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
Daniel Andrews has taken a swipe at the NSW premier over the latest Covid-19 outbreak that spread from Sydney and forced his state into lockdown - as Victoria recorded six new cases and listed 100 new exposure sites.
The Victorian premier said he understood the frustration among Victorians as they began their first day of a five-day long lockdown to curb the spread of the 'Sydney incursion'.
'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.'
Mr Andrews claimed it was better to suffer through a short lockdown than a prolonged one - in a subtle dig against NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian who has been forced to extend restrictions across Greater Sydney until at least the end of July.
'We have done it before and we have done before with the Delta variants,' he said. 'We can do it again and we will do it again.'
Daniel Andrews has taken a swipe at the NSW premier over the latest outbreak that spread from Sydney and forced his state into lockdown - as Victoria recorded six new Covid-19 cases and listed 100 new exposure sites
The Victorian premier said he understood the frustration among Victorians as they began their first day of a five-day long lockdown to curb the spread of the 'Sydney incursion'
Mr Andrews claimed it was better to suffer through a short lockdown than a prolonged one - in a subtle dig against NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian who has been forced to extend restrictions across Greater Sydney until at least the end of July
Melbourne residents cross the bridge over the Yarra River on the first day of a five-day long lockdown
'We are all working as hard as we possibly can to make this as short a lockdown as possible, five days.
'That is certainly better than five weeks or five months.'
On June 26, Ms Berejiklian introduced a two week lockdown in Greater Sydney after more than 80 cases were linked to an outbreak of the Delta variant of the virus.
The lockdown has since been extended with the virus running rampant in south-west Sydney and the state recording a staggeringly high number of cases each day - peaking at 112 on Monday.
Mr Andrews, on the other hand, plunged his state into lockdown despite Victoria recording just a handful of cases.
On Friday, only ten cases were reported - 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.
Covid response commander Jeroen Weimar said 100 new exposure sites had been added, bringing the list up to 126.
AAMI Park, Hastings at Mornington Peninsula and a Chemist Warehouse in Frankston are among the new additions.
New Tier One exposure sites include the Salvo store on Plenty Road in Bundoora, Banyule City Council offices in Greensborough and the Ms Frankie restaurant in Cremorne.
Ten cases were reported overall - but four of them were already announced on Thursday
A deserted Melbourne as the city began its first-day of lockdown on Friday, which will end at 11.59pm on Tuesday
There are now 24 cases linked to the outbreak with 1,500 close contacts and 5,000 secondary contacts identified
Two staff members at Bacchus Marsh Grammar have been identified, bringing the total number of cases to six.
Dr Weimar said there were 916 close contacts linked to the cases.
Four more cases have been linked to the Melbourne Cricket Ground including a 10-year-old child and a man in his 30s who is a staff member at Trinity College.
Two cases have been connected to the Young & Jackson’s pub in Melbourne's CBD.
Dr Weimar said positive Covid-19 residents staying in the Ariele Apartments in Maribyrnong have also been moved into quarantine or 'alternative accommodation'.
The entire 78 apartment complex was plunged into a two week long lockdown after it was revealed two Covid-19 positive removalists from Sydney had carried furniture throughout the building last Thursday.
Fears are growing that restrictions will be extended for several more weeks as a Covid outbreak, which began in Sydney, wreaks havoc across Melbourne.
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.
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.
Bourke Street is all but deserted on the first day of a five-day long lockdown in Melbourne
Commuters walking outside of a normally busy Flinders Street Station during lockdown
One of the Ariele Apartment residents forced into two weeks of quarantine after Covid-infected removalists visited the residential complex last Thursday
Residents have been plunged into a five-day long lockdown as Victoria races to beat the spread of the Delta variant of Covid-19
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.
The highly infectious Indian Delta strain is feared to already be spreading throughout Melbourne after the Percy Beames bar at the MCG was flagged as a Covid exposure site, sending hundreds from all over Victoria into self-isolation.
The figure comes after 33,129 Covid-19 tests were conducted and 17,188 vaccines administered in the last 24 hours
Covid response commander Jeroen Weimar said 100 new exposure sites had been added, bringing the list up to 126
Fears are growing that restrictions will be extended for several more weeks as a Covid outbreak, which began in Sydney, wreaks havoc across Melbourne
Already, 6,500 Victorians are in lockdown, including a complete 14-day isolation for residents of the Ariele Apartments in Melbourne's north-west, where infected Sydney removalists first spread the virus.
Exposure sites have since popped up in Frankston, in Melbourne's southeast and Hastings on the Mornington Peninsula, indicating the five-day circuit breaker may not be enough to contain the rapid spread and that the stay-at-home orders will inevitably be extended past Tuesday.
Mr Andrews made the call to shut down the state after Sydney's surging outbreak spread to Melbourne last week, when the team of infected removalists travelled to Victoria under essential work permits.
Prime Minister Morrison has since declared $600 disaster relief payments would be made available to workers who have been hit hard by the lockdown.
But while some residents see the draconian restrictions as a necessary measure to contain the virus, hundreds of anti-lockdown protesters took to the streets in protest demanding Mr Andrews' resignation.
Melbourne is expected to come out of lockdown at 11.59pm on Tuesday (pictured, trams running along St Kilda Road)
Shops in the Arcade Plaza have been forced to close as Melbourne begins its fifth lockdown
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