Victoria records 7 new cases ahead of predicted easing

Victoria has recorded seven new coronavirus cases on the day Daniel Andrews is predicted to announce an easing of restrictions in Melbourne.

Victoria recorded seven new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, ahead of Premier Daniel Andrews’ press conference where he is predicted to announce some restrictions will ease.

Restrictions easing depends on case numbers in the week leading up to Sunday, he said.

There were no COVID deaths in the 24 hours to Sunday morning.

There were nine cases in Victoria with an unknown source over the past fortnight, meaning the Department of Health does not know how the person caught the virus — another key measure deciding how quickly the state will open up.

The 14-day rolling average is 4.6.

According to the state’s Roadmap to Recovery, the rolling average must be below five to trigger the next step of the state’s journey to “COVID-normal”.

The 14-day rolling average in regional Victoria is 0.2.

Sunday’s numbers follow seven new cases on Saturday, one on Friday and five on Thursday.

Restrictions easing on Sunday could include retail, cafes, restaurants and bars beginning to reopen, some workplaces resuming, places of worship resuming in-person services, and changes to weddings, funerals, and outdoor gathering restrictions.

But a new cluster in North Melbourne could dampen the restrictions originally flagged to loosen up on Sunday.

Two schools have closed and hundreds of people have been placed in quarantine after an outbreak started when a primary school student went to school while positive, an incident blamed on confusing messaging from the Department of Health and Human Services to the boy’s family.

Investigations are under way as to whether the cluster has led to widespread community transmission in the northern suburbs.