Almost 700,000 Victorian students to return to remote learning during lockdown

As many as 700,000 Victorian students will return to remote learning as the government shuts down schools for students not completing their VCE or with special needs during the second phase of lockdown.

As of July 20, students in the metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire catchments will return to remote learning until at least August 19.

The move affects students from preparatory to Year 10.

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"We can't have the best part of 700,000 students as well as parents moving to and from school, moving around the community, as if there wasn't a stay at home order, as if there wasn't a lockdown," Mr Andrews said.

"Every family, every community, every person across Melbourne and across Victoria has a stake in this.

"We will all benefit from this strategy working and we will all pay a very big price if it doesn't."

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The Victorian Government has been stockpiling computers and internet dongles for students who cannot access their school work remotely.

Victoria's Deputy Premier James Merlino said they had already rolled out 48,000 devices and 26,000 dongles to students.

Ahead of another six weeks of remote learning, Mr Merlino said the Education Department still had more than 1,000 devices and 2,500 dongles to roll out to students in need.

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Overnight Victoria recorded 273 new cases of COVID-19 overnight, bringing the state's total to 3,799.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the results come amid as "massive testing effort", with 30,195 tests performed yesterday.

Victorian has also recorded another death as a result of COVID-19, after a man in his 70s died overnight.

Mr Andrews said he is "deeply grateful" to every Victorian following lockdown restrictions, re-iterating that today "is not an ordinary Sunday".

"Every family, every community, every person across Melbourne and across Victoria has a stake in this," Mr Andrews said.

"We will all benefit from this strategy working and we will all pay a very big price if it doesn't."

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