COVID-19: Protesters take to the streets demanding end to Melbourne’s snap lockdown

Melbourne’s CBD descended into chaos on Thursday night as thousands of anti-lockdown protesters flooded the streets and clashed with police.

About 2000 largely unmasked protesters gathered outside Melbourne’s Flinders Street Station after stay-at-home orders came into effect at 8pm local time.

A cornered group of about seven police officers — using pepper spray — were seen desperately trying to hold back an aggressive mob advancing towards them while hurling objects.

While demanding Victorian Premier Dan Andrew’s resignation over the State’s sixth lockdown some protesters were seen igniting flares.

Chants of “no more lockdowns” and “sack Dan Andrews” echoed throughout the streets during the march.

It is understood several people have been arrested.

Earlier on Thursday, Mr Andrews said the State had no alternative but to enter a seven-day lockdown to contain a growing outbreak of COVID-19 in Melbourne’s western suburbs.

The statewide lockdown was imposed after Victoria recorded eight new cases of the Delta variant.

The same rules that applied during last month’s lockdown will be reimposed, including the five reasons to leave home, the five-kilometre travel limit for exercise and shopping and compulsory masks wearing for both public indoor and outdoor places.

Mr Andrews said the decision was “very difficult”, “incredibly painful” and “disappointing“, but he was determined to avoid an extended lockdown.

“The alternative is not to be locked down for seven days, it’s being locked down for seven weeks or more, locked down until we get to 80 per cent vaccination and that may not happen until Christmas time,” he said.

“We have been through a three-month lockdown. That was 2020, we don’t want that again.”

Mr Andrews said Victorians were given less than four hours notice of the lockdown because an outbreak occurred at a restaurant on the eve of the last lockdown.

Regional Victoria is included in the restrictions in part because virus fragments were detected in wastewater in Wangaratta.

Health officials are concerned one of the new cases, an infected teacher at Al- Taqwa College in Truganina, may have unknowingly spread the virus in the community while infectious.

Her partner and two relatives have also tested positive.

It is unknown how the couple, who live in the Hobsons Bay area and are both in their 20s, caught the virus.

Authorities are also racing to trace the source of the infection of a man in his 20s who lives in the Maribyrnong council area.

He works at a warehouse in Derrimut and he and his housemate are isolating.

The three remaining cases from Thursday’s figures are linked to the Moonee Valley testing site cluster.

The Al-Taqwa College has become a testing site and is offering vaccinations to staff and students.

There are more than 80 new exposure sites listed, largely in Melbourne’s west.

It is the sixth lockdown for Victoria since the start of the pandemic and the fourth this year. The state’s fifth lockdown ended just nine days ago.