Victoria has reported 29 new locally acquired coronavirus cases on Saturday, the highest daily jump this year, as the state remains under a seven-day strict lockdown imposed earlier this week to reign the highly infectious Delta variant.
Health authorities said that all of the new infections are linked to previously reported cases but were not in quarantine during their infectious periods.
Victoria, Australia's second most populous state and home to near 7 million people, on Thursday night entered into its sixth lockdown since the pandemic began, just weeks after exiting the last one.
Victorian Premier Dan Andrews said on Thursday the lockdown will last for seven days.
"We only get one chance to act fast, only one chance to make difficult decisions that are the right decision," Andrews says.
"The alternative is we let this run, it gets away from us, and our hospitals will be absolutely overwhelmed. Not just hundreds of patients, but thousands."
The lockdown means Victorians will only have five essential reasons people can leave the house. They are getting food and supplies, exercising for up to two hours, care or caregiving, authorised work or education if it can't be done from home, or to get vaccinated at the nearest possible location.
Face masks are also mandatory indoors, other than at home, and outdoors unless there's an exception.
