New rules as state hits seven days without a new local Covid case

New rules on masks and crowd limits will come into effect in Victoria, but the state has been warned “all it takes is one case” to spark a new outbreak.

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Victoria has marked a stunning Covid milestone since the outbreak that forced metropolitan Melbourne into lockdown.

The state has now gone a week without recording a new case of local transmission after a strong testing turnout of nearly 27,500 people.

There are currently 24 active cases.

Health Minister Martin Foley announced that from 11.59pm Thursday, July 8, restrictions in metropolitan Melbourne would be brought into line with regional Victoria.

• Masks will continue to be required indoors and in public-facing settings unless an exemption applies

• Masks will no longer be required at schools for students and staff

• Masks will no longer be required at workplaces, especially in situations where staff do not interact with the public

• Masks will still be required in roles where a person interacts with the general public e.g. if serving customers in a retail setting

• Dancefloors will be allowed with a COVID check-in marshal, but no more than 50 people can be on the dancefloor at any one time

• Workplaces, including entertainment, retail, hospitality, gyms, physical recreation, community facilities, creative spaces, galleries, places of worship can host one person per 2sq m provided that Covid-19 check-in marshals are on-site

• Up to 15 people can attend a home per day

• Outdoor stadiums can increase up to 75 per cent of their capacity — up to 40,000 people

• Indoor stadiums can open to 75 per cent of their capacity, up to a 7500 person cap

• Theatres will also be able to open to 75 per cent of their capacity, up to a cap of 2000 people

The new settings will be in place for 14 days, subject to public health advice.

Health Minister Martin Foley says the Delta strain remains a risk. Picture: Paul Jeffers

Mr Foley said Victorians need look no further than the outbreak across the border to know the risks of coronavirus spreading at big gatherings inside the home. For this reason authorities decided to keep the limit on private gatherings in place.

“It seems a bit counterintuitive … (but) what we have learned over the course of this pandemic is that our homes … they’re the places where we assume we’re the safest, they’re also the places where we let our guard down,” he said.

“Today’s changes show just how far we’ve come – thanks to the hard work of all Victorians we’re able to once again have the same settings in place for the whole state,” Mr Foley said.

“We’re seeing across the country just how fast-moving the Delta strain is – which is why we need to remain vigilant and follow the directions to protect the gains we’ve made.”

Associate Professor Deb Friedman, who is part of the Chief Health Officer’s team, highlighted the continuing risk of the Delta variant, saying “all it takes is one case” to spark an outbreak in Victoria.

“In the last two weeks, we have seen two incursions and that produces hundreds of primary close contacts and then dozens of exposure sites ... one infectious case going undetected in the community for a few days is something that we really don’t want to contemplate currently,” she said.

Ms Friedman said masks would not need to be worn at weddings.

“In a setting where people have all checked in for the event and we’re easily able to contact-trace, and where people are going to be consuming food and beverages, we’re expecting that common sense will prevail and masks wouldn’t be worn in that type of setting ... if you’ve got all of those Covid-safe settings in place, then masks don’t need to be worn at weddings.”

Opposition spokesman David Davis called on the state government to release the health advice which allowed restrictions to ease, saying there were still too many “inconsistencies” between some of the rules.

“We can look at these things from a common sense perspective but we still say that doesn’t appear to make a lot of sense”, Mr Davis said.

“You can have a certain number on the dance floor but a lesser number in your home … it doesn’t make sense.”

Meanwhile, Mr Foley added that Victoria would see a real reduction in Covid-19 vaccines over the next six to eight weeks.

“During May and June, we ramped up substantially and we thank the Commonwealth for allocating in particular, the Pfizer vaccine ... the inescapable reality is that over the next period before the spring, Victoria will have a cut of vaccines to our state.”

The national economy has staged a remarkable bounce back from Covid. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty

STATE’S JOB RECOVERY STILL SLOW

Victoria’s jobs recovery continues to lag behind the rest of Australia, running at about half the national average rate.

Although all states and territories in Australia now boast more jobs than before the pandemic, the gains in Victoria have been far more subdued than interstate, where long lockdowns have largely been avoided.

The latest update from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows there were 1.9 per cent more employees registered on a payroll in Victoria in mid-June compared to the middle of March last year.

But the increase in payroll jobs in Victoria is well below the national increase of 3.4 per cent over the same period.

It is also well off the 3.9 per cent gain in Queensland and 5 per cent gain in South Australia.

Payroll jobs in New South Wales have risen 3.4 per cent from the middle of March 2020 to the middle of June, the ABS numbers show.

Australia registered its first Covid death at the start of March last year and entered its first period of lockdown at the end of that month.

AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver said while the national economy had staged a remarkable bounce back from Covid, it was clear Victoria was feeling the lingering effects of its massive 112-day lockdown.

“Victoria is lagging and I suspect a big reason for that is the lockdown experienced in the September quarter last year,” Dr Oliver said.

“Lockdowns have taken a bigger toll on the Victorian economy — the longer you spend in lockdown, the more businesses shut up.”

Dr Oliver said while the nation’s economic recovery was world leading, a “patchy” economy had emerged with some sectors booming while others such as hospitality and tourism were doing it tough.

Payroll jobs in Victoria increased by 0.4 per cent in the two weeks to June 19 as lockdown restrictions came to an end, employment numbers released by the ABS on Tuesday show.

Sydney’s lockdown has been extended. Picture: Damian Shaw

SYDNEY LOCKDOWN EXTENDED

Sydney’s lockdown will be extended for seven days until July 16, with children forced to learn from home next week as health authorities grapple to contain the Covid-19 outbreak.

NSW recorded 27 new local infections, only 13 of whom were already in isolation.

Students in rural communities, however, will get to return to in-person classes on July 13.

Under the plan, the current lockdown in Greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Wollongong and Shellharbour will be extended until 11.59pm on July 16. In all other parts of NSW, current restrictions will continue.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned the state government was considering “further actions” for three local government areas as case numbers soar.

Liverpool, Fairfield and Canterbury-Bankstown government areas, which include 110 Sydney suburbs, have been put on alert.

Of particular concern are eight suburbs: Bossley Park, Smithfield, Fairfield, West Hoxton, Bass Hill, St Johns Park, Canley Vale and Greenfield Park.

“Can I say to the communities in those area, many have a similar background to me, please don’t mingle with family,” Ms Berejiklian said.

NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said: “This is really a crunch time for the community where the destiny is in your hands”.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said he didn’t expect Sydney’s red-zone status to be downgraded “anytime soon”.

Follow the latest national Covid updates here.

UNDER-40S TO GET FREE PICK WHEN DOSES RISE

Younger Australians are expected to be given a choice of Covid-19 vaccines once extra supplies and new options become available from ­September.

While the AstraZeneca vaccine is now available to all adults, restricted supplies of Pfizer means it has been prioritised for particular groups.

Vaccine rollout chief Lieutenant General John Frewen said on Tuesday he expected adults under 40 would be able to be vaccinated with shots other than AstraZeneca from September or October, and they would likely be able to choose their preferred jab.

Younger Australians will soon be given a choice of Covid-19 vaccines Picture: Mark Stewart

In September, Victoria’s weekly Pfizer supplies are expected to soar to up to 317,000 doses, while about 30,000 doses of Moderna will also be part of the rollout, increasing to as much as 148,000 doses in the final quarter of the year.

“When we have ample supplies of both, I think that might be a time we can offer more choice to individuals,” General Frewen said.

He said he had not “formed an opinion yet” on whether Moderna – an mRNA vaccine similar to Pfizer – would be used as a booster or part of the first wave of inoculations.