Premier Daniel Andrews has confirmed the state will enter a five-day lockdown, effective from 11:59pm today.
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The "circuit breaker" comes after an emergency cabinet meeting.
Victorians will re-enter stage four restrictions under the lockdown.
There will be four reasons to leave home - shopping for essentials, for care and caregiving, for exercise and for work, if it is essential.
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Public gatherings will not be able to go ahead and visitors to the home are not permitted.
Childcares and kindergartens will remain open, but students will need to learn from home. Universities and TAFES will close and students will return to remote studying.
Cafes and restaurants will only be able to offer food for takeaway.
Non-essential shops will close, as will gyms, pools, community centres, entertainment venues and libraries.
Weddings will need to be postponed and funerals will be limited to 10 people.
Accommodation providers will be able to stay open to existing guests, but no new bookings can be made.
People who can work from home will be expected to do so.
The measures are expected to be lifted at 11:59pm on Wednesday.
"If we wait to be absolutely we have a problem then that will be too late. We have to use an abundance of caution," Mr Andrews said, in announcing the restrictions.
He said the measures were needed because the virus was moving at a velocity not previously seen anywhere in the country.
People linked to the Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport outbreak have the highly infectious UK virus variant.
Mr Andrews said the measures were needed to prevent a third wave of COVID-19 infections, rather than to respond to one.
He acknowledged there was no evidence of any cases in regional Victoria
"And that's how we want to keep it," Mr Andrews said.
"I don't want this thing to go from Melbourne to regional Victoria."
He said a ring of steel would have been established if the lockdown was a longer-term proposition.
There are 19 cases of COVID-19 active in Victoria, five of which were added to the tally in the past 24-hours.
All of the new cases were linked to the Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport.
The Holiday Inn outbreak has 13 cases.
More to come
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