Lockdown ending in Ballarat

THE City of Ballarat will exit lockdown at midnight tonight.

The city entered a seven-day lockdown on Wednesday, 15 September after a number of positive COVID-19 cases and wastewater were detected.

About 10,000 tests have been processed throughout the region over the last week, almost one tenth of the population.

Eighteen local cases were identified in the outbreak, with none recorded today.

There will no longer only be five reasons to leave home will and the municipality will join the rest of regional lockdown.

Outdoor gatherings are permitted in a public place for a group of up to 10 people, religious ceremonies are allowed for no more than 20 people and the authorise worker list no longer applies for Ballarat workers. Health authorities continue to encourage those that can work from home to continue doing so.

Childcare and kinder will reopen, outdoor community sports can resume training and gyms will open with strict capacity limits.

There will be no limit on travel, except to locked down local government areas, including metropolitan Melbourne, Geelong, Surf Coast and Mitchell Shire.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the result is a testament to the Ballarat community.

“Regional communities come together in a powerful way to deal with challenges like these. We saw it in Shepparton and Ballarat, and we’ll see it in Geelong, Surf Coast and Mitchell Shire too,” he said.