The Prime Minister’s message to Melbourne and Victoria

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has thanked Victorians who are and are about to “tough it out” with the country’s harshest COVID-19 restrictions.

Speaking in Canberra, the Prime Minister said the rest of Australia should support Victoria as the state battles to keep its coronavirus cases under control, issuing a reminder that an outbreak could happen in any city or state at any time.

“We are all Melburnians now, when it comes to the challenges we face,” Scott Morrison said.

“We are all Victorians now, because we are all Australian.”

PM Morrison urged those under stage 3 restrictions to “tough it out” as hard as it might be.

“The rest of the country is with you,” he said.

“The rest of the country knows that the sacrifice that you’re going through now is not just for you and your own family, but for the but for the broader Australian community.

“I want to thank Melburnians.

“I want to thank them very much for how they are dealing with this right now.

“I can imagine the frustration.

“You can imagine a business that’s just started opening up and now they’ve got to close down again … heartbreaking … frustrating.”

Meanwhile, the PM said he was hoping to “slow down” the arrival of returned travellers to Australia and would take a proposal to the national cabinet.

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