By Ewen McRae
The roadmap to COVID recovery is now clearer, with case numbers continuing to fall and a number of restrictions lifted this week.
On Sunday, Premier Dan Andrews outlined the restrictions that would be eased as part of step two on the roadmap to reopening, including the end of the nightly curfew.
On-site schooling will resume for VCE, VCAL and primary school students from October 12, while childcare will also reopen to all families in metropolitan Melbourne.
More than 127,000 workers will return to work, with increases to the capacity of food distributors, manufacturing and construction.
“Seven weeks ago, our average case numbers were peaking at more than 400 every single day, today, Melbourne’s rolling case average is 22.1,” Mr Andrews said.
“It’s a remarkable thing – and an achievement that belongs to every single Victorian.
“Because with grit and with guts and with heart – we are beating this thing.”
Mr Andrews also announced that moves to the third and last steps of the recovery will no longer be defined by dates.
Instead, the “trigger point” for review by the public health team will be based solely on reaching the case number targets.
As of Sunday, Melton had just 31 active cases, while Moorabool had just a single active case on Sunday.
New state health minister Martin Foley said he would work hard to ensure the current state government measures continued to reap positive results.
“I will be working every day with the outstanding public servants and health professionals and the people who bind the health system together,” Mr Foley said.
“I will be working with all of those professionals to make sure that we suppress this virus, and that we then are in a position where we contact trace, we quarantine and isolate where we need, and we keep this virus at the lowest possible levels. We are nearly there.”
