Today, the Chief Health Officer declared that the City of Greater Geelong (along with the Surf Coast Shire and Mitchell Shire) will enter a seven-day lockdown commencing at 11.59pm.
The declaration comes as COVID-19 cases have increased in recent days with the current number of active cases in the City of Greater Geelong now at 17.
Under the latest lockdown restrictions, there are only six reasons to leave home:
Shopping for essentials - one person per household, once per day within a 10km limit;
Authorised?work - authorised worker permits now required;???
Care and caregiving;
Exercise?within a 10km distance from your home, with a four-hour limit;??
To get vaccinated?if you are eligible; and
Outdoor social interaction with four others from two households if all are fully vaccinated, or one other person if not fully vaccinated. Included in four-hour outdoor time limit per day.
There is no curfew in place.
These latest restrictions will impact the following City facilities and services which will close or remain closed from midnight tonight for the seven-day lockdown:
All indoor and outdoor aquatic, recreation and leisure facilities?
All community hubs and public halls?
National Wool Museum?
Customer service centres?
The Carousel?
The Potato Shed?
The?fOrT?
Belmont Market?
Childcare facilities will remain open for vulnerable children and the children of authorised workers only.
Playgrounds (for children under 12), skate parks, basketball courts and exercise equipment remain open, but BBQs will be closed.
Residents are urged to continue to check?the?state government coronavirus website?regularly for updated exposure and to follow the state government directions around getting tested and isolating.
Anyone experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, should get tested as soon as they emerge.?The?Barwon?Health website?has information about local testing facilities.
Anyone who is yet to book for a COVID-19 vaccination is strongly urged to do so today. Vaccination is the only way out of this cycle of lockdowns and we can all help ourselves, our families, friends and community by getting vaccinated as soon as possible.
Deputy Mayor Trent Sullivan said the news was extremely disappointing, but encouraged the community to follow the restrictions to help make the lockdown as short as possible."
We know that today's announcement will be hitting many people very hard," Cr Sullivan said.
Local businesses will be impacted once again as will young people hoping to catch up with friends over the school holidays. Please take care of one another.
With the release of the roadmap to reopening, we know that reaching 80 per cent double vaccination is the key marker to achieving something close to normality. So I urge everyone to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
