Dan Andrews unleashes on ‘Sydney incursion’ as virus spreads across 100 exposure sites with thousands in isolation – after Victoria recorded six new cases on first day of lockdown
- Victoria has recorded six new Covid-19 cases and listed 100 exposure sites
- Premier took aim at outbreak that began in Sydney and led state into lockdown
- ‘No-one wants to be locked down,’ Daniel Andrews said during press conference
Victoria has recorded six new Covid-19 cases and listed 100 exposure sites as the state premier took aim at the outbreak that originated in Sydney and forced the state into lockdown.
Daniel Andrews said he understood the frustration among Victorians as they began their first day of a five-day long lockdown on Friday.
‘I know and understand that this is not easy,’ he said. ‘No-one wants to be locked down.
‘But we had no choice and these additional cases overnight and particularly some of the context of these cases I think confirm for all Victorians that we had to make that tough call.’
Victoria has recorded six new Covid-19 cases and listed 100 exposure sites as the state premier took aim at the outbreak that originated in Sydney and forced the state into lockdown
Daniel Andrews said he understood the frustration among Victorians as they began their first day of a five-day long lockdown on Friday
Ten cases were reported overall – but four of them were already announced on Thursday.
There are now 24 cases linked to the outbreak with 1,500 close contacts and 5,000 secondary contacts identified.
The figure comes after 33,129 Covid-19 tests were conducted and 17,188 vaccines administered in the last 24 hours.
Mr Andrews said it was better to curb the spread of the virus and avoid a prolonged lockdown beyond the five days.
‘That is certainly better than five weeks or five months,’ he said.
Victorians awoke to their first day of a five-day long lockdown on Friday amid fears that restrictions will be extended for several more weeks as a Covid outbreak, which began in Sydney, wreaks havoc across Melbourne.
Up to four footy fans have already been found to have caught the virus at the MCG on Saturday from a man who lives in an infected north-west Melbourne apartment block, with one of the stadium’s busy bars now feared to be a super-spreader site.
News of the lockdown prompted demonstrators to take to the streets and demand the resignation from state premier Daniel Andrews, who has enforced the hardline restrictions five times since the pandemic began in 2020.
Ten cases were reported overall – but four of them were already announced on Thursday
There are now 24 cases linked to the outbreak with 1,500 close contacts and 5,000 secondary contacts identified
Sources close to the Andrews government said that officials were initially aiming to tighten restrictions, not go back into lockdown, until they found out people had caught the virus from strangers at the stadium.
The stay-at-home order came into effect at 11.59pm on Thursday as public health officials try desperately to keep a lid on the latest Covid-19 outbreak, which has since jumped to 24 cases.
But even if the outbreak is contained and the lockdown ends as planned on Tuesday, millions of Victorians face strict restrictions that could last weeks.
The lockdown rules around hospitality, masks and the number of visitors in homes are likely to be slowly wound back over time rather than removed immediately.
In a welcome reprieve, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a newly-introduced $600 relief payment from the Federal Government for hard-hit Victorians.
More to come