Warrnambool avoids lockdown for the moment

Premier Daniel Andrews has announced all Victorian authorised workers must get a first COVID-19 vaccine dose by October 15 if they want to keep working.

Mr Andrews said the announcement was "not made lightly", but that nobody would be exempt from the new rules, which will be written into law next week.

The announcement came as Victoria recorded 1143 new COVID-19 cases, 46 in regional areas, and three deaths. The number of positive cases in hospital and ICU remained stable.

Of those in hospital just five per cent were fully vaccinated and Mr Andrews said almost all were aged care residents who had been moved to hospital as a precaution.

Moorabool Shire to the east of Ballarat entered a seven day lockdown from 7pm on Friday night. Despite recording 12 cases across three households on Thursday, Warrnambool avoided going into lockdown.

The state crossed the 50 per cent double dose line, meaning half Victoria's adult population was fully vaccinated, however Mr Andrews said a vaccine mandate for all authorised workers was absolutely necessary.

"I would not be making this announcement if we didn't believe this was absolutely critical to having less days like yesterday, and, to making sure days like yesterday don't become 3,000 days or 4,000 days," he said on Friday, referring to Thursday's record 1438 daily cases.

"From Friday 15 October, every single authorised worker that is on that authorised worker list, whether they be in Melbourne or regional Victoria, will need to have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. That is if they want to continue working."

The mandate will apply to between 1-1.25 million Victorian workers, with a second dose required by November 26.

Mr Andrews said sectors that had already received a mandate, such as healthcare workers, teachers and construction workers, would stick to their previously mandated deadlines.

He said if workers didn't get the jab "then they won't be going to work."

I'm not taking lectures on freedom from people who will hold all of us back. We want to be free, we're going to be free," he said.

"This is advice from both the Burnett Institute and advice from the acting Chief Health Officer and the public health team."

The new order is easily the most wide-ranging vaccination mandate made so far in Australia, with the list of authorised worker vocations ranging across all walks of life including: police, judges, MPs, emergency services workers, media workers, personal trainers, transport workers and public servants.

He said the mandate applied to workers going out and performing their job in person. People who fitted the authorised worker definition but could work from home could continue to do so.

While Mr Andrews said the new rule could affect up to 1.25 million people, he said with 80 per cent of adults already having a first dose the actual number was much smaller.

He said any businesses that were concerned about legal backlash from imposing the mandate on their workers need not worry.

"It's not a matter of a business doing this themselves, and then being - some going after them in court for instance. These are directions under the public health and wellbeing act," he said.

"There will be very detailed consultation with, for instance, our energy sector, our waste management sector, our supermarket and food supply chain sector... But no-one is exempt from the Public Health and Wellbeing Act... I'm not looking to exempt anyone."

Mr Andrews said the new mandate would continue to apply even once the state reached its 80 per cent fully vaccinated target, saying it would be foolish for any authorised worker to try to wait out the new rule.

"After we get to 80 per cent and the authorisations are no longer there, the mandate, the rule, the chief health officer direction will stay in place. Because cases will still be an issue there.

"We're going to have a vaccinated economy and we're going to lock some people out because that is far better than locking everyone down," he said.

Mr Andrews also hinted at the NSW border restrictions being eased in coming days, with the 14-day quarantine requirement to be decreased. The requirement to be fully vaccinated and return a negative COVID-19 test before entering Victoria would remain, he said.

Treasurer Tim Pallas also announced the construction sector would reopen on Tuesday, with a suite of new compliance measures that would be strictly enforced across the sector.

Current worker caps, with most sites limited to 25 per cent of the baseline workforce, would be gradually eased when the state hits its vaccination milestones. At 70 per cent double dose worksites could return to 100 per cent capacity but with strict density requirements, while at 80 per cent double dose all worker caps would be removed.

Mr Pallas said breaches of the new rules would be punished.

"We're deadly serious about this because this is a vital important chance for the industry to demonstrate its seriousness around being a safe workplace, but also making sure that not only the workforce, but the communities in which all those workers live are being adequately protected," he said.

EARLIER:

Warrnambool will not be locked down at this stage, as the state recorded 1143 new cases overnight.

South West Healthcare CEO Craig Fraser says the city has recorded one new case overnight, and it is linked to a household.

Moorabool Shire will enter a snap lockdown from 7pm tonight because of rising cases.

Despite recording 12 new cases yesterday, restrictions in Warrnambool remain unchanged for the moment.

Victoria has hit 80 per cent first COVID-19 vaccine dose and 50 per cent fully vaccinated.

Premier Daniel Andrews announced from October 15 all authorised workers would be required to have at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

"From Friday 15 October, every single authorised worker that is on that authorised worker list, whether they be in Melbourne or regional Victoria, will need to have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. That is if they want to continue working," he said.

"They will need to have their second dose and be fully vaccinated by 26 November."

The decision will affect between 1-1.25 million Victorian workers.

All authorised workers who already have mandates in place, such as health workers, teachers and construction workers, will stick to the dose timelines they have already been given.

More to come