Victoria has reported one new coronavirus death and 216 coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, as the health authorities battle over 100 outbreaks across the state.
Australia's coronavirus death toll now stands at 107, after a man in his nineties succumbed to the virus overnight while in hospital.
More than 180 of the new cases are still under investigation, with 30 linked to known outbreaks.
It takes the total number of cases in the state to 3,560, with 49 patients in hospital and 15 people in intensive care.
Victorian Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton said single cases had been recorded among staff in aged care facilities.
"Essentially, we have got over a 100 cumulative outbreaks [in Victoria]...We are getting more and more cases in aged care facilities and we need to make sure we keep up with that."
'Not an ordinary weekend'
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews urged residents to comply with the lockdown rules.
“This is not an ordinary weekend. It is anything but that. You’ve got to be in your home, if you are in the metropolitan Melbourne or Mitchell Shire areas.”
The four reasons to leave the house include: healthcare and other essential services like groceries; exercise, work and study if they can’t be done from home, or childcare.
On Friday, Victoria reported a , as the state attempts to contain a surge in community transmission over the past three weeks.
Residents in Metropolitan Melbourne and Shire of Mitchell are subject to a six-week stage three lockdown, which was announced on Thursday after a steady growth in community transmission cases.
"As frustrating, as inconvenient and as challenging as it is, we cannot deny the reality of the situation we face, and we cannot pretend that doing anything other than following the rules will get us to the other side of this," Mr Andrews said.
He said police would be enforcing fines and penalties for those who flagrantly break the lockdown rules.
"This is so serious. The stakes are so high."
"If people make selfish choices ... It's not just them who pays the price. We all will. The lockdown will go longer."
Up to two million Australian-made reusable masks have been ordered as the state government updated its official advice on Friday to recommend the wearing of face masks.
Premier Andrews warned the wearing of masks "is going to be a feature of our response for a very long time, particularly when we get to the other side of this shutdown".
He said while the wearing of masks is not compulsory, it is highly recommended as a "low cost, high reward" strategy.
“No mask is foolproof, no mask will get the risk of infection down to zero, but every little bit helps, every contribution helps."
Single-use masks are being sourced to ensure a stockpile is in place, particularly for health workers.
Professor Sutton said he was hopeful case numbers would begin to plateau over the next five days.
“With respect to stage three restrictions across Metro Melbourne and Mitchell Shire, it's in the next three to five days that it should be having an effect."
“But there are people who need to go to work and when you have a significant pressure of infection that we have with numbers now, we know there will be transmission...and so we can't be guaranteed that will turn around.”
New South Wales has recorded seven new cases, and Queensland has registered two new overseas-acquired cases.
Five of the NSW cases are returned travellers in hotel quarantine, while the other two cases involve a man who visited Casula’s Crossroads Hotel on 3 July and a traveller from Melbourne.
NSW Health says three further cases have been identified among household contacts of the Blue Mountains man who attended the Crossroads Hotel. The numbers will be included in tomorrow's tally.
NSW Health's Dr Jeremy McAnulty said the community transmission shows the state is "at a critical point in the fight to contain the virus".
Additional reporting: AAP
Residents in metropolitan Melbourne are subject to stay-at-home orders and can only leave home for essential work, study, exercise or care responsibilities. People are also advised to wear masks in public.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your state’s restrictions on gathering limits.
If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
