Vic Premier makes major announcement on construction industry

He confirmed workers in the industry will be back on the tools on Tuesday October 5 with a roadmap to reopen under strict health guidelines.

Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allen revealed construction sites will need to adhere to a raft of new measurers to ensure the construction sector can operate safely and remain open.

Employers need to ensure their workers have had a least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, must carry an Authorised Workers permit and all operators will need to prove their sites are COVID-safe with a marshal to ensure compliance is adhered to.

Up to five workers and a supervisor will be able to work on small projects while larger sites can have 25 per cent capacity. But if workers on a site are all vaccinated and crib facilities "meet best practice" it can be lifted to 50 per cent.

Tradies working on state critical projects or large construction sites can travel to regional Victoria to undertake work if they have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and take a test before travelling to the area.

They will need to take a swab twice a week until fully vaccinated.

Every site will need to have an up to date vaccination register. Service Victoria will have a portal available soon so documents can be accessible for operators and compliance teams.

Crib facilities may be used for the consumption of food and drink with strict density requirements and additional ventilation.

Regular compliance checks will be conducted with operators caught repeatedly breaching health orders shut down.

Treasurer Tim Pallas revealed inspectors discovered 73 per cent of construction sites visited on September 16 were not complying with health directions.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the government has "every reason to be confident" the sector will remain open.

"I want this industry to stay open and get back normal," he said.

"Not just 25 per cent. Right up to 100 per cent. We've got every reason to be confident about that. We just have to be vigilant in keeping these building sites safe for those who work in them and the families of people who work in them."

He also announced every single Victorian who is on the Authorised Worker list, including athletes, will need to have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by October 15 and will need be fully vaccinated by the expected reopening date of October 26.

"This is critically important to keep the case numbers down so that we can open up on 26 October, get our freedom back, get the economy going again, and deliver the national plan," Mr Andrews said.

Teachers, healthcare, construction and skilled workers will not be affected by the new announcement as there are already timelines set in place for their sectors.

The advice was passed down by the Burnet Institute, Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton and the public health team.

The Moorabool local government area — which includes the towns of Bacchus Marsh, Ballan, Myrniong and Blackwood — will be plunged into a snap lockdown from Friday 7pm as cases continue to grow.

Mr Andrews said short lockdowns have worked in regional areas.

“These lockdowns have been effective in first bringing stability to case numbers and then driving those numbers down,” he said.

“But on advice and careful analysis that’s been done of the number of cases in that local government area, it is unavoidable that a lockdown must be applied to that community.”

Health Department Deputy Secretary Naomi Bromley advised Victorians that 100,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine will be distributed across ten vaccination hubs in metropolitan Melbourne.

Students across 22 priority postcodes have been "strongly recommended" to get a vaccine this weekend ahead of VCE exams.

Parents and students from the areas of Brimbank, Casey, Darebin, Hume, Melton, Moreland, Whittlesea and Wyndham have been notified.

More than 84,000 Victorian residents stepped forward for a COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday.

There are more than 13,000 first Pfizer and 8,000 AstraZeneca appointments available over the next seven days.

The state government is also expected to announce an easing of restrictions around the New South Wales and Victoria border in "coming days".

More Victorian residents stuck in the northern state will be able to return home but will need to be double dosed and home isolation period could be reduced.

Victoria recorded 1,143 new COVID-19 cases and three deaths in the past 24 hours, the Department of Health announced on Friday.

Mr Andrews passed on his sympathies to the family and friends of a man in his 80s from Hume, a woman in her 70s from Alphington and a man in his 70s from Morleand.

There are currently 395 people in hospital, 87 in intensive care and 59 of those are on a ventilator. Twenty one per cent have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and five per cent were fully vaccinated.

The majority of the infections are still situated in the northern suburbs with 243 in Hume, 83 in Whittlesea, 49 in Moreland, 21 in Darebin and 24 in Yarra.

Melbourne's western suburbs saw 55 in Melton, 54 in Wyndham, 70 in Brimbank, 23 in Hobsons Bay and 37 in Mooney Valley.

The state's south east reported 41 infections in Casey and 25 in Greater Dandenong with the east recording 11 in Knox, and nine in the Yarra Ranges and regional Victoria listed 63 cases.

The results came from 62,883 tests and takes the number of active cases in the state to 10,944.

Victoria has become the leading state for highest daily coronavirus infections after overtaking New South Wales earlier this week.