Benjamin Millar
Moorabool Shire has been ordered into a snap seven-day lockdown, commencing at 11:59pm tonight.
Victoria’s Acting Chief Health Officer has declared the restrictions will be the same as those in metropolitan Melbourne, other than the curfew.
ACHO Professor Ben Cowie said caseloads in Moorabool Shire have increased in recent days, with 32 active cases in the LGA as of Friday.
He said the public health teams have significant concerns about onward transmission and have determined that the seven-day lockdown is needed to limit growth in cases, as it did in the City of Ballarat, Greater Geelong and Surf Coast Shire.
“We’ve just seen the Ballarat and Geelong communities get through an outbreak so we know it can be done – it’s vital we protect the local community and the rest of regional Victoria from significant outbreaks,” he said.
“If you’re in the Moorabool Shire, please follow the lockdown restrictions, get tested if you have symptoms, and get vaccinated if you haven’t already.”
Under lockdown restrictions, you can only leave home for necessary goods and services, caregiving or compassionate reasons (including medical care and getting a COVID-19 test), authorised work or permitted education, exercise and outdoor social interaction in limited groups, and getting a COVID-19 vaccine locally.
You can also leave home to visit your intimate partner or single social bubble buddy. No other visitors are allowed in the home.
Shopping, exercise and outdoor social interaction will be limited to 15km from your home. Masks will be mandatory indoors and outdoors. Remember to wear masks on public transport.
You have four hours a day for exercise and outdoor social interaction. You can meet with one other person, or if everyone is fully vaccinated up to five people from two households can meet up. Dependants can also join you.
You can’t leave the Moorabool Shire area and travel elsewhere in regional Victoria other than for limited reasons, such as authorised work and permitted education, care and compassionate reasons, visiting an intimate partner, to get a test and necessary goods and services (only if they can’t be obtained locally).
Locals are asked to be on high alert for symptoms and get tested if any develop.
Two new sites for testing are opening in Melton this weekend in addition to existing sites in Ballarat, Daylesford, Melton, Melton West, Redan and Sebastopol.
You can also leave the Moorabool Shire if you’re going to an adjacent LGA to get a vaccine.
In the Moorabool Shire, more than 86 per cent of the population have had at least their first vaccination dose and more than 51 per cent have had both.
Visit www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/vaccine for links to state-run, pharmacy and GP booking systems.
