At Thursday morning's press conference, Acting Premier James Merlino said there would be five reasons to leave home under the circuit-breaker lockdown.
These include shopping for necessary goods and services, authorised work or permitted education, exercise, caregiving for compassionate and medical reasons and to get vaccinated, with over-40s eligible from Friday morning.
People will need to stay within 5 km of their home for shopping and exercise, unless the nearest shops are further away.
Masks must be worn both indoors and outdoors unless an exemption applies.
There are to be no visitors to homes other than intimate partners, but single bubbles will be permitted.
There will also be no public gatherings, with restaurants, pubs, and cafes to provide takeaway only.
Childcare and kinders will open as per the circuit-breaker lockdown earlier this year, while schools will move to remote learning, except for vulnerable children and children of authorised workers.
Higher education will move to remote learning only.
Approved professional sporting events will proceed but without crowds.
Visits will not be allowed at aged care facilities except for limited reasons, and hospital visits will only be permitted for end-of-life reasons, to support a partner during birth, or for a parent accompanying a child.
Funerals will be capped at 10 people – plus those running the service – and weddings cannot proceed unless for end-of-life or deportation reasons.
Religious activities will not proceed other than through broadcast, with a maximum of five people allowed.
Mr Merlino said this circuit-breaker was necessary to contain the spread of the "quick and contagious" Indian variant of the virus.
"Unless something drastic happens, this will become increasingly uncontrollable," he said.
The rapidly-developing cluster reached a total of 26 cases on Thursday, after 12 new cases were recorded overnight to Thursday, including a case already announced Wednesday.
All cases are linked.
The acting premier said in excess of 10,000 primary and secondary contacts had been identified as of Thursday morning, with this number only tipped to rise.
"Our contact tracers are identifying and locking down the first ring, second ring and third ring within 24 hours," he said.
"That's the fastest our contact tracers have ever moved within a 24-hour period.
"But despite working as fast as this . . . this variant is moving faster still."
Mr Merlino said it was necessary regional Victoria was included in this lockdown due to the widespread exposure sites.
"There is also the risk of people in metropolitan Melbourne moving into regional Victoria and spreading transmission of the virus," he said.
He also took aim at Australia's sluggish vaccine program, saying if the vaccine had been effectively rolled out, "we may well not be here today".
The number of Victorian exposure sites exploded to more than 150 Thursday, including the Docklands stadium and MCG, as well as locations in Cohuna, Bendigo and Axedale.
For a full and updated list of exposure sites, visit coronavirus.vic.gov.au/exposure-sites
16°C