Despite the new lockdown announced this afternoon, officials have confirmed the Australian Open will continue without crowds.
The Victorian Government announced a five-day lockdown from midnight on Friday over the fresh Covid-19 scare in the Australian state where the Australian Open is currently taking place.
Up until now, crowds in limited capacity had been allowed to attend the major – with one spectator even getting into a bizarre confrontation with Rafael Nadal from the stands – but Premier Dan Andrews said that will change from the weekend.
"Any number of other large and small professional sport events, they will function essentially as a workplace,” Andrews said.
“But they will not function as an entertainment event, because there will be no crowds.
"And the workforce will be the minimum that is needed in order for that to be Covid-safe and safe in lots of other contexts.”
Under the new lockdown, people will only be able to leave their homes to shop for food and essential items, to provide or receive care, exercise, and work and study if they can't from home.
The 5km limit on travel will also be reimposed, as will the compulsory use of masks both indoors and outdoors.
Andrews said the UK strain of the virus is "so hyper-infectious and moves so fast that it is presenting a very real challenge" for authorities.
"It is the advice to me that we must assume that there are further cases in the community than we have positive results for, and that it is moving at a velocity that has not been seen anywhere in our country over the course of these last 12 months," he said.
Victoria recorded five new Covid-19 cases on Friday, all of which are connected to the Holiday Inn at Melbourne Airport.
The new cases include a female assistant manager and four close contacts of people who earlier tested positive to Covid-19.
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