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Prime Minister Scott Morrison is facing a push to enable support payments to flow through to people hit by lockdowns regardless of their length.

As Victoria prepared for a five-day statewide lockdown from midnight, Mr Morrison has flagged a new plan which would see people receive support payments from the second week of any state or territory lockdown.

Employees who have lost at least 20 hours of work a week will be given $600, while those who have lost less than 20 hours will get $375.

It would be paid in arrears from the start of the restrictions, and the liquid assets test won't be applied.

However, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews wants the support to be paid on a pro-rata basis, rather than having to add two more days to his state's lockdown in order to qualify for the Commonwealth money.

"I want everybody to get a fair deal," Mr Andrews told reporters in Melbourne on Thursday.

"We are part of this nation and it's needs-based - it's not foreign aid, we are not a different country."

But Mr Morrison on Thursday night told Sky News premiers would need to agree to share the cost of any financial support offered for lockdowns under seven days.

"Here's the nub of it. If you're going to go have a shorter lockdown, fine."

"But the Commonwealth can't just be in this position of providing a blank cheque to that."

He said he was confident a "common sense arrangement" could be negotiated.

"The premier and I, we have a good working relationship, always have - doesn't mean we always agree on everything."

The Victorian Labor leader has previously raised concerns the package offered to NSW showed the federal government was giving a Liberal-led state government special treatment.

The highly infectious Delta variant outbreak in Sydney is nearing 1000 cases since it began in mid-June, with dozens hospitalised and some on ventilators.

Victoria has 18 infections linked to the Sydney outbreak, and 75 exposure sites.

"That's how fast this moves," Mr Andrews said.

Also under the federal support plan, eligible businesses can access weekly payments of between $1500 and $10,000.

They must show a 30 per cent fall in turnover and agree not to cut staff, while sole traders can access $1000 a week.

The federal government will turn the tap off when restrictions ease or the area is no longer a nationally recognised hotspot.

National cabinet is due to discuss the streamlined support at an online meeting on Friday afternoon.

NSW reported 65 additional cases on Thursday, and Sydney's lockdown will continue until at least July 30.

As the number of delivered vaccine doses rose to 9.63 million, the government revealed it was making progress on getting mRNA vaccines made locally, with an approach-to-market process closing on Friday.

However, Mr Morrison said there were still some issues around intellectual property held by Pfizer and Moderna which needed to be sorted out.

There's currently a glut of locally made AstraZeneca vaccine because of expert medical advice it be preferred for over 60s, due to the risk of rare but potentially fatal blood clots in younger recipients.

But Sydney's situation meant the federal government's immunisation advisory group ATAGI again updated its advice, saying younger people in outbreak areas should consider the AstraZeneca jab if Pfizer wasn't available.

The recommended wait time between AstraZeneca doses was also cut from 12 weeks to between four and eight.

© AAP 2021

Victoria will enter a "short, sharp" five-day lockdown in an effort to contain a growing outbreak of the Delta variant of COVID-19.

Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed the lockdown will begin at 11.59pm on Thursday, after two more local COVID-19 cases were recorded this afternoon.

People will only able to leave home for five reasons - to shop for food and essential items, provide or receive care, exercise, work or study if they are unable to from home, and to get vaccinated.

A five-kilometre travel limit will also be reimposed for exercise and shopping, as will compulsory use of masks both indoors and outdoors.

All non-essential retail will close but essential stores like supermarkets, bottle shops and pharmacies will remain open, with shopping limited to one person per day, per household.

Cafes and restaurants will only be able to offer takeaway.

Childcare and kinder will stay open but schools will close, except for a small cohort of students.

The lockdown will end at 11:59pm on Tuesday, though regional Victoria will be able to reopen earlier if it is safe to do so.

Mr Andrews said the state's contact tracers were moving faster than they ever have, but haven't been able to keep up with the spread of the Delta variant.

"We've got no choice. We have to do this, otherwise, it will get away from us. We don't want this getting away from us and being locked down for months," he told reporters.

"We want to deal with this with a short, sharp lockdown. Decisive action, not waiting, not dawdling, not delay.

"Hard and fast, you only get one chance. Now is our time."

It is the fifth lockdown for Victoria since the start of the pandemic and the third in 2021.

There are now 18 active COVID-19 cases in the community associated with two outbreaks in Melbourne, both originating from NSW.

