One of the most hated lockdown rules could be among the first to end in Victoria, according to leaked details following emergency meetings.
Victorian officials are considering lifting the divisive playground ban within days, according to leaked details of the state’s reopening plan.
On Tuesday night, Victorian leaders and health officials were locked in emergency meetings to discuss the state’s exit from its sixth covid lockdown.
Despite growing case numbers and two deaths recorded on Tuesday, officials are reportedly starting to accept that covid zero is no longer possible and are instead working on a plan for a staggered reopening of certain industries and the relaxation of some rules.
And according to the Herald Sun, playgrounds could be one of the first things to reopen, with the playground ban allegedly set to lift as soon as this Friday.
The Daily Mail revealed officials are looking towards local government areas with low or no case numbers where restrictions, such as the playground ban, could be lifted.
While the plan won’t be officially announced by Premier Daniel Andrews until tomorrow, the Herald is also reporting that authorities were also considering increasing the 5km travel limit to 10km, as well as the easing of some restrictions in certain areas first – although gatherings for Father’s Day would remain off the table.
Most retail will likely remain closed for the time going and face masks will continue to be compulsory.
The publication also reports that new freedoms will likely be announced for double-vaxxed Victorians, including allowing the fully vaccinated into cafes outdoors, visits to holiday homes and hair salon appointments.
‘Going to have to be rules’
Despite the imminent announcement of the reopening plan, Premier Daniel Andrews was at pains today to stress the state would not be returning to everyday life any time soon.
Speaking to the media this morning, he said while the Delta strain continued to wreak havoc, there was “going to have to be rules” for some time and said only a “modest” easing would be announced.
“I do want to be very clear with the people of Victoria – this will not be Freedom Day, it will not be an opening-up type day. It’ll be modest changes that hopefully can be meaningful in people’s lives,” he said.
“Whether it is termed a lockdown, a lock-in, stay-at-home, whatever you want to call it, the notion of having very few rules and Delta moving around the community — again I stress, with 35 per cent of people vaccinated — no-one supports that,” he said.
“No-one should because what it will mean is we have thousands of cases.
“It is an acknowledgment that Delta is a very challenging enemy, but we’ve done this before.
“I’m confident we can find that middle path where we have not necessarily zero, but low numbers and we keep doing everything we possibly can to make them as low as possible and keep them as low as possible.”
Victoria’s horror day
The update comes as Victoria experienced a horror day today, with two women tragically dying in their homes from Covid.
A woman in her 40s from the Darebin area and a Hume woman in her 60s both died at home on Tuesday.
Their deaths are the first in the state since last year’s second wave, and take the Victoria’s total death toll to 822.
“We send our deepest condolences to the families and communities involved – and we will be working with them to give them the support and guidance they need over the coming days,” the Victorian health department said in a statement, urging residents to call triple-0 in an emergency.
Earlier on Tuesday, it was revealed that there had been 76 new locally acquired cases overnight.
Of those cases, 45 were linked to known outbreaks while 31 remain under investigation.
And just 36 were in isolation for their entire infectious period, sparking fears of further spread to come.
https://news.google.com/__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?oc=5
2021-08-31 12:37:57Z
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