Victoria will go into another Stage 4 lockdown from 11.59pm tonight. Find out which essential workers and providers will be operating amid delivery demand in the lead up to Valentines Day on February 14.
The state of Victoria will move to circuit-breaker action from 11:59pm tonight until 11:59pm on Wednesday, 17 February.
“As with Stage 4 restrictions, all non-essential retail will close, but essential stores like supermarkets, bottle shops and pharmacies will remain open,” Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced on Friday afternoon.
“If you were a permitted worker during Stage 4 restrictions – you’ll most likely be an essential worker now too.”
From 11.59pm on Friday and for five days, Victorians will only be allowed to leave home for one of the four essential reasons.
Operations in the supply chain are considered as essential according to the Victorian Government.
Australian Logistics Council CEO Kirk Coningham OAM said the National Border Protocol has now been established for 12 months.
“It has been a collaboration between ALC, industry and jurisdictions to serve the purpose and ease of freight moving between states to ensure essential goods are delivered to communities around Australia. In addition to wave through policies for freight lanes we have also negotiated relief from delivery curfews allowing industry to meet periods of greater demand. Industry will continue to deliver,” Kirk said.
Post offices, supermarkets, and click and collect services will remain open.
“With the recent announcement of lockdown in Melbourne effective midnight tonight, we want to assure our customers Post Offices will remain open and we will continue to process and deliver letters and parcels to all Australians, in line with government regulations,” an Australia Post spokesperson told MHD.
“We will closely monitor the effect of the lockdown and keep customers updated as this situation evolves.”
Spike in grocery demand
On February 12, Woolworths and Coles reinstated product restrictions across Victorian stores and online due to consumer demand for household items including toilet paper, frozen food and meat.
“We have plenty of stock to draw on from our suppliers and distribution centres and our team will be hard at work making sure it flows into our stores in large volumes over the coming days,” Woolworths Victoria Assistant State Manager, John Di Tirro said.
“Extra team members will also be deployed to support with additional cleaning and wiping down of trolleys. In line with Victorian Government directives, all customers and team members are expected to wear face masks in our stores.”
Essential providers in the supply chain
- A supermarket, grocery store, bakery, butcher, fruit and vegetable store or fishmonger
- Post offices
- ‘click and deliver’ services
Essential workers in the supply chain
Any person who performs work that is essential for the continued operation of an essential provider, or;
- A factory or facility that is not able to be shut down without causing damage or loss to plant and equipment, but only those operations that are necessary in order to prevent that damage or loss
- Construction services for critical infrastructure work
- Administrative services provided by an employer to enable its employees to work from home
- Public transport, including taxis, rideshare services and other public passenger services
- Air transport (including the operation of airports)
- Port operations
- Freight services (including postal and courier services)
- Transport, freight or logistics driver
- National Heavy Vehicle Regulator compliance activities
- Truck stops and roadhouses, but not the provision of seated dining or shower facilities to persons who are not transport, freight or logistics drivers
- Production and distribution of food and groceries for sale by a supermarket, butcher, fruit and vegetable store, market or fishmonger (including for sale by operators of such premises at an indoor or outdoor market), liquor for sale at a bottleshop, medical and pharmaceutical products.
- Commercial operations that supply goods or service necessary for the implementation of measures to limit the spread of COVID-19; or to support any business activity that may be carried out in accordance with these directions; or to support the export of goods and services from Victoria. Example: manufacturing of personal protective equipment or hand sanitiser.
- Primary industries only to the extent necessary to ensure adequate supply of food to, and care of, animals and maintenance of crops.
- manufacturing, fabrication or assembly of goods and materials necessary for or related to supporting defence or security industries
- A fly in fly out worker or a drive in drive out worker who is required for industry or business continuity and maintenance of a competitive operation where the service is time-critical, who is responsible for critical maintenance or repair of infrastructure critical to a region of, or to, Victoria;
- Maritime crew
- A transport, freight or logistics driver.
Cleaning, signage, record keeping, and other COVIDSafe requirements continue to apply for all venues and facilities with onsite operations as per Workplace Directions. The Density Quotient applies to all venues and spaces that are accessible to the public (and in closed workplaces, to shared spaces such as lunchrooms).
A full rundown of the ‘circuit breaker’ action can be found here.