After spending the first night of the curfew in Victoria, the government is considering extending JobKeeper wage subsidies and introducing paid pandemic sick leave. Mr. Frydenberg said that the current form of JobKeeper will last until the end of September, which is later than the duration of the lockdown plan.
He told the ABC on Monday, “We are at war. Every Victorian is on the front line and everyone has to take their own responsibilities. Our line of defense cannot have any loopholes.” The Treasurer pointed out that some major employers have already launched Pandemic sick leave, while the state government also provides support for those in need of isolation. The Minister of Labor Relations, Christian Porter, is negotiating with unions and business groups to see if more work is needed. Due to the continuous surge in the number of coronavirus infections and deaths, Victoria has taken new severe measures into a state of disaster.
Governor Andrews is expected to announce measures to further reduce commercial activity on Monday. Mr. Frydenberg said the impact on the Australian economy would be greater than the Treasury Department’s estimate that the lockdown would cost A$3.3 billion in the first six weeks. He said: “Victoria accounts for a quarter of the national economy.”
According to the new measures, one person in each household can go shopping once a day. The daily exercise time is limited to one hour. Like shopping, it must be within 5 kilometers of the household. During the six-week lockdown, the police will impose a curfew between 8 pm and 5 am, and they already have special disaster status powers. At the same time, the NSW government strongly recommends that people wear masks in high-risk situations. Workers facing the public, worshippers, people living near community groups, and people in enclosed spaces such as public transportation or grocery stores should wear masks.
