Invest
Victoria to enter 7-day hard lockdown at midnight tonight
Victoria is entering another lockdown from 11.59pm tonight, which will see businesses, including restaurants and cafes, shut their doors for another seven days, as an extremely infectious strain of COVID spreads throughout the state.
Victoria to enter 7-day hard lockdown at midnight tonight
Victoria is entering another lockdown from 11.59pm tonight, which will see businesses, including restaurants and cafes, shut their doors for another seven days, as an extremely infectious strain of COVID spreads throughout the state.
Victoria will enter a seven-day circuit breaker lockdown from 11.59pm tonight, until 11.59pm on 3 June, meaning businesses will once again shut their doors to curb the state’s growing outbreak.
Victorians will be given five reasons to leave home, including authorised work, caregiving, compassionate and medical reasons, essential shopping and exercise, and for vaccination purposes.
In news said to shock the hospitality industry, all hospitality venues will have to lock their doors at midnight tonight, but will be permitted to provide takeaway, while non-essential retail will only be open for click and collect.
Shops like supermarkets, food stores, bottle shops, banks, petrol stations and pharmacies will also remain open.
But the news is bad for gyms, hairdressers, community facilities and entertainment venues, which have all been ordered to close.
Hotels and accommodation can only stay open to support guests already staying onsite. No new bookings can be made – unless it’s for one a permitted purpose, like authorised work.
Schools, too, will close, other than for children of essential workers, with childcare set to remain open.
The acting Premier also announced that the ‘five kilometres’ rule is back and masks are mandatory outdoors and indoors once again.
"It’s clear – more than ever – this virus isn’t going away. And vaccines are the only way we’ll ever get back to normal," Mr Merlino said.
"Without full vaccination, this virus will just keep mutating – and just keep making its way back in."
Prior to James Merlino’s media conference, Melbourne’s Lord Mayor warned that another lockdown will have a big impact on businesses.
“Businesses have gone through the toughest tradition conditions in living memory and many are just starting to recover,” Sally Capp tweeted on Thursday morning.
“JobKeeper has ended, so a lockdown now will have potentially even greater impacts on our city businesses.”
The Premier has, however, hinted new financial support may soon be announced for businesses.
RELATED ARTICLES
About the author
About the author
Economy
Australia's June quarter GDP growth driven by consumer and government spending
Australia's economy has shown unexpected resilience in the June 2025 quarter, with household and government consumption driving growth despite a significant decline in public investmentRead more
Economy
Australia's GDP surprise is real but operators should heed the growth mix warning light
Australia’s June-quarter growth beat expectations on the strength of household consumption and government spending, even as public investment sagged. The upside surprise signals resilience, but the ...Read more
Economy
Households carried the quarter: what Australia’s upside GDP surprise means for strategy now
Australia’s economy expanded faster than expected in the June 2025 quarter, with GDP up 0.6 per cent quarter-on-quarter and 1.8 per cent year-on-year — the strongest pace in two years. The kicker ...Read more
Economy
Inflation dynamics in Australia: Electricity subsidies and labour market in focus
In a recent economic analysis, experts from State Street have highlighted significant developments in Australia's inflation landscape, attributing the changes primarily to the withdrawal of ...Read more
Economy
Australia's economic growth driven by consumer and government spending: A closer look at the June quarter
Australia's economy has delivered a surprising performance for the June 2025 quarter, surpassing expectations with a growth rate of 0.6% quarter-on-quarter and 1.8% year-on-year. This unexpected ...Read more
Economy
Australian and Korean leaders meet to unlock billions in new trade opportunities
In a significant effort to bolster economic ties and explore new avenues for investment, Australian and Korean leaders, alongside business executives and government officials, are gathering in Seoul ...Read more
Economy
Australia’s growth beat is real — but it’s the wrong kind for capacity
Australia’s economy outpaced forecasts in the June quarter as households opened wallets and government spending did the heavy lifting, even as public investment sagged. The signal for boardrooms: ...Read more
Economy
Australia’s growth is back—but it’s the wrong kind of strong
GDP surprised on the upside in the June quarter, powered by households and government outlays even as public investment slumped. The Reserve Bank stayed hawkish, signalling that sticky services ...Read more
Economy
Australia's June quarter GDP growth driven by consumer and government spending
Australia's economy has shown unexpected resilience in the June 2025 quarter, with household and government consumption driving growth despite a significant decline in public investmentRead more
Economy
Australia's GDP surprise is real but operators should heed the growth mix warning light
Australia’s June-quarter growth beat expectations on the strength of household consumption and government spending, even as public investment sagged. The upside surprise signals resilience, but the ...Read more
Economy
Households carried the quarter: what Australia’s upside GDP surprise means for strategy now
Australia’s economy expanded faster than expected in the June 2025 quarter, with GDP up 0.6 per cent quarter-on-quarter and 1.8 per cent year-on-year — the strongest pace in two years. The kicker ...Read more
Economy
Inflation dynamics in Australia: Electricity subsidies and labour market in focus
In a recent economic analysis, experts from State Street have highlighted significant developments in Australia's inflation landscape, attributing the changes primarily to the withdrawal of ...Read more
Economy
Australia's economic growth driven by consumer and government spending: A closer look at the June quarter
Australia's economy has delivered a surprising performance for the June 2025 quarter, surpassing expectations with a growth rate of 0.6% quarter-on-quarter and 1.8% year-on-year. This unexpected ...Read more
Economy
Australian and Korean leaders meet to unlock billions in new trade opportunities
In a significant effort to bolster economic ties and explore new avenues for investment, Australian and Korean leaders, alongside business executives and government officials, are gathering in Seoul ...Read more
Economy
Australia’s growth beat is real — but it’s the wrong kind for capacity
Australia’s economy outpaced forecasts in the June quarter as households opened wallets and government spending did the heavy lifting, even as public investment sagged. The signal for boardrooms: ...Read more
Economy
Australia’s growth is back—but it’s the wrong kind of strong
GDP surprised on the upside in the June quarter, powered by households and government outlays even as public investment slumped. The Reserve Bank stayed hawkish, signalling that sticky services ...Read more
