Melbourne exits sixth lockdown as key 80pc vax rate approaches
Melbourne’s first concert for 4000 fully-jabbed punters next weekend has sold out within minutes — but there’s still a way to see the show.
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Melbourne’s live music revival is a sellout, with 4000 fully-vaxxed fans fast to snap up tickets to Play On Victoria at Sidney Myer Music Bowl.
Premier Daniel Andrews tweeted the $30 tickets to the October 30 event had sold out in two minutes and 30 seconds.
“The good news is there’s still tix available to shows right around regional Victoria featuring some of our state’s great artists,” he wrote.
“So if you’re in regional Vic – there’s your long weekend plans sorted.”
The Play On Victoria concerts will be headlined by local talent including Baker Boy, Vika & Linda Bull, Grace Cummings, Amyl & the Sniffers and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard.
The concerts — held across October 30 and 31 — will be delivered in line with Covid-safe plans, meaning attendees will be spread out and be required to wear masks.
TRAFFIC SNARLS HIT MELBOURNE
Melburnians eager to spend their first weekend of freedom further afield have caused traffic chaos on the Peninsula Link.
Outbound lanes of the of the freeway were packed with cars on Friday afternoon as people took advantaged of the 25km travel limit being scrapped to visit family and friends.
It comes after Daniel Andrews assured Victorians there will be “no more lockdowns” as the state smashes through its vaccination targets.
Australia’s national plan has outlined rare and targeted lockdowns if outbreaks occur in the future, but statewide and city lockdowns have been ruled out.
Mr Andrews made a promise he would stick with the plan.
“We’re not having statewide lockdowns, we’re not having citywide lockdowns, because people have gone and done what we’ve asked them to do, and now we’re delivering what we said we’d do,” he said.
The Premier urged Victorians to enjoy today’s “big vibe” as the state begins to reopen following a record sixth lockdown.
Mr Andrews took to Twitter on Friday morning to congratulate Victorians, and urge people to remain patient with inevitable flaws in the opening up.
“You can feel the optimism. You can sense the pride in what’s been achieved,” he said.
“And after everything it’s taken to get here, we absolutely deserve to feel that way.
“I’m trying not to sound like some kind of soppy dad here, but I am proud, bloody proud of this state.
“We’ve gone through such a hard time together, this pandemic has been exhausting in every sense of the word.
“And the fact that we’re here today, and opening up, is only because of the sacrifices made by every one of us.”
Mr Andrews said people wouldn’t simply “spring back” and said with the pandemic not yet over, there might be a sense of anxiousness.
“So if you’re heading out today, please just remember that this will take time, not everyone will be so ready to throw open their front door,” he said.
“And the process of reopening won’t be without flaws either, we all know that. It will take a lot of patience and understanding.
“So if you’ve got a booking, and something goes wrong, please don’t take it out on the staff.
“It isn’t their job to update the apps, and the last thing they need is an argument about vaccines.”
“Get out there today, tomorrow — whenever you’re ready. Get a trim, order a meal or buy a mate a drink.
“Be proud of everything we’ve done to get here, of all we’ve achieved. And remember to be kind — we’re all getting used to this.”
Victoria’s reopening comes as the state recorded 2189 new cases and 16 deaths in the 24 hours to Friday.
More than 71 per cent of Victorians over the age of 16 is now fully vaccinated, with 38,339 doses administered at state-run clinics on Thursday.
Of the active cases, 784 are in hospital, with 145 of those in ICU and 94 on ventilators.
At least 71 per cent of Victorians have received both doses of their vaccine, while 90.5 per cent have received one jab.
Mr Andrews said there were 140,000 first and second dose bookings available.
“Those spots are there. If you can bring forward your dose, if you haven’t made a booking yet, please go and do that,” he said.
‘BE KIND TO EACH OTHER’: CHO
Chief health officer Brett Sutton has praised Victorians for their handling of the state’s six lockdown.
“Hard to know what to say on a day like today, but #Thankyou seems not enough, but the most appropriate, by far,” Mr Sutton wrote on Twitter.
