Victoria is set to be plunged into strict Stage 4 restrictions from WEDNESDAY in a bid to drive down soaring cases of coronavirus – with restaurants, cafes, high schools and nearly all shops expected to close
Victoria is expected to go into strict Stage 4 lockdown from Wednesday after initial attempts to control a deadly second wave failed.
The state is set to close all but essential businesses and send high-school students back to learning from home.
They will be the harshest restrictions that Australia has seen and will be similar to the lockdown imposed by New Zealand.
The announcement is expected on Sunday and will see nearly all cafes, restaurants and shops closed for a further six weeks, The Australian reported.
Premier Daniel Andrews (pictured, arriving at the press conference on Saturday) is expected to send Victoria into a strict stage four lockdown on Wednesday
Victoria recorded 397 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday (pictured). A stage four lockdown will see nearly all shops close and high school students back to learning from home
Public transport will be severely limited and exercise may continue with the existing rules on wearing a mask.
Victoria recorded 397 new coronavirus cases and three more deaths on Saturday.
State premier Daniel Andrews announced the figures on Saturday with 37 linked to outbreaks and 360 currently under investigation.
A man and woman in their 80s and another woman in her 90s have died overnight, raising the state’s death toll to 116.
The figure comes as new modelling shows COVID-19 cases are doubling every 16 days in the state with worrying predictions as many as 1,000 daily cases could be recorded by mid-August.
More to come