Victorians unable to work because of a snap, five-day lockdown in Melbourne will be able to claim $600 from the federal government.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, a Melburnian, announced late on Thursday night a COVID-19 Disaster Payment package.
Those who lose 20 hours or more of work will be eligible for $600 while those who lose eight to 20 hours of work can claim $375.
The same relief that is being given to Sydney workers, now in lockdown until July 30, will now be given to those in Melbourne.
This followed criticism from Victoria’s Labor Premier Daniel Andrews that Canberra was favouring New South Wales, which has a Coalition government.
Victorians unable to work because of a snap, five-day lockdown in Melbourne will be able to claim $600 from the federal government
More than six million Victorians are living under stay-at-home orders for the fifth time since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, after removalists from Sydney this week brought to more contagious Indian Delta variant to an apartment block at Maribyrnong in Melbourne’s inner west.
The rules applied during last month’s lockdown have been re-imposed, including a 5km travel limit for exercise and shopping and compulsory mask-wearing indoors and outdoors.
Victoria’s restrictions are stricter than those in NSW, where residents of Sydney, Wollongong, the Central Coast and the Blue Mountains can exercise 10km from home and don’t have to wear masks outside.
‘We’ve got no choice. We don’t want this getting away from us and being locked down for months,’ Mr Andrews said.
Late on Thursday, the federal government announced the COVID-19 Disaster Payment scheme would be available to people who work or live in Greater Melbourne, as well as the local government areas of Moorabool Shire, the City of Greater Geelong, Borough of Queenscliff and the Surf Coast Shire.
The Victorian government will provide ‘significant additional economic support to businesses’.
The same relief that is being given to Sydney workers, now in lockdown until July 30, will now be given to those in Melbourne. This followed criticism from Victoria’s Labor Premier Daniel Andrews that Canberra was favouring New South Wales, which has a Coalition government
Mr Andrews has warned there is no guarantee the lockdown would end as planned at 11.59pm on Tuesday, with his NSW counterpart Gladys Berejiklian already extending Sydney’s initial two-week lockdown for another fortnight to July 30.
‘It may be longer because it depends on what every Victorian does,’ he said.
However, he flagged restrictions in regional Victoria could be lifted earlier if it is safe to do so
Several hundred people gathered outside Flinders Street Station on Thursday night to protest the latest lockdown, listening to speeches and chanting ‘sack Dan Andrews’.
A flare was lit as they marched to parliament. Police confirmed no arrests were made.
Several hundred people gathered outside Flinders Street Station on Thursday night to protest the latest lockdown, listening to speeches and chanting ‘sack Dan Andrews’
It came after Victoria recorded two additional locally acquired COVID-19 cases on Thursday afternoon, taking the number of community cases linked to the outbreak, which originated in NSW in mid-June, to 18.
Most of the cases are connected to NSW removalists who breached their worker permit conditions and spread the virus during a drop-off at the Ariele Apartments in Maribyrnong late last week.
A Victoria Police spokesman told Australian Associated Press it was helping to establish the three-person crew’s movements as part of a health department investigation.
More than six million Victorians are living under stay-at-home orders (pictured is an Albert Park testing clinic) for the fifth time since the start of the pandemic, after removalists from Sydney brought to more contagious Indian Delta variant to an apartment block at Maribyrnong in Melbourne’s inner west
Of greatest concern to authorities are three cases of suspected ‘stranger-to-stranger transmission’ at an AFL match between Carlton and Geelong at the MCG on Saturday.
A positive case also attended the international rugby clash between the Wallabies and France at AAMI Park on Tuesday night, with stadium management working with health officials to identify close contacts.
There are more than 110 exposure sites across Melbourne and regional Victoria, including the MCG and several stores at Chadstone shopping centre.