All of regional Victoria will go into stage three restrictions on Thursday.
Cafes and restaurants will be forced back to takeaway and delivery, and gyms will also close from 11.59 pm Wednesday.
Schools will go back to remote learning as of Wednesday — including VCE and VCAL students — after a normal day on Monday, and a pupil-free day on Tuesday.
School will resume for vulnerable students and children of permitted workers, and specialist schools in regional Victoria will remain open.
Education Minister James Merlino said there would be no change to VCE and VCAL assessments, other than the GAT, and assured finishing students would get their ATAR before the end of the year.
Metropolitan Melbourne will go under stage four tonight, which will see an 8 pm to 5 am curfew and the limit of movement 5 km from a person's home, while Mitchell Shire will remain under stage three.
Premier Daniel Andrews announced Victoria would be in a ‘state of disaster’ from 6 pm tonight, and said these new restrictions across Victoria would be in place until mid-September.
Under stage three, there are only four reasons to leave the home:
1. Shopping for food or other essential items;2. To provide care giving, for compassionate reasons or to seek medical treatment;3. For exercise (applies to outdoor exercise, and with only one other person or members of your household);4. Work or study, if you cannot work or study from home.
Victoria recorded 671 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, with seven more deaths.
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