School holidays will be brought forward to this Tuesday and all non-essential activities shut down in Victoria as the state government introduces drastic measures to slow the spread of coronavirus.
Premier Daniel Andrews has announced he will tell the national cabinet on Sunday night that Victoria is moving ahead with the dramatic plan in order to save lives.
Premier Daniel Andrews has announced school holidays will be brought forward to Tuesday but no decision has been made about when they will re-open. Credit:AAP
"This is not something that we do lightly, but it’s clear that if we don’t take this step, more Victorians will contract coronavirus, our hospitals will be overwhelmed and more Victorians will die," Mr Andrews said.
"Victorians will still be able to go to the supermarket, the bank, the pharmacy and other essential stores, like petrol stations and convenience stores. Freight, logistics and home delivery are also considered essential and will remain open."
Mr Andrews said the decision to enact the extreme measures was based on advice from Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton.
The Premier said the decision on whether to re-open schools after the term-one holidays would also depend on advice from Dr Sutton.
Emergency packages for the most-needy Victorians in self-isolation will be distributed from this week as the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Victoria rose to 296 on Sunday.
Government authorities are also finishing a monitoring system to keep track of people who are required to go into self-isolation after returning from overseas.
About 6000 food and personal care packages are ready for distribution. They were assembled by Foodbank Victoria and will be distributed through the Red Cross.
Deputy Chief Health Officer Annaliese van Diemen said a monitoring system would be introduced for people who had arrived from overseas, which would include confirming they were in self-isolation via text message.
“Very shortly they will also be checked on a daily basis,” she said.
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