sunbury Square Shopping Centre, 2-28 Evans Street Sunbury VIC 3429 3:53pm - 4:28pm 5/2/2021 Case attended venue
- Sunbury Asian Star - Sunbury Square Shopping Centre, 2-28 Evans Street Sunbury VIC 3429 3:57pm - 4:30pm 5/2/2021 Case attended venue
- Sunshine Dan Murphy's - 47 McIntyre Rd, Sunshine VIC 3020 5:50pm - 6:30pm 5/2/2021 Case attended venue
- Sunshine Dan Murphy's - 47 McIntyre Rd Sunshine VIC 3020 6:50pm - 7:30pm 6/2/2021 Case attended venue
- Taylors Lakes - Off Ya Tree, Watergardens - 399 Melton Highway Taylors Lakes VIC 3038 1:00pm - 1:52pm 6/2/2021 Case attended venue
- West Melbourne Kebab Kingz - 438 Spencer St West Melbourne, VIC 3003 11:24pm -12:15am 29/1/2021 Case dined outside
-with AAP
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