Victoria on track to drop ring of steel, two of four new cases could be false positives
Brett Sutton is confident the risk of a third wave in Victoria is “minimal”, with the chief health officer saying one policy could be the key to keeping cases at bay.
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Four new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in Victoria overnight, with no deaths added to the state’s tally.
It comes as Premier Daniel Andrews said the ring of steel separating metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria is still planned to be lifted on November 9.
The state’s chief health officer said two of the four cases were potentially false positives, and “may be deemed not to be true cases by the expert panel”.
Additionally, one of the cases may be a historical or recovered case, while the fourth is under investigation.
None of the cases are linked to an outbreak in the northern suburbs.
The four cases are in the Wyndham, Brimbank, Hume and Greater Dandenong areas.
The positive case travelled “ in and around” Deer Park, Professor Brett Sutton said.
“I would encourage anyone who is symptomatic, especially in Deer Park, to look for a testing station nearby,” he said.
The all-important rolling 14-day average has dropped to 2.6, while there have been two active cases of an unknown origin in the past two weeks.
23,583 tests were processed yesterday.
The Premier urged anyone with symptoms to get tested.
“If you get tested quickly, as soon as you have a sense of those symptoms, then we can wrap a public health response around you and your family to keep them safe and keep every family safe,” Premier Daniel Andrews said.
Prof Sutton said the risk of a third wave is minimal, but not zero.
“I think it is minimal. I don’t want to say it is zero because it will not be zero for
any of us in Australia until there is a widespread use of a vaccine that is effective,” he said.
“We do have to just have that awareness ongoing. The mask-wearing is part of that.”
After facing more than 100 daily press conferences in a row, the Premier said he would be absent from Saturday’s press conference, with Health Minister Martin Foley appearing instead.
PLAN TO DISCOUNT REGIONAL HOLIDAYS
The overnight update comes as the state opposition revealed a plan for holiday-makers to enjoy heavily discounted trips within Victoria, under a proposal to boost the state’s economy.
The scheme would involve the state government subsidising the cost of tours and accommodation for bookings of three nights or more.
A 50 per cent discount would be capped at $200, according to the Opposition’s plans. It would apply statewide and be available to all Victorians.
The Opposition dubbed the idea Road Trip for Victoria and said it was aimed at encouraging people to stay in Victoria for their holidays and support the tourism sector.
It comes as the “ring of steel” dividing Melbourne and regional Victoria is set to be lifted on November 9, allowing people to travel freely across the state once again.
LATEST: MORE HOTEL INQUIRY HEARINGS POSSIBLE
A National Cabinet plan agreed to by all states except Western Australia would see all domestic borders reopened by Christmas, however there is uncertainty about specific dates.
Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien said Victoria’s tourism industry needed all the help it could get after a horror year.
“Many regional communities have first been hit by devastating bushfires, then an avoidable COVID-19 second wave,” he said.
“The Victorian government must pump money into tourist attractions and reward local travel in order to support jobs and our economy.”
Mr O’Brien called on the Andrews government to stump up $300m for a dedicated Victorian tourism fund, which would cover the cost of discounted getaways.
“Initiatives like these will help more Victorians explore our own beautiful backyard, instead of flocking interstate on holidays when borders open up,” he said.
The UK government ran a similar program for the hospitality sector called Eat Out to Help Out which gave diners 50 per cent off their bill, up to a maximum of £10 ($18.40) discount per person.
Under the Road Trip for Victoria scheme, the discount would be automatically available when people book accommodation or a tour package, and operators would later be reimbursed by the government.
Victoria’s tourism industry this week called for a $1.3bn lifeline from the state government, amid research showing 165,000 jobs could be lost by this time next year due to ongoing restrictions.
Tourism and Transport Forum and Victoria Tourism Industry Council joined forces calling for support.
Opposition tourism spokesman David Hodgett said Victorian tourism operators wanted to get back to work and open their doors.
COULD WE SOON BE SET FOR ASIAN TRAVEL BUBBLE?
Australia could open travel bubbles with Japan, Singapore and South Korea within months thanks to the successful first phase with New Zealand.
Pacific Islands might also be on the cards for travel in 2021.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the first week and a half of one-way travel with NZ has allowed it to “test” safe international travel for airports and airlines.
DFAT is also “very close” to finalising arrangements for two-way travel with NZ, department official Jenny Da Rin told Senate Estimates on Thursday.
“Once the arrangement is finalised, it will be up to the two governments to determine when to commence based on health advice,” Ms Da Rin said.
Australian Tourism Industry Council executive director Simon Westaway said the one-way bubble had been a “welcome first step” but called for it to be expanded soon to allow Australians into NZ.
“A two-way, genuine travel bubble between Australia and NZ must now occur and must be seen to be put in place prior to Christmas,” he said.
He said the trans-Tasman bubble would be a “source of strength” to attempt travel corridors with Singapore, South Korea and Japan in early 2021.
China should also be considered for COVID-safe travel arrangements, he said.
Conflict still continues over state borders, with Queensland due to make an announcement on Friday.
But NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Thursday reiterated that she would not lift the border closure to Victoria for at least another two weeks — and would not say whether it would be open by Christmas.
She said “it is easy to control the virus” while in lockdown, but the “real test is once you ease those restrictions”.
Ms Berejiklian also said economic advice had shown it was too risky to open the border too quickly.
CHADSTONE CLUSTER TRUCKIE FINED
The truck driver who spread the Chadstone coronavirus cluster to regional Victoria has been fined by police.
Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton confirmed on Thursday morning the man was fined $1652 for dining at a cafe in Kilmore on September 30.
He said the man was fined on October 17 after it was revealed he had spread the virus to the regional Victorian towns of Kilmore and Shepparton.
The man had a valid work permit to leave metropolitan Melbourne but was not permitted to eat in regional Victorian restaurants or cafes at the time.
The truck driver, who was connected to the Chadstone cluster by a family member who worked at The Butcher Club, did not know he was a close contact or positive when he travelled.
Three people contracted coronavirus in Shepparton and six tested positive in Kilmore, but the outbreak has now been brought under control.
“It was for dining in (at) Kilmore,” Mr Patton said.
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