Coronavirus Victoria: Melburnians race to coast, including Phillip Island to escape restrictions
A mass exodus of Melburnians have raced out of the city and fled to Victoria's coast in a last-minute scramble to escape stage three lockdown restrictions before midnight.
Video obtained by 9News shows an onslaught of traffic piling on to regional highways, including the Bass Highway near Phillip Island, as Melburnians attempt to dodge the COVID-19 stay-at-home restrictions.
READ MORE: Melbourne's stage three lockdown - your questions answered
Traffic heading into Phillip Island. Nine
Phillip Island local Amelia Trappet described the number of holidaymakers and traffic as "terrifying", fearing the virus could spread through the regional community.
"It's like Christmas holidays, it's extremely concerning," she told 9news.com.au
"It's the middle of winter. It's out of control. They are just trying to get down here by 12am and they say we've been here before lockdown."
Regional Victoria is exempt from the lockdown restrictions set to come into effect.
Victorians who are already on holiday before the lockdown commences are permitted to continue their vacation.
READ MORE: Victoria records 137 new coronavirus cases
Traffic on Victorian roads before the lockdown. Nine
The resident said shopkeepers were "appalled" by the number of tourists. She claimed one of the local pharmacies were planning on checking peoples' IDs upon entrance.
"There's just people swarming," she said.
"I've never seen anything quite like this before."
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