“Through the toughest of times, we’ve (sic) here now. And I hope it means we can start to enjoy many things we’ve missed out on for so long – especially seeing loved ones and friends and places not visited for ages.”
“This is your achievement Victoria, through getting vaccinated and everything that’s been asked of you. Well done.”
Mr Sutton said the days ahead will be hard for many people around the state, especially those working in the healthcare sector. He urged Victorians to “do the right thing by them” and get vaccinated, if they are yet to receive the jab.
He added that the pandemic has taken its toll on all Victorians and it was important that people were kind to each other.
“No one has been unaffected by the last two years,” Mr Sutton said.
“So be kind to yourself and others. May today be one of many hopeful days to come.”
Hard to know what to say on a day like today, but #Thankyou seems not enough, but the most appropriate, by far. Through the toughest of times, we've here now. And I hope it means we can start to enjoy many things we've missed out on for so long - especially seeing loved ones...
— Chief Health Officer, Victoria (@VictorianCHO) October 22, 2021
QUARANTINE RULES TO EASE
Quarantine requirements will be removed for fully vaccinated international arrivals into Victoria from November 1.
Fully vaccinated international travellers will be able to enter Victoria without spending 14 days in hotel quarantine.
There will also no longer be a cap on fully vaccinated returning Australians wishing to enter Victoria.
JAB TARGET LOOMS
Melbourne and Mildura ended their respective lockdowns at midnight as the state reached 70 per cent double-dose vaccination.
Mr Andrews said he believed the state would reach 80 per cent vaccinations next weekend, triggering a further easing of restrictions.
“I simply cannot tell you how proud I am of every single Victorian who has persevered, shown great courage and character, but also shown amazing kindness towards each other,” he said.
Melbourne could be in line for a “super Saturday” with Victoria on track to hit the key 80 per cent double-vaccinated mark as early as October 29.
The prediction comes as 30 new walk-in clinics will be opened to further supercharge the jabs rollout.
Melbourne’s gruelling sixth lockdown was lifted at 11.59pm Thursday night after the state passed the 70 per cent double-dosed target.
The jabs needed to reach the target were given on Wednesday, with the figure confirmed on Thursday morning and Melburnians getting their first taste of freedom in the early hours.
The state now stands to hit the next milestone – 80 per cent – as early as next Friday or Saturday, well ahead of the November 5 prediction.
Data analyst Anthony Macali, of website Covid Live, said Victoria was delivering 57,000 second doses a day over a seven-day average, and if that rate continued, the state would hit 80 per cent on Derby Day, October 30.
It could be one day earlier if the daily average of jabs rose to 65,000.
Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Paul Guerra said the state deserved to celebrate the massive uptake in jabs the moment this goal was met.
“Victorians have done everything asked of them and we are smashing the vaccination targets, which should be rewarded with a Super Saturday reopening,” he said.
“The Victorian Chamber hopes that the Premier stands up this Sunday and announces the next step in the road map for reopening from 11.59pm next Thursday so that every business in Victoria can get back to work and we can all get back to doing what we love.”
City streets were buzzing on Friday morning, as cafes opened up to diners for the first time in nearly three months.
Barber on Degraves welcomed its first fully-vaccinated customers at 7am for an early morning trim.
“It’s been a long time coming, I’ve done so many botched haircuts,” customer Rod Anderson said.
“I couldn’t book a pub, I tried numerous places so thought I’d go to the barber instead.”
Barber Darren Williamson said it he was happy to be back at work but the lockdown had taken its toll.
“Oh gee it’s good, but I mean it’s taken a big whack financial,” he said.
Beverley Longo has owned the barbershop for 29 years and said she felt like she “had just gotten out of jail”.
“Last night I had people ringing and asking ‘what time are you opening’, I came in and wiped away the cobwebs,” she said.
“We just can’t wait to welcome back the men of Melbourne for a trim.”
Ms Longo said she had staff member who was unwilling to get vaccinated which meant she would be picking up the hair clippers to fill in.
