Melbourne extends lockdown as Australia fails to stop outbreak Issued on: 19/07/2021 - 06:16 Melbourne's five-day lockdown failed to reduce new infections to zero ASANKA BRENDON RATNAYAKE AFP 2 min Melbourne (AFP) Australia's two largest cities are set to stay under tight Covid-19 restrictions as Melbourne on Monday extended a five-day snap lockdown designed to curb a virulent outbreak. "These restrictions simply cannot end at midnight tomorrow night," Victoria state premier Daniel Andrews said, without saying how long the Melbourne lockdown would last. About 12 million people are under lockdown in Melbourne and Sydney, where a month of restrictions has failed to quash an outbreak of the Delta variant.