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Help is on the way for Melbourne businesses crippled by the latest Covid-19 lockdown, which is set to be extended into a third week.

Victoria's renewed outbreak, which prompted a sixth lockdown last week, added another 21 cases on Thursday including four mystery infections.

More than 100,000 businesses will benefit from a $367 million support package jointly funded by the Victorian and federal governments, including $10,000 one-off payments for those not eligible for support from existing programs.

By next Thursday, Melburnians will have spent 200 days holed up at home, after a disastrous 116-day lockdown last year.

Health officials are already in discussions about yet another extension, just hours after Premier Daniel Andrews announced on Wednesday the city would remain lockdown for another week. 

Premier Andrews was a no show for the second time in three days at Thursday's briefing, leaving jobs minister Martin Pakula and COVID-19 commander Jeroen Weimar to face the media.

By Thursday next week, Melburnians will have spent their 200th day holed up at home since the pandemic began 18 months ago

The $367 million to support more than 100,000 Melbourne businesses impacted by the second week of the latest lockdown which was extended on Wednesday.

The funding will add $271 million to the existing business assistance program and includes a special hospitality and venue fund.

'We have put $1.4 billion plus into bank accounts since the May-June lockdown commenced, so that is the benefit of the automatic payment process that we are undertaking for the vast majority of businesses that are receiving our support,' Mr Pakula said. 

'So that is the benefit of the automatic payment process that we are undertaking for the vast majority of businesses that are receiving our support.

'There are three key elements of the package, two of which involve automatic payments and the third a further boost to the hardship fund which I'm pleased to say will open today.'

A significant boost to the new Small Business COVID Hardship Fund that opens on Thursday will provide $10,000 one-off payments to businesses that do not qualify for existing programs.

Financial support is on the way for Melbourne businesses crippled by the latest lockdown, including hospitality

Earlier, Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox said Melbourne is in a hard place with businesses tired of being fed false hope.

'The cold hard reality hit in Melbourne that there is no such thing as short sharp lockdown,' Mr Willox told the Today show on Thursday.

'We just roll into longer lockdowns every time. Every lockdown is going to be about three weeks at the minimum.'

'Melbourne and Victoria is now facing just continual yo-yos of lockdown. That's playing havoc with planning, with investment and it's really start to sap what confidence that was there.

Of the 21 new cases announced on Thursday, 17 have were linked to the outbreak with four still under investigation and 15 in quarantine throughout their infectious periods. 

Chapel Street business operators such as Natalie Guest have been dealt another blow by Melbourne's sixth lockdown in 18 months

Ten of Thursday's cases associated with the Al-Taqwa College, all were in isolation for the duration of their infectious period.  

Another two cases were acquired interstate, two women who flew into Melbourne from Covid-ravaged Sydney on Monday who didn't have the correct permit.

'This is the risk of interstate travel at this point in time,' Mr Weimar said.

'This is why we are putting such significant barriers in place to limit all unnecessary travel between our states at this most critical time.' 

'The consequences of these two positive cases not having been stopped, being positive in the community and then spreading through Melbourne and Victoria, you know, we do not need to more incursions of this type.'

Around 45,408 tests and 25,418 vaccine doses were administered in Victoria on Wednesday.

There's already speculation the latest lockdown will be extended into a third week. 

An expert close to the Victorian government said 'everything would have to work out perfectly' for lockdown to not be extended once again, The Herald Sun reported.  

Melbourne's sixth lockdown in 18 months was scheduled to end 8pm Thursday, but has now been extended until 11.59pm on August 19.

Regional Victoria was lifted was lockdown earlier this cases after no cases from the latest outbreak.

Melbourne epidemiologist Professor Nancy Baxter said it was 'unlikely' a seven-day extension would be enough.

'Those 14 cases in isolation gave them a ray of hope, but I still think everything would need to be perfect to come out in a week,' she told the Herald Sun.

'There's not a zero chance that we could get out on time, but there are a number of things that concern me, and we know that you don't have a margin of error with Delta.' 

Mr Andrews fears the city would see a huge spike in cases similar to the current outbreak in Sydney if stay-at-home orders were lifted this week.

Melbourne is in the middle of its fourth lockdown in 2021, which could be extended a second time next week if cases continue to grow. Pictured is a deserted CBD

 Long-suffering Melburnians (pictured on Wednesday) could face a third week of lockdown

'This is very challenging, I know, for every single Victorian who would like to be going about their business, they would like to be open and have a degree of freedom that is simply not possible because of this Delta variant,' he told reporters on Wednesday.

'If we were to open, we would see cases akin to what's happening sadly Sydney right now.' 

Fifteen of the Wednesday's cases have been linked to current outbreaks while five are still being investigated as the state's exposure list site grew to more than 350 venues and transport routes.

These mystery cases are cause for concern, the Premier warned.

'I would love to be standing here announcing that we are coming out of lockdown this Thursday that but that is simply not possible,' Mr Andrews said.

'There are too many cases...the origins of which are not clear to us, too many unanswered questions, too many mysteries for us to safely come out of lockdown now.'

He continued: 'It is more than containing cases, to have 14 of those 20 locked away in iso, no risk to public health, as I said earlier in the week, that trend would grow.

'We started with one case, then we moved to four or five, now we're at 14.'

One expert said 'everything would have to work out perfectly' for Melbourne's lockdown to not be extended once again next week