This means the Crown Resorts casino located in Melbourne will have to close its doors for one week.

The casino has said it will continue to provide hotel accommodation for specific reasons and employees will continue working on their adjusted schedules and salaries.

Under the new rules, hotels and accommodations are allowed to stay open to support guests that stay onsite; Merlino specified that no new bookings should be made unless there’s a valid reason, such as work.

He added that there will only be rare scenarios in which local residents can leave home, for example, going outside to exercise, shop or gather supplies.

However, Victorians can only exercise or shop within a five-kilometre radius from their house.

Shops, banks, petrol stations and pharmacies will remain open, while schools will be closed but children of key workers and vulnerable children will still need to attend.

More advice on who can stay open and who can work will be made available online once the restrictions start tonight.

In a statement, Merlino said: “It’s clear more than ever, this virus isn’t going away and vaccines are the only way we’ll ever get back to normal.

“Without full vaccination, this virus will just keep mutating and just keep making its way back in.”

The news will come as another, albeit temporary, disappointment for Crown Resorts, given all the upheaval it continues to experience in 2021.