The brutal five day long lockdown of the entire state of Victoria could continue for up to two weeks thanks to a sneaky detail in health directive legal papers.
To bring a lockdown into force, shutting all non-essential businesses and forcing millions to stay within 5km of their homes, a state s chief health officer must sign a legal document.
These directives then give powers to the police as well as to health officials, including the ability to issue fines and force people to isolate.
The entire state was plunged into lockdown from 11.59pm on Friday in response to an outbreak at Melbourne Airport s Holiday Inn, which has grown to 14 cases.