One Melbourne postcode has borne the brunt of Victoria's latest Covid outbreak as the Delta variant rips through the city's west.
The City of Wyndham in west Melbourne, which includes Tarneit, Truganina and Hoppers Crossing, as of Saturday has 110 active infections - the highest in Victoria.
From the state's 190 cases recorded on Saturday, 11 were from those three suburbs - where the per capita infection rate is far higher than most parts of Australia at 117 per 100,000 people.
Since the pandemic began last year, there have been nearly 1,500 confirmed positive results for residents under the shared postcode in Melbourne's west.
Scroll down for video
Residents in Melbourne's Covid-stricken western suburbs out exercising on Saturday after Victoria recorded 190 new Covid cases
With high case numbers, residents in Melbourne's west are closely following public orders. (pictured, a family with their groceries in Tarneit)
The high case numbers in Melbourne's west have seen residents abiding by Covid laws, notably wearing of face masks in public (pictured, a woman with a coffee in Tarniet)
The LGA as a whole is home to 255,000 residents and has recorded more than 2,500 Covid cases since the start of the pandemic.
Last month, the postcode was named as Melbourne's top coronavirus hotspot, a development labelled 'concerning' by local residents.
Rishi Prabhakar, an accountant and mortgage broker, lives with his wife Aanchal and the couple's two young children in Tarneit.
'Everybody thinks you are from a different world, the way they treat us,' he said.
'Because we have a high number of cases compared to the rest of Victoria. It's very concerning.'
Families in Covid-stricken Tarneit in Melbourne's west were spotted out shopping on Saturday wearing face masks
With Covid cases surging each day across the state, residents were spotted out exercising on Saturday across Melbourne
The premier confirmed on Saturday he hopes to start easing restrictions once 70 per cent of Victorians have received their first jab.
That vaccination target could be achieved as early as September 23.
Vaccinated residents are set to receive more freedoms, while unvaccinated Victorians will be 'locked out' from venues such as sports stadiums, cinemas and pubs.
Discussions are underway with industry leaders to see how a 'vaccinated economy' would work, with the required technology poised for regional Victoria after it exits lockdown.
This graph shows the number of Covid cases per day in Victoria as the state endures its sixth lockdown
A digital passport system is set to be rolled out and linked to the Service Victoria app and the federal government's vaccination certificate.
Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Paul Guerra has labelled it the 'path forward'.
'It would be as simple as you get a green tick when you check in and you get a green tick if you've been vaccinated,' he said.
'The person checking it at the venue only has to see two green ticks and you're allowed in. You only need to look overseas to see that these passports are likely to be an integral part of opening up.'
The 190 new cases announced on Saturday takes the state's total to 1,301 active cases of Covid-19.
Currently there are 205 children aged between zero and nine years old infected with Covid, 213 cases aged between ten and 19, 316 in their 20s and 224 are aged in their 30s.
There has also been a marked shift in focus from virus case numbers to vaccination numbers in Victoria this week, as authorities conceded the state cannot return to Covid zero.
As Melbourne endures yet another lockdown, people are exercising in high numbers across the state
On Saturday across Victoria, families were out in force at numerous parks and reserves
With playgrounds finally re-open, many families took the opportunity to take their kids to local parks and reserves across Victoria
'We are not going to be driving this down to zero. That does not mean the rules are not ongoing. In some respect, we have to try even harder,' Mr Andrews said.
The premier added it would be unfair to keep the state in lockdown because of the few unvaccinated residents who refused to get the jab.
'Far from being locked into your house, you will have freedoms that an unvaccinated person is not going to be able to do,' he said.
'They will be locked out of a whole range of venues because they could be vaccinated, and they've chosen not to.
'I am not going to lock down the whole state to protect people who won't protect themselves.'
New freedoms for the vaccinated
Daniel Andrews has ditched a zero Covid policy and announced the key to lifting lockdown is boosting vaccination rates.
The premier hopes to start easing some restrictions once 70 per cent of residents have received their first jab. The state could hit the milestone by September 23.
He has made it clear the freedoms will be granted to vaccinated residents while the unvaccinated will be 'locked out'.
Fully vaccinated residents could soon be allowed to visit:
- Outdoor music and sporting events
- Pubs and restaurants
- Cinemas
- The Spring Racing Carnival
A new digital passport will be rolled out and linked to the Service Victoria app and the federal government's vaccination certificate.
