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Victoria has recorded it’s darkest day since the start of the pandemic with 59 new coronavirus deaths recorded in the past 24 hours.
The number includes 50 people who died in aged care in July and August.
The record comes as the DHHS confirmed 81 new cases of the virus.
It’s the biggest daily death toll the state has seen so far, taking Victoria’s death toll to 660.
Victoria’s previous highest daily death toll was 41 on Monday, but the Premier confirmed a backlog in the recording of fatalities meant 33 deaths had actually occurred in the days prior to August 31.
In the days leading up to Friday, each daily death count has included fatalities beyond a 24-hour period.
Why Victoria should brace for 40 deaths a day. Read full story here
CALLS FOR PUSH TO ELIMINATE VIRUS
Victoria could drive coronavirus cases down to zero by the end of October, according to a new report.
The Grattan Institute report, entitled “Go For Zero”, said the state should aim to eliminate the virus in the community completely as it described NSW’s method of keeping cases at a manageable level as “dangerous” and a “yo-yo strategy”.
“The NSW strategy of seeking to keep cases down to a manageable level is also dangerous, because the longer the virus is in the community, the greater the risk of breakouts requiring lockdowns to be reimposed to prevent hospitals being overwhelmed,” the report outlined.
“That’s a ‘yo-yo’ strategy — the economy could be seized with uncertainty as businesses open, close, open, and close again.
It advised that Victoria should instead set out to drive community cases down to zero, which could take less than two months.
“Victoria could get to zero by the end of October, but only if the vast majority of the population adheres to strict social distancing measures,” it said.
Health Programme director at the Grattan Institute and co-author of the report, Dr Stephen Duckett, said restrictions should be eased back in Victoria when cases drop below 20 for five consecutive days.
Dr Duckett explained that the easing of restrictions “should be running on data and not dates, regardless of what the numbers are”.
“The public look at these news conferences every morning and we get told the number of new cases and we have no idea whether the government is going to say 65 is good or 65 is bad,” Dr Duckett told 3AW.
“We need to be actually getting the public onside and say we can see the end of this and this is how we define what the end of this means.”
DRAFT ROADMAP A ‘TOMBSTONE FOR VICTORIAN BUSINESS’
Victorian businesses are pleading with Premier Daniel Andrews not to send them to an economic grave as an extended lockdown looms.
The Herald Sun on Thursday revealed the government’s draft road map for easing restrictions had no reopening date retail, hospitality and entertainment venues — and they may only be permitted to throw open their doors when case numbers drop to an average of five a day for 14 days.
Small Business Australia said if the draft plan remained unchanged it would be a “tombstone for Victorian business”.
“The plan of the government is to stay in lockdown until the infection rate is at effectively zero, however long that takes,” executive director Bill Lang said.
“Such a strategy will destroy small businesses in Victoria and for those able, including large businesses, they will flee the state once the opportunity presents to avoid these continuing lockdowns and draconian measures.”
Mr Andrews on Thursday flagged the state’s recovery “won’t be guided simply by dates on the calendar”.
The Premier attempted to deflect scrutiny by claiming the draft road map was “out of date”, but did not dispute its contents and refused to rule out extending lockdown.
A senior government source on Wednesday night said the working document — which will be updated until a final plan is announced on Sunday — was largely in line with the government’s thinking.
Mr Andrews said: “I can’t rule out that we have to continue rules, I simply can’t. Everything is on the table.”
The documents also indicated a traffic-light system was in the works to explain how different industries could operate at different stages of the plan. Mr Andrews said extensive modelling was still being carried out, and final decisions on Victoria’s restrictions would be announced on Sunday.
“These are really challenging decisions to make, because the tolerance for getting it wrong is incredibly low,” he said.
Deputy Chief Health Officer Allen Cheng said he was aware of the “internal working document” and that changes were continuously made to the plans, although “the themes are the same”. He added: “But we are not going to make any final decisions and we will announce on Sunday.”
Prof Cheng also refused to be drawn on a threshold for Victoria to ease to stage two restrictions — allowing retail and hospitality to reopen.
The documents suggested that in order to move to stage two, there must be a daily average of fewer than five new cases over two weeks, with fewer than three cases from an unknown source.
New South Wales recorded 12 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday and 17 on Wednesday but has allowed businesses to reopen with restrictions.