Of greatest concern to authorities are three cases who tested positive after attending an AFL match between Carlton and Geelong at the MCG on Saturday.

COVID-19 Commander Jeroen Weimar said the cases appear to be linked to an infectious Maribyrnong man who attended the match and was seated in the MCC member's reserve on level two.

But he said the trio are not known contacts of the infected man and it appeared to be a case of "stranger-to-stranger transmission".

"They were sitting in very different parts of the ground. There's no obvious relationship between them. The interviews and discussions are ongoing," Mr Weimar said.

The infected man, aged in his 60s, attended the game with his friend, a teacher from Bacchus Marsh Grammar school who lives in Barwon Heads.

The teacher and two of his family members, a nine-year-old child and a man in his 60s, have also subsequently tested positive for COVID-19.

Both Bacchus Marsh Grammar and Barwon Heads Primary School, as well as St Patrick's Primary School in Murrumbeena, have been closed.

There are more than 75 exposures sites across Melbourne and regional Victoria, with some 1500 primary close contacts and 5000 secondary contacts self-isolating.

Opposition Leader Michael O'Brien said he was concerned lockdowns were being used as a "first response" rather than a last resort.

"We can't keep going into lockdown every time we get 10 or 12 cases in the community," he said.

Victorian locations where there is a risk you may have been exposed to COVID-19: https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/exposure-sites

© AAP 2021

Premier Daniel Andrews says Victoria has "no choice" but to enter a five-day statewide lockdown to contain a growing outbreak of the COVID-19 Delta variant.

From 11.59pm on Thursday, Victorians will only be able to leave home for five reasons - to shop for food and essential items, provide or receive care, exercise, work or study if they are unable to from home and to get vaccinated.

The same rules that applied during last month's lockdown will be reimposed, including a five-kilometre travel limit for exercise and shopping and compulsory masks indoors and outdoors.

The lockdown will end at 11.59pm on Tuesday, though restrictions in regional Victoria could be lifted earlier if it is safe to do so.

Mr Andrews said the state's contact tracers were moving faster than they ever have, but haven't been able to keep up with the spread of the Delta variant.

"We've got no choice. We have to do this, otherwise, it will get away from us. We don't want this getting away from us and being locked down for months," he told reporters.

Mr Andrews confirmed Victoria recorded two additional locally acquired COVID-19 cases on Thursday afternoon.

There are now 18 community COVID-19 cases associated with two separate outbreaks, both of which originated in NSW.

Two COVID-infected NSW removalists breached their workers permit conditions and spread the virus during a drop-off at the Ariele Apartments in Maribyrnong late last week.

Meanwhile, a member of a family who returned from Sydney went to the supermarket when they were meant to be isolating at home.

Mr Andrews would not be drawn on whether Victoria's lockdown could have been avoided if Sydney had locked down sooner.

"I can't control what happens and doesn't happen in NSW," he said.

"These cases started in NSW, but I'm determined they will end here. We will put this out with the help of every single Victorian."

Of greatest concern to authorities are three cases who tested positive after attending an AFL match between Carlton and Geelong at the MCG on Saturday.

COVID-19 Commander Jeroen Weimar said the cases appear to be linked to an infectious man who lives at the Ariele Apartments and attended the match in the MCC member's reserve on level two.

He said the trio are not known contacts of the infected man and that it appeared to be a case of "stranger-to-stranger transmission".

The infected man, aged in his 60s, attended the game with his friend - a teacher from Bacchus Marsh Grammar school who lives in Barwon Heads.

The teacher and two of his family members have also subsequently tested positive for COVID-19.

Bacchus Marsh Grammar and Barwon Heads Primary School were among seven schools forced to close due to possible coronavirus exposure.

There are more than 75 exposures sites across Melbourne and regional Victoria, with some 1500 primary close contacts and 5000 secondary contacts self-isolating.

It is the fifth lockdown for Victoria since the start of the pandemic and the third in 2021.

Mr Andrews said he will be making the case for Commonwealth assistance for affected workers and businesses.

Opposition Leader Michael O'Brien said he said he felt for small businesses and students forced to learn from home, as well as those forced to cancel weddings, birthdays and special events.

"This is going to be a massive kick in the guts for a state that's done it so tough already," he said.

Victorian locations where there is a risk you may have been exposed to COVID-19: https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/exposure-sites

© AAP 2021