“I’m coming out of retirement. I’ll be back on the floor for the first time in 15 years,” she said.
The small business owner said it was an unfair burden to place on staff to check the vaccination status of every person that walked through their doors.
“Now we’re heading towards 80, 90 per cent… I really don’t think everybody should be locked down,” she said.
“We’ve got to get out and start living and start getting haircuts.”
Centro Expresso cafe owner Mardy Farrant said there was “a good buzz in the air” on reopening day.
“It’s a better vibe, for sure, it’s good to see more people about but it’ll be better when office workers are back,” she said.
The Flinders Lane cafe owner bought the business three years ago and said trading had plunged 80 per cent during lockdown.
“We’ve limped along, we usually employ backpackers so we’re looking for workers at the moment,” she said.
“I’m quite proud of the fact that we’ve really persevered.”
She said she wasn’t “terribly thrilled” about the government directive forcing businesses to check the vaccination status of customers.
“It’s not going to be great to cop it from (unvaccinated) customers.”
Under the current rules, non-essential retailers can only open for outdoor trade and many stores are waiting for this restriction to ease before opening again.
Australian Retailers Association chief executive Paul Zahra said it was important retailers got back open and trading as quickly as possible.
“Once we hit 80 per cent in Victoria, businesses should be given the green light to open their doors the next day,” he said. “The past 11 weeks have pushed many small businesses to the brink, and they shouldn’t have to stay closed for longer than is absolutely necessary.
“We’re heading into Christmas – the most critical time of year on the retail calendar when every day of trading counts.”
Victoria hit another important milestone on Thursday, with 90 per cent of the population now having had at least one jab.
The state government announced 30 new clinics targeted across those suburbs which are lagging behind. Melbourne’s northern suburbs need about 10,000 to hit a first-dose rate of 85 per cent. Another nine pop-up clinics will appear at Headspace centres.
Deputy Premier James Merlino said: “We’ve got a promise with Victorians – when we get to 80 per cent double-dosed there’s further easing of restrictions. We will bring it forward as much as we can”.
VICTORIANS TO FOLLOW NSW BORDER RULES
Travellers entering New South Wales from Victoria must continue to abide by the northern state’s stay-at-home orders until November 1 when restrictions will be lifted.
People coming into NSW who have been in Victoria in the past 14 days must also complete a declaration form upon arrival.
When the stay-at-home orders lift on November 1, unvaccinated people who have been in Victoria in the past 14 days will be barred from entering NSW for holidays or recreation.
NSW Health confirmed exemptions would be granted for border community residents.
On Thursday night, a statement issued by NSW said: “There are still places of high concern (close and casual contact venues) in Victoria. People who have been to these venues at the relevant time and date must continue to follow the rules for close and casual contacts.”
It comes as Victoria is set to drop its quarantine requirements for all fully vaccinated Australians returning from overseas from as early as November 1.
Cabinet ministers were meeting on Thursday night to sign off on the plan, which would match conditions in NSW. Multiple sources told the Herald Sun the date for major quarantine shift could be as early as November 1.
MASK STUDY RUBBISHED BY EXPERTS
A “world-first” study that celebrated Victoria’s mask mandate is riddled with errors, experts say.
The Burnet Institute study, published in the journal Plos One early this year, purported to show mandating masks was the “single most important control measure” that “turned an exponential increase in community transmission into an exponential decrease, almost overnight”, a press release said. But University of NSW medical researcher and PhD candidate Kyle Sheldrick said the research was “very, very low quality”. Another, an eminent Australian clinician and scientist, said: “It’s crap”.
The study relied on news images from The Age to conclude mask usage rose from 43 per cent to 97 per cent after the mandate came into effect. Dr Sheldrick said it was “hard to think of a worse methodology”.
The paper singled out masks as the key reason for a fall in Melbourne’s community transmission. But the paper’s authors said transmission also fell in rural areas where the mandate was not introduced.
The Burnet Institute said it “stands by our paper”.
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