Regional Victoria to get its own coronavirus roadmap

PREMIER Dan Andrews will, this weekend, reveal the roadmap showing the way out of Victoria’s coronavirus restrictions, and regional Victoria will have its own roadmap separate from metropolitan Melbourne.

Regional Victoria has been in six weeks of Stage 3 lockdown since August 6, while metropolitan Melbourne has been in Stage 4 lockdown since August 3.

Victoria’s daily case numbers of coronavirus cases have been falling steadily since peaking at 687 on August 4 to only 73 on August 30.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Mr Andrews said Stage 3 restrictions had been effective in stopping the spread of the virus outside of Melbourne, with only 139 active cases in the previous 24 hours.

“It’s not so long ago that we had, I think, topped out at 512 cases so that has steadily fallen.

“Given the low number of cases in regional Victoria and the fact that our strategy there has been very successful, only due to the work that each and every country Victorian is doing, we can today announce that on Sunday we’ll speak about two road maps towards opening up, one for metropolitan Melbourne and a second road map that may have different components for regional Victoria.”

He said the roadmaps – which are still being formed in consultation with industry groups – would be based on “case numbers, the science, the evidence and the best of medical advice”, but suggested regional Victoria may ease restrictions faster than in Melbourne.

“We believe that given the low case numbers it will be possible for us to have different settings in regional Victoria, and a different timeline and road map compared to what will be essential in metropolitan Melbourne, given the different places in terms of the number of positive cases, the chains of transmission, the challenge is different in metropolitan Melbourne than it is in regional Victoria.

“We will always try to make sure the rules are as simple and logical as they can. That’s not easy but we’re confident we can strike that balance.”

Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has welcomed the number of cases dropping to double digits each day – 70 new cases in the 24 hours to Tuesday this week, and 58 with reclassifications – but urged people to get tested if they showed any symptoms of coronavirus.

On Monday this week, Woolworths Group announced one of its team members at the Woolworths supermarket at The Dunes Village Shopping Centre in Torquay North had tested positive to the coronavirus and was self-isolating.

The team member last worked at the supermarket on August 26, and Woolworths said it was making contact with team members and providing full support to those required to self-isolate in line with advice from the health authorities.

Woolworths has undertaken an additional deep clean of the store, which has re-opened.

For more advice or to find out where to be tested, phone the 24-hour coronavirus hotline on 1800 675 398, find out more (including a testing sites map) at dhhs.vic.gov.au/getting-tested-coronavirus-covid-19 or phone your local GP.