Victoria has plunged into a seven-day snap lockdown as a rapidly-growing COVID-19 cluster climbed to 26 cases today.
Acting Premier James Merlino announced the "circuit-breaker" lockdown will begin at midnight tonight.
The state's fourth lockdown is due to remain in place until 11.59pm on June 3.
However, Mr Merlino said the government was still open to ending the lockdown earlier if possible, saying: "if we can end it sooner, we will".
Five reasons to leave home
From 11.59pm tonight, Victorians will only have five reasons to leave home: shopping for food and supplies, authorised work, care and caregiving, exercise with one other person for up to two hours and getting vaccinated/tested.
A five-kilometre travel radius will also be introduced. Shopping will be limited to one person per day, per household.
Face masks will be required to be worn inside and outdoors everywhere.
Private and public gatherings will not be permitted, although single bubbles and intimate partner visits will be allowed.
Mr Merlino said no one wanted to be in lockdown, but there was no other choice.
"No one wants to be in this position, but I think the community also understands that we've got to follow public health advice," he said.
"We've seen overseas what happens if this thing gets away. We must follow public health advice.
"My view is that as tough as this is for everyone, I think people appreciate that we just got to do this."
The public health advice given was that a state-wide lockdown was needed, rather than it being limited to metropolitan Melbourne.
"There is very strong advice from public health that this needs to be a statewide lockdown, a circuit breaker and we will make an assessment every day in terms of how we are tracking," Mr Merlino said.
"If it can be earlier, it will be, but it is a seven-day circuit-breaker lockdown for the entirety of the state."
Highly infectious strain of virus
There were 12 new infections in the 24 hours to midnight last night, but one was previously announced by authorities yesterday.
There are now 34 active cases in the state.
One of the 26 people linked to Melbourne's COVID-19 outbreak is in intensive care on a ventilator.
Mr Merlino said the person was "not in a very good way".
The state was dealing with a "highly infectious strain of the virus" - the Indian variant - which was spreading faster than ever recorded.
There are 10,000 primary and secondary close contacts that have been linked to the cluster who will need to either get tested or isolate.
"Our public health experts' primary concern is how fast this variant is moving," Mr Merlino said.
"Our contact tracers are identifying and locking down the first ring, second ring, and third ring within 24 hours. They have never done that before.
"That's the fastest our contact tracers have ever moved within a 24-hour period.
"This is highly infectious, and it is running at a super quick pace."
All of the cases in the outbreak are linked - either to the households, the Stratton Finance workplace or through casual links to the City of Whittlesea, Victoria's Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton confirmed.
"That's very reassuring. That's great work of contact tracing."
'Get vaccinated'
Victoria will expand its vaccine rollout to people aged between 40 and 49 from tomorrow morning.
Victorians within that age bracket will be eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine.
Getting the jab is under one of the five permitted reasons to leave home.
"I really encourage everyone, if you're eligible, get vaccinated," Mr Merlino said.
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What you need to know about the lockdown
Restaurants, pubs and cafes will close and move to takeaway only.
Essential retail stores such as supermarkets, petrol stations, banks, bottle shops and pharmacies will remain open.
Other shops must shut and offer click-and-collect.
Childcare and kindergartens will remain open as per the previous lockdown arrangement.
Approved professional sporting events will proceed without crowds. Schools will close and move to remote learning, except for vulnerable children and those of authorised workers.
Higher education will move to remote learning only.
Community sport, gyms, recreation and entertainment venues, hairdressers and beauty salons will shut down.
Visitors will be banned from aged care facilities, apart from limited reasons.
There will also be restrictions on hospital visitations.
Weddings cannot proceed unless for compassionate reasons.
Funerals can proceed with a maximum of 10 people plus those running the service.
Religious activities cannot go ahead except for broadcast reasons with a maximum of five people.
Victorians are not permitted to travel to their holiday homes.
"We want people to be doing the right thing - this is about staying at their place of residence," Mr Merlino said.
"Where you are tonight is where you need to be for the duration of this lockdown - that should be your place of residence.
"We do not want people moving around. We need people staying at home and only moving around as per those five exemptions."
The highest category of elective surgeries will continue as planned, including all emergency surgeries. However, general elective surgery will pause.
Authorised workplaces that can continue to operate include construction and emergency dental, among other industries confirmed in past lockdowns. There will be no travel permits issued for authorised workers.
International flights will continue to land in the state.
Lockdown necessary to prevent third wave
Professor Sutton said now is the right time for a lockdown as community transmission had occurred before the first case of COVID-19 was detected.
"This is the time when all of those exposed individuals might now be becoming infected ... we just want to limit their movements," he said.
Health authorities were particularly concerned about a man who visited a number of high-risk settings, including clubs, pubs and restaurants whilst potentially infectious.
"If people look at the exposure sites and reflect on the fact that if they are crowded and if exertion or singing, dancing, chanting happens there - they will be high-risk."
Professor Sutton said he does not believe the state will see "hundreds" of cases, but "absolutely more".
Victoria Police will be out in full force enforcing lockdown restrictions, Health Minister Martin Foley said.
Fines will be issued to people and businesses who flout restrictions.
Businesses to get support
Additional support is set to be provided to impacted businesses.
Mr Merlino said he would have "more to say" about the type of support in the coming days.
Chapel Street Precinct general manager Chrissie Maus described the lockdown as "yet another blow" to local businesses.
"We need the government to urgently announce support and really it should have been announced alongside today's snap lockdown," she said.
"It was extremely disappointing that this was missed from the press conference today."
Exposure sites grow
There have now been 150 exposure sites connected with the burgeoning cluster, including close to 80 public locations.
Two AFL games last weekend have been marked as exposure sites, with one interstate match postponed this coming Saturday.
Marvel Stadium and the MCG are both listed as COVID-19 exposure sites after two matches on Sunday.
