Another region locks down as Victoria's cases surge again

Another region in Victoria will go into lockdown from 11.59pm on Friday, while authorised workers have just weeks to get vaccinated.

On Friday, Victoria recorded 1143 new Covid cases, some 300 less than the staggering amount recorded on Thursday.

The state also reported three new deaths, a man in his 80s from Hume, a woman in her 70s from Alphington and a man in his 70s from Moreland.

Premier Daniel Andrews also announced Moorabool Shire will go into a seven-day lockdown.

"We regret that that is the only option, given the number of cases in it that LGA," Mr Andrews said.

The local government area will be equiped with additional testing capacity and support for anyone who needs it.

"These lockdowns have been effective in bringing stability to case numbers and driving case numbers down," the premier said.

"But on advice and very careful analysis, this is unavoidable that a lockdown must be applied to that community. The same rules apply to Moorabool as they do in Melbourne, minus the curfew, of course, that is not a feature of that lockdown."

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Authorised workers given weeks to get vaccinated

The premier also announced authorised workers in Victoria will have two weeks to get one dose of a Covid vaccine.

All authorised workers in Melbourne and regional Victoria have until October 15 to get their first dose and November 26 to get their second.

Without meeting the statewide direction, they won't be allowed to continue working on site.

Mr Andrews said this decision will impact "literally hundreds of thousands of Victorians" and said the mandate was not about preventing people from going to work.

"They're about making sure that we can open up," he said of the new requirement.

"They're about making sure that people can go to work, that people can be safe, and that we can defend and deliver our roadmap for opening."

He said this decision was not taken lightly, but it is "critically important".

However, the October 15 deadline does not apply to workers who already had a vaccine requirement under the Chief Health Officer's direction.

Workers in construction, freight, healthcare, aged care and education will still have to comply with the previous advice.

Following a two-week pause on the construction industry in Melbourne and other locked down regions, the state government also revealed the plan to restart the industry.

From Tuesday, construction sites can reopen for workers who can show evidence to their employer they have had at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

For some building sites, the workforce caps will remain, with the exception for outdoor state government projects.

Single-dose workers will be allowed to set up ahead of the reopening.

Fully vaccinated workers can move between regional Victoria and Melbourne and tea rooms will reopen with enhanced cleaning, density limits and additional ventilation.

"The preference is for these meal breaks to be taken outside wherever possible," Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan said.

With AAP

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