Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews says it is still too soon for the state to ease restrictions despite new daily cases stabilising in the past few days.
Victoria has recorded 114 new coronavirus cases and 11 deaths overnight.
It comes after Victoria’s daily coronavirus case numbers dropped below 100 on Saturday, recording 94 cases and 18 lives lost.
The last time the state had recorded fewer than 100 cases was 55 days ago on July 5.
But speaking on Sunday, Mr Andrews said it did not mean the state could suddenly ease stage four restrictions.
“I understand and appreciate fully that everybody wants that clear sense of what the next steps will be, but they need to be announcements that can be relied up on,” he said.
“They need to be announcements that are based in the best of health advice, in data, in science, in the evidence, and what we can be certain of right now, these case numbers are too high for us to open up, and they are still too high for us to put forward a definitive plan. “Now, there will be a plan. It will come soon. But it will be one that we can be confident of, not something that potentially gets a few of people being happier, but then ultimately has to be revised because it didn’t mean much when you first announced it.”
Mr Andrews said it was still unclear what the weeks and months ahead looked like.
“We understand the need and the urgency and substance of fatigue. Is perfectly reasonable. But all of us have to stay the course on this and defeat this second wave comprehensively, otherwise we won’t be able to lock into a COVID normal with any certainty,” he said.
Even with numbers dropping after a peak daily increase of 725 infections, Mr Andrews was cautious.
“At 100, 94, at 114, whatever the number, we simply could not open up. Those numbers would explode, we would finish up and perhaps an even worse situation than we have been in recent months,” he said.
“We cannot fritter away all that good work and sacrifice.”
He said current restrictions allowed any outbreaks to be contained quicker.
“That is what the strategy, it is working, and it is making it much more likely that we can get to that place, but it is still a bit too early for us to be able to map out an absolutely definitive plan.
“That is the honest, frank and upfront position that we find ourselves in. I am not going to stand here and make announcements that, as I make them, I really have no confidence that I will be able to deliver them. I don’t think that would be fair.”
STATE’S DEATH TOLL AT 511
The new fatalities bring Victoria up to 511 lives lost in the state due to the virus.
The state’s Department of Health and Human Services announced the latest numbers recorded over the past 24 hours on Twitter Sunday morning.
The state’s chief health officer, Brett Sutton, was asked on Friday whether the shrinking case numbers meant Victoria could lift stage-four restrictions after September 13.
On Friday the state recorded 113 new cases and 12 deaths.
A day earlier the state had also had 113 cases, but 23 deaths.
Professor Sutton said falling below 100 new cases per day would be positive from a psychological perspective but he could not predict when the orders would be lifted, with thousands of mystery cases still a major concern.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMigQFodHRwczovL3d3dy5uZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9saWZlc3R5bGUvaGVhbHRoL3ZpY3RvcmlhLXJlY29yZHMtMTE0LWNvdmlkMTktY2FzZXMtMTEtZGVhdGhzL25ld3Mtc3RvcnkvYzI1Nzk5MTI1MWEzOTg2MzU4NGUyNGE4NTkwMTBhZjPSAYEBaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAubmV3cy5jb20uYXUvbGlmZXN0eWxlL2hlYWx0aC92aWN0b3JpYS1yZWNvcmRzLTExNC1jb3ZpZDE5LWNhc2VzLTExLWRlYXRocy9uZXdzLXN0b3J5L2MyNTc5OTEyNTFhMzk4NjM1ODRlMjRhODU5MDEwYWYz?oc=5
2020-08-30 01:18:45Z
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