“We have been meeting late in the night deciding whether it’s 10, five, lower or higher,” Prof Cheng said of the Victorian plan.
Former AFL star turned restaurateur Paul Dimattina warned a longer lockdown would devastate hospitality businesses. “My grandparents moved out from Italy to move to a lucky country that was a democracy. We are no longer living in a democratic state,” he said.
Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry boss Paul Guerra said businesses had not been consulted on the possibility of a longer lockdown.
“Victoria needs a plan for the future, not a plan to stay locked down,” he said. “Indefinite lockdowns, lack of information and cycling in and out of restrictions will lead to an avalanche of business closures and permanent job losses.”
Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg hit out at the state government’s consultation with businesses, and said a “fair dinkum road map” was needed. He said the “very drastic measures” in place were restricting Victoria’s economic recovery and having a major impact on people’s mental health and wellbeing.
“We want to have hope for the future,” Mr Frydenberg said. “You need to take business into your confidence … unless they have confidence they won’t hire people, they won’t innovate, they won’t grow, they won’t see their future in our state.”
HOSPITALITY
Restaurant and Catering Association boss Wes Lambert said: “To be viable at all, our industry needs limits of 20/50/100 (customers) then no capacity restraints in a reasonable timeline on predictable stages based on real levers, like NSW — a state where business is operating even with clusters of community transmission.”
REAL ESTATE
The Real Estate Institute of Victoria said it would be “extremely disappointing to see the industry remain with online inspections” in the coming weeks, instead calling for COVID-safe on-site auctions to be revived. “Lockdown is continuing to hurt consumers, the industry, and revenue to the government,” president Leah Calnan said.
GYMS
More than 50 Victorian gym owners are petitioning the government to allow them to reopen as soon as stage four restrictions are relaxed.
Gyms Coalition leader Tim Schleiger said gym owners were being treated worse than pubs and hospitality, with the draft road map showing they were “miles off from opening”.
“I don’t understand why the state government values alcohol and gaming over Victorians’ physical and mental health when it seems so obvious we are all struggling.”
BEAUTY AND PERSONAL SERVICES
Beauty and personal services could be, under the draft plan, forced to remain closed until stage one restrictions arrive, which Capel Cosmetics salon owner Claudia Chapelhow said was “ridiculous”.
“I understand the uncertainty, but it is really difficult for business owners, especially in a field that is already very safe and sterile. It’s just so disappointing that it could be extended and we could be closed for far longer,” she said.
VOTERS DESPERATE FOR PLAN TO REOPEN
The overwhelming majority of voters in two federal Labor-held seats are concerned about the state of Victoria’s economy and want a plan for it to be reopened soon.
The survey of 4500 voters, commissioned by Liberal senator Sarah Henderson, found 77 per cent were worried about the impact of ongoing restrictions on the economy.
Eight out of ten voters surveyed said they wanted Daniel Andrews to release a plan explaining how the state could return to normal.
The seats surveyed were Gorton, in Melbourne’s west, and Corio and Corangamite in the state’s southwest. Reopening the economy was cited as the major concern in Victoria’s recovery.
“We desperately need to hear from the Victorian government and local Labor MPs on how they plan to open the economy and get people back into work,” Senator Henderson said.
“Of course the plan needs to be in a COVID-safe way that protects the health of Victorians and those in the workplace.”
“We now need the state government to work with business on opening up, getting people back into work and putting Melbourne and regional Victoria into a much better place and on par with the rest of Australia which is strongly rebounding.”
— Tom Minear
MORE NEWS
WHY AGED CARE DEATHS WILL SPIKE IN COMING DAYS
BOARDING SCHOOL BUBBLE PUSH AS VIC KIDS TRAPPED
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ROADMAP OUT OF LOCKDOWN
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2020-09-03 23:32:17Z
CBMirgFodHRwczovL3d3dy5oZXJhbGRzdW4uY29tLmF1L2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzL3ZpY3Rvcmlhbi1idXNpbmVzc2VzLXBsZWFkLXdpdGgtc3RhdGUtZ292ZXJubWVudC1mb3ItcmVwcmlldmUtYXMtbG9ja2Rvd24tZXh0ZW5zaW9uLWxvb21zL25ld3Mtc3RvcnkvMjMyN2I3OWFlMDgyYTE4OTJhMWFhZTIxNTYzZDFkYWbSAQA
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