City of Latrobe to enter seven day lockdown tonight – Tuesday 28 September 2021

Victoria’s Acting Chief Health Officer has declared that the City of Latrobe will enter a seven-day lockdown commencing at 11:59pm tonight, 28 September, with restrictions the same as those in metropolitan Melbourne (excluding the curfew).

Caseloads in the City of Latrobe have rapidly increased in recent days, with 18 active cases in this Local Government Area (LGA) as of 28 September. A further four cases have been confirmed today through to this afternoon, and will be reported in tomorrow’s numbers.

The public health teams have significant concerns about onward transmission in the Latrobe Valley and have determined that the seven-day lockdown is needed to limit growth in cases, as it did in Ballarat and Geelong.

Under the lockdown, you can only leave home for limited reasons: necessary goods and services, caregiving or compassionate reasons (including medical care and getting a COVID-19 test), authorised work or permitted education, exercise and outdoor social interaction in limited groups, and getting a COVID-19 vaccine locally.

You can also leave home to visit your intimate partner or single social bubble buddy. No other visitors are allowed in the home. Shopping, exercise and outdoor social interaction will be limited to 15km from your home. Masks will be mandatory indoors and outdoors. Remember to wear masks on public transport.

You have four hours a day for exercise and outdoor social interaction. You can meet with one other person, or up to four others from two households if all present are fully vaccinated. Dependants can also join you.

You can’t leave the City of Latrobe area and travel elsewhere in regional Victoria other than for limited reasons, such as authorised work and permitted education, care and compassionate reasons, visiting an intimate partner, and necessary goods and services (only if they can’t be obtained locally).

Locals are asked to be on high alert for symptoms and get tested if any develop. A rapid response testing team has been deployed to provide support for the testing site at the indoor sports stadium on Ashby St in Traralgon, and additional resources will be provided to boost capacity and extend opening hours.

This testing centre is in addition to testing sites at the Australian Clinical Labs on Grey Street in Traralgon, the Latrobe Respiratory Clinic on Princes Drive in Morwell, the Dorevitch Pathology Drive Through site at Latrobe Regional Hospital, and the Moe Senior Citizens’ Centre on Langford Street. Testing capacity will also be boosted in Baw Baw and Bass Coast.

In the City of Latrobe, more than 73 per cent of the population have had at least their first vaccination dose and more than 44 per cent have had both. In addition to our state clinics, local GP and pharmacies are offering COVID-19 vaccinations. Visit COVID-19 vaccines for links to state-run, pharmacy and GP booking systems.

For more information on the lockdown restrictions that will be in place in the City of Latrobe at 11:59pm tonight, please visit How we live: metropolitan Melbourne and some areas of regional Victoria.

Quotes attributable to Professor Ben Cowie, Acting Chief Health Officer

“If you’re in the City of Latrobe, please follow the lockdown restrictions, get tested if you have symptoms, and get vaccinated if you haven’t already.”

“We’ve just seen the Ballarat and Geelong communities get through an outbreak so we know it can be done – it’s vital we protect the local community and the rest of regional Victoria from significant outbreaks.”

/Public Release. View in full here.