Covid 19 coronavirus: Two new cases in Melbourne, as lockdown set to end this week

Despite recording a rise in Covid-19 cases on Monday, it appears Melbourne's lockdown is still likely to lift at the end of the week, though there is one factor that could see authorities forced to extend restrictions.

Victoria recorded two new locally acquired cases overnight, bringing the total number of infections in the state's outbreak to 85.

There was also one case confirmed in an overseas traveller currently in hotel quarantine.

It comes after 11 new infections were confirmed yesterday, with two of those reported late on Sunday.

Melbourne's two-week lockdown is set to end at 11.59pm on Thursday, with senior Victorian government sources telling the Herald Sun they are very confident there will not be another extension.

However, the one thing that could force authorities to keep lockdown restrictions in place would be a significant rise in mystery cases.

"We are certainly on course to lift the lockdown as scheduled," one senior source told the publication.

"Unless there is a massive shock, we would be expecting that to happen."

Eased restrictions similar to those currently in place across regional Victoria are expected to be introduced in Melbourne once the lockdown ends and could include caps on private and public gatherings, density limits for venues and businesses and mask-wearing indoors.

JUST IN: Victoria has recorded two new local cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, with both cases linked to existing clusters.
One new case was also detected in hotel quarantine.

There are now 92 active cases in the state. #9Today

DETAILS: https://t.co/QopdR3eXgX pic.twitter.com/3v0ckCMNHi

— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) June 7, 2021

PM calls for an end to lockdown

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has added his voice to the growing number of people calling for an end to Melbourne's lockdown.

The PM said he was "hopeful" restrictions would be lifted "as soon as possible".

"I would be urging that we move toward lifting those restrictions as soon as possible," Morrison said.

"Hopefully [we] see Victoria opened again soon. Particularly for those parents who are having to keep their kids at home away from school. Kids have lost enough time out of school, over the course of the last 18 months."

It comes as Victoria's opposition leader Michael O'Brien blasted the ongoing restrictions, claiming families and businesses were suffering as a result.

He claimed the lockdown still meant that there were "a lot of Victorians who are pretty much living on the edge every day" and suggested the Government "doesn't understand just how difficult this lockdown is for so many Victorians".

"We can't keep going on like this," he said, accusing the Government of leaving one in three vaccines "gathering dust on the shelf".

"We need to protect this state and we need to do it quickly because we need to get out of this lockdown."