Victoria’s plan to reopen revealed as Covid cases spike
Despite a grim outlook for the coming weeks and a record number of daily infections, Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews yesterday revealed the state’s lockdown exit plan.
Yesterday’s 120 locally acquired Covid-19 cases was the biggest rise in infections the state has seen in its latest outbreak and brings the total number of active cases in Victoria to 900. Of the new cases, 64 have been linked to known cases and outbreaks, with investigations ongoing for the other 56 infections.
Andrews has listed a raft of restrictions that could ease later in the month, along with two rules that will change from tonight, including reopening playgrounds, and the easing of restrictions around in-home childcare arrangements.
Andrews said more restrictions would be able to ease when the state reaches its 70 per cent first vaccine dose target, which he expects the state will hit on September 23.
Other changes include increasing the 5km travel limit for shopping, and exercise will be expanded to 10km. Construction sites will be able to increase to 50 per cent of their capacity where 90 per cent of their workforce have received at least one vaccine dose.
Despite the promise of eased restrictions, Andrews offered a grim outlook for Victoria in the coming weeks, revealing the latest numbers show cases will continue to rise.
“In just the last two days, the number of cases, the nature of those cases, the depth of the seeding of this outbreak has become clear and the chief health officer’s advice to me and the Government has changed, fundamentally changed,” he said.
“The evidence and the experts are very clear with us. We will not see these case numbers go down. They are going to go up.” Andrews said officials now have to try and suppress case numbers until vaccination rates increase, adding it isn’t possible to “ease restrictions in a profound way” until those rates rise.
“We are in for a difficult time, a challenging time, over these coming weeks . . . But it is simply not possible to make wholesale changes, to have our freedom day if you like, or an opening up day in metropolitan Melbourne in the next few weeks.
“That is going to require us to hit our vaccination targets because that’s what gives us the protection against infection and most importantly it gives us the protection against hospitalisation.”
New South Wales yesterday recorded 1116 new Covid-19 cases and four Covid-related deaths.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said four women — one in her 50s, one in her 60s, one in her 70s and one in her 80s — died with the virus. They were not vaccinated and had underlying health conditions.
The day before, NSW recorded 1164 new locally acquired cases and three Covid-related deaths.
NSW deputy chief health officer Marianne Gale said there are 917 Covid patients in hospital.
“There are 150 people in intensive care, 66 of whom require ventilation. As we’ve seen to date, the majority of those people in ICU have not been vaccinated and of those 150, 127 people in ICU are not vaccinated.”
Berejiklian said NSW was getting ready to reopen next month and urged people to get vaccinated.
“I want to remind everybody that September is the month when we’re asking everybody to get ready.
“Make sure you are vaccinated so we can get back to life at 70 per cent double-dose vaccination, which we anticipate will happen somewhere around the middle of October.
“NSW looks forward to having our citizens enjoy international travel and NSW looks forward to stepping up and welcoming thousands of Australians home who have been waiting to come home for a long time.
“Our position is the one we stated from the outset. It’s impossible to eliminate the Delta strain.”