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Victoria’s road map to recovery will be overhauled after Premier Daniel Andrews admitted the state would struggle to reach the low threshold of cases needed to open up.
Mr Andrews said it was possible the state’s current infections numbers could be “as good as it will get”, flagging the state might have to open up regardless, but knocked back suggestions restrictions would be scrapped immediately.
It comes as Victoria on Monday recorded 15 new cases of coronavirus and no new deaths.
Calls were mounting yesterday to provide some relief to businesses and residents after the Premier flagged retailers were unlikely to be open by early next week.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said: “The Premier has said he is not pursuing an elimination strategy, now he needs to prove it.
“It’s time his government gave millions of Victorians their freedom back this weekend.”
The situation in Victoria was tragic and devastating, particularly as people in New South Wales were living a “COVID-normal life” while managing new cases, he said.
Mr Andrews said the government faced a difficult decision as cases remained higher than expected with the 14-day rolling average hovering around 10.
“It may be at a point where we have to call it, where we have to say that this is as good as it will get — that means there is some greater risk, that means that the task of keeping this thing suppressed will be harder,” he said.
“If we open up right now, then it will be almost impossible for us to keep this thing contained and every jurisdiction in the world that’s done it has had that same challenge.”
Mr Andrews has flagged some restrictions will be eased on Sunday — when it was hoped the 14-day average would have fallen to five and the state would move to step three in the road map. But with the focus expected to be on easing social restrictions, he was reluctant to suggest stores may be part of any reopening.
“No decision has been made on retail and I think it’s unlikely that this weekend there will be a big shift in terms of retail,” he said.
Of the 15 new cases, 10 were linked to family outbreaks or known clusters and the rest were under investigation.
The Department of Health and Human Services confirmed four cases were connected to a family cluster in Melbourne’s southeast, while another two cases were linked to another family cluster in Melbourne’s north.
The Box Hill Hospital outbreak grew to 11 cases after two more household contacts tested positive for coronavirus on Monday.
A household contact linked to a COVID-19 case from Sunshine Hospital also tested positive, while one of Monday’s 15 new cases was a close contact of an existing case.
There were four cases recorded in Monash, three each in Banyule and Hume and single cases in Casey, Darebin, Melton, Moreland, and Stonnington.
Amid concerns many Melburnians were flouting restrictions due to lockdown fatigue, a group of maskless men were seen playing basketball in Epping, while others donned visors and bandannas despite the new rules about fitted face coverings coming into force on Monday.
The Victorian Regional Chamber Alliance on Monday urged for more steps to be taken outside Melbourne on October 19.
In a statement signed by 12 business leaders across Victoria, they said the state’s regional economy continued to “unnecessarily suffer” while waiting for Melbourne to “catch up”.
“The hospitality sector, as well as being a major employer of our young people, is such a critical part of the recovery of our devastated tourism industry and it is simply not viable for them to continue under their current restrictions,” the statement says.
VICTORIANS RACK UP $27M IN COVID-19 FINES
Victorians have been slapped with $28m in fines for coronavirus breaches — but only 4 per cent have been paid.
Figures released by the state government show 19,324 fines valued at $27.88m were dished out to rule breakers up until August 24.
Only 845 fines — about $1.45m — have been fully paid and 18 per cent have reached the “final demand” stage after which recipients risk having property seized or even being sent to jail.
R ead the full story here
STUDY FINDS SENSORY LOSS RELIABLE SIGN OF COVID-19
Sudden loss of the sense of smell or taste are among the most common COVID-19 symptoms, a study shows.
An analysis of emergency department presentations reveals those with these subtle symptoms are actually among the most likely patients to have COVID-19.
It raises issues about who should present for testing to avoid a third wave.
Amid concerns many Victorians are already waiting too long to be tested, the Monash University study highlights the risk of waiting for more severe symptoms such as fever and shortness of breath.
R ead the full story here
CURRENT CASE NUMBERS MIGHT BE ‘AS GOOD AS IT WILL GET’
THE RESTRICTIONS THAT COULD BE EASED FROM NEXT WEEK
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiiAFodHRwczovL3d3dy5oZXJhbGRzdW4uY29tLmF1L2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzL3JvbGxpbmctY292ZXJhZ2UtbmV3LWZhbWlseS1jbHVzdGVycy1zcGFyay1jb25jZXJucy9uZXdzLXN0b3J5L2RjMjNjNTM5Njk1ZmUzY2I4YmRlZGY3ODI3NjI5M2Nj0gGIAWh0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmhlcmFsZHN1bi5jb20uYXUvY29yb25hdmlydXMvcm9sbGluZy1jb3ZlcmFnZS1uZXctZmFtaWx5LWNsdXN0ZXJzLXNwYXJrLWNvbmNlcm5zL25ld3Mtc3RvcnkvZGMyM2M1Mzk2OTVmZTNjYjhiZGVkZjc4Mjc2MjkzY2M?oc=5
2020-10-12 11:51:00Z
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