COVID-19 cases plateauing

VICTORIA’S COVID-19 commander Jeroen Weimar said daily case numbers have reached a “plateau” two days before a further easing of restrictions.

The state recorded another 1534 locally acquired virus cases and 13 more deaths today. Victoria is now managing 24,164 active infections; 551 fewer than yesterday.

Mr Weimar said it was encouraging to see the daily numbers stay about 1500 during the past three days.

“It does feel like we are at a plateau at the moment,” he said.

These statistics are still “higher than [he] would like,” although slightly under the Burnet Institute’s modelling for this point in time.

Mr Weimar said 85 per cent of Victoria’s new COVID cases were unvaccinated people.

The number of people in hospital with coronavirus has also declined, with 748 reported today. Of those, 138 are in intensive care and 87 are on a ventilator.

The latest deaths take the toll from the present outbreak to 247.

More than 76 per cent of Victorians aged 16 and over are fully vaccinated.

Victoria is less than two days away from new freedoms, which will see all non-essential retail reopen, along with an increased customer capacity inside hospitality venues.

Premier Daniel Andrews said all retail will reopen to both unvaccinated and vaccinated people on Friday,

He warns this may change once 90 per cent of those aged over 16 are fully vaccinated.

To help venues source equipment in preparation for Friday, the State Government is offering $2000 vouchers to cafes, hotels, restaurants and bars.

Meanwhile, a bill giving the premier powers to declare a pandemic have been introduced to parliament.

This bill is expected to pass the Lower House when it is debated tomorrow, but it will require the support of three crossbenchers to pass the Upper House.

The legislation includes penalties for people or businesses who fail to comply with the rules, despite knowing it would lead to a “serious risk” to the health of others.

Based on the proposed penalty units, individuals could face a jail sentence of two years, or a $90,000 fine, while businesses could be fined more than $450,000.

Shadow Attorney-General Tim Smith gave an “iron clad” guarantee the Coalition would scrap the legislation if it won the next state election.

“Everything in this legislation is completely over the top,” he said.

Victorians will also now get a push notification through the updated Service Victoria app if they have scanned a QR code to check in at a tier one exposure site.

Previously, the state’s residents had to monitor government exposure site listings online – which can include hundreds of locations – or wait for health authorities to contact them directly.

– BY AAP