As the day unfolded: Victoria stage 3 COVID-19 restrictions reimposed on Melbourne, Mitchell Shire Council as state records 191 new cases

Note: Apologies for the delay, we were experiencing some technical difficulties.

Metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire Council will return to stage three restrictions for six weeks as of midnight Wednesday, Premier Daniel Andrews has announced.

Hospitality businesses will return to takeaway only, visitors will not be allowed at homes and public gatherings will be limited to two people.

“These are unsustainably high numbers of new cases,” Mr Andrews said.

It would be “impossible” to continue contact tracing and suppressing the virus at this current rate of infection and "tragedy" would ensue, he said.

“If we would fail to take these steps it would be a couple hundred [cases], it would be many more than that and it would quickly spiral out of control.
“We have to be realistic … this is not over.

"A sense of complacency has crept into us ... each of us know someone who has not been following the rules as well as they should have.

“We have the chance to change that, in the decisions we make and how we conduct ourselves.”

People will not be allowed to leave home unless for essential reasons including medical and caregiving, shopping for essential items, work and study and exercise.

Retail businesses will remain open subject to density limits, markets will be for food and drink only and hairdressers will remain open.

Victoria has recorded 191 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, the highest number of diagnoses in the state since the start of the pandemic.

It comes after the state recorded its previous highest daily figure of 127 cases yesterday.

Of most concern is that 154 of these cases are still under investigation, with just 37 linked back to known outbreaks and none associated with hotel quarantine.

Health authorities now believe there are about 438 cases that could indicate community transmission of the virus, amid the 772 active cases in Victoria.

There have been no new deaths overnight, but the number of people in intensive care has almost doubled within a day, from five to nine.

The total number of cases recorded in the state is now at 2824. There are 772 cases are currently active in Victoria.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller and Minister for Police David Elliott are due to address the media with at 12.30pm, with questions sure to be asked about the details of their state's plan to ban Victorians entering from midnight.

The plan will involve hundreds of officers, ADF assistance and drones even drones to police the two states' 55 border crossings. Here is what we have learnt about the closure this morning.

• Between 350 and 500 ADF personnel will be deployed to help NSW Police manage the operation.
• Permits will be available through the Service NSW website, regardless of whether the applicant is from NSW. Premier Gladys Berejiklian told the ABC there has been significant work overnight to establish the permit system and she hopes it will be live today.
• No roadblocks have been created at Albury-Wodonga, Albury Mayor David Mack told 2GB.
• Cr Mack then told the ABC he believes police will be lenient on locals in the border town for the first few days of the border closure, checking licenses instead of requiring a permit as the system kicks into gear.
• The XPT service between Sydney and Melbourne will stop when the border closes, and other interstate public transport services are under review.

As explained by Health Minister Brad Hazzard yesterday, NSW residents will be allowed to return back to their home state at any time, but will need to self-isolate for 14 days. We currently understand there is no time limit on when Victorians in NSW need to return home.

Thanks for reading. This is Matt Bungard signing off. We'll be back tomorrow with more live, free coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

This is what you need to know from today:

• Melbourne and some towns in regional Victoria have been ordered back into lockdown for six weeks from midnight on Wednesday after the state recorded 191 new cases of COVID-19.

• The global death toll passed 537,000, and cases have passed the 11.6 million mark.
• Australia had 199 new cases today, 191 of which were in Victoria.
• The Australian death toll remained at 106.

• School holidays will be extended for one week for most students in Victoria's lockdown zones as the state weighs up a possible return to remote learning in term three to try to flatten the second wave of COVID-19.

We'll continue our live coverage of the pandemic early on Wednesday morning with Mary Ward.

The International Olympic Committee is preparing to mark the 12-month countdown to a rescheduled Tokyo Games in the face of an escalating global coronavirus crisis, at the head of which is Olympic powerhouse and COVID-10 basketcase the United States.

In a landmark decision in late March, the IOC postponed the Games for a year as lockdowns gripped competing nations, meaning athletes had little chance to train or prepare to compete on the grandest of stages.

While some nations have effectively dealt with the contagion, worldwide infections have only soared, leaving the IOC, Tokyo organisers and hopeful athletes in a nightmare scenario given the time invested and billions already spent on preparing the Japanese capital for the world's biggest sporting event.

The IOC has already said another postponement would result in a cancellation, while leading Australian-based experts have said the only feasible way for the Games to be held on schedule would be contingent on the development and release of a vaccine.

Read the full story here

Shoppers have been told there are plenty of staples to go around, amid fears panic-buying would re-emerge as Melbourne heads back into lockdown.

Panic buying surged in March as coronavirus cases began to spread, with shoppers stripping shelves of toilet paper and pantry items such as canned goods, eggs and flour.

Hitesh Palta – owner of the IGA Altona store in Melbourne's south-western suburbs, the first store in Australia to introduce elderly-only hours at the start of the pandemic – said there were signs that some people had begun unnecessarily filling their shopping trolleys again.

"There are some customers getting panicked but we do tell them there's plenty of stock," Mr Palta said on Tuesday afternoon, shortly after Premier Daniel Andrews announced stage three lockdown would return from 11.59pm on Wednesday.

Read the full story here

Plans for the County Court of Victoria to resume jury trials in July have been abandoned in the wake of the reimposition of lockdowns by the Andrews government.

The courts had planned to resume jury trials as early as July 20, limiting jury selection to suburbs that were not under lockdown while remaining consistent with ongoing social distancing guidelines.

But as with the spread of positive coronavirus cases throughout Melbourne in the last week and wider lockdowns planned, expectations of a safe return to the court has been scuppered.

A spokesperson for the court confirmed that “in light of the most recent developments, the courts are reviewing timeframes for recommencement”.

The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on Victoria’s court system. The court now has no definitive date for returning to jury trials.

On Monday Victoria's first judge-only criminal trial started when a man and woman on drugs charges began to have their cases decided by County Court judge Liz Gaynor.

Bail has been extended for many people accused of crimes, trials have been delayed indefinitely and barristers have seen their work dry up as hearings conducted via videolink became the norm in courthouses across the state.

As of 3pm on Tuesday afternoon, the total number of cases in Australia is at 8755, of which 839 are active.

The death toll remains at 106.

Of the 199 new cases, 191 are in Victoria, seven in New South Wales, and one in Queensland.

The global case tally is just over 11.6 million, up from 10.3 million a week ago. The USA has had the most recorded cases, with just under 3 million.

538,000 people have died around the world from the virus, with the USA accounting for roughly a quarter of those.

If so, we want to hear from you. Get in touch below: