As it happened: Victoria enters sixth lockdown as state’s cases grow; NSW records 262 new local COVID-19 cases, five deaths

If you can work from home you must work from home.

Mask rules remain as they were with face coverings compulsory indoors outside of the home and outdoors including all workplaces.

Exercise and Recreation must be done within five kilometres of your home and limited to two people. Indoor physical recreation and sport is closed with limited exceptions for hydrotherapy.

Outdoor physical recreation and sport is closed except for outdoor playgrounds, skate parks and gym equipment.

Primary and secondary schools will return to remote learning except for vulnerable children or children of authorised workers. Childcare and early childcare will remain open.

For a full rundown of all the rules that apply in Victoria for the next seven days, take a look at this handy explainer.

The department has also listed Melbourne Airport’s Terminal 3 as a tier 3 exposure site, meaning anyone who was there between 8:35am and 11:05am on Tuesday should monitor for symptoms.

Traces of COVID-19 detected in wastewater in Melbourne, regional Victoria

Victorian health authorities say traces of COVID-19 have been detected in wastewater catchments in north-west of Melbourne and regional Victoria.

Officials said there had been a strong and increasing level of COVID-19 fragments detected in multiple wastewater samples from a catchment that includes Attwood, Broadmeadows, Campbellfield, Coolaroo, Essendon Fields, Gladstone Park, Glenroy, Gowanbrae, Greenvale, Jacana, Meadows Heights, Oak Park, Pascoe Vale, Roxburgh Park, Somerton, Strathmore, Strathmore Heights, Tullamarine and Westmeadows.

Officials noted the traces could be due to someone who has had COVID-19, but is no longer infectious and is continuing to shed the virus or that it might be due to an active but undiagnosed case in that area.

They are encouraging anyone who lives, works or has visited the suburbs listed above between 28 July and 4 August to watch for symptoms and get tested if any develop.

The regular Chief Health Officer update also reported that COVID-19 fragments had been detected in the Wangaratta area.

Suburbs in the catchment include East Wangaratta, Laceby, Milawa, North Wangaratta, Oxley, Waldara, Wangandary, Wangaratta and Wangaratta South.

Authorities are urging anyone who lives, works or has visited Wangaratta and the above surrounding suburbs between 28-30 July to get tested if they have symptoms.

Earlier this evening, Premier Daniel Andrews cited wastewater detections in Wangaratta as a justification for locking down the whole state rather than just Melbourne.

“We have some reason to believe there is COVID-19 in that community or has been in that community.

“We saw last time, a few weeks ago this went from Melbourne into Bacchus Marsh, Barwon Heads, all the way up to Mildura. We all have to work as hard as we can to avoid the spreading any further than it already has.”

Another 20 or so tier-2 (casual contact) include Footscray Kmart on Sunday from 10.30am to noon and ALDI West Footscray on the same day.

You can see the full list here or view our map below.

“I’ve talked to a few people, and a lot of them want to leave because of [the mandate].”

A couple of people said they found out the news from management in an email on Thursday morning.

The worker in his 20s said he thought a lot of his colleagues were vaccinated, but they were annoyed by the choice being taken away from them.

Others also in their 20s were particularly concerned, he said, especially not yet being eligible for the Pfizer vaccine.

“So that really restricts us and is unfair for young ones, I think,” the worker said. “We don’t appreciate our options being restricted like this.”

Another worker echoed that sentiment, and said he was considering looking for other work now that vaccinations were going to be mandatory.

One worker said he was OK with the mandate and thought it would keep the community safe. He was yet to get vaccinated against COVID.

Tasmanian Liberal senator Eric Abetz said while he encouraged everyone to consider getting vaccinated as soon as possible, “vaccine passports should not be a blunt instrument to force people to be vaccinated by locking them out of society”.

“Denied or limited access to government and private businesses goods and services should not be based on one’s medical status and the idea of a domestic ‘vaccine passport’ is a dangerous one that can create a class of citizens,” he said.

Read more here.