Coronavirus: Victoria’s roadmap revision ‘unlikely’

Victorian Premier has deemed as ‘unlikely’ any revision of his reopening roadmap, despite mounting calls for it to be redone.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews looks on whilst Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton speaks to the media during a press conference in Melbourne, Victoria. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Daniel Pockett

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has deemed as “unlikely” any revision of his reopening roadmap, despite calls for the plan to be redone.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt seized on a report in The Weekend Australian on Saturday in which University of Melbourne epidemiologists, whose work was used as the basis for the roadmap, urged the Andrews government to “keep refining the models” in coming weeks to ensure that “trade-offs between lives affected and livelihoods lost” are balanced appropriately.

Under the Andrews government’s plan, Melburnians will remain under stay-at-home and curfew restrictions until at least October 26 — a date Mr Andrews said on Sunday was “unlikely” to be brought forward.

Reopening on that date is dependent on Melbourne reaching a 14-day daily average of fewer than five coronavirus cases, with no cases with an unknown source in that period.

On Sunday, Melbourne’s 14-day daily average was 56.9, with 99 cases having an unknown source over the most recent fortnight for which figures are available.

“I would say to you that it is highly unlikely we will meet those case number thresholds (before October 26), and because it is not just about numbers, it is also about the passage of time,” Mr Andrews said, when asked whether there was any chance of bringing his “third step” forward.

“One of the reasons why this is such a wicked enemy is that decisions I make today, I won’t see the full impacts of that for 10 to 14 days, by which time, it can be too late. The passage of time is, I know, very painful, very challenging for businesses and for families, but in terms of taking safe steps, it is a positive thing.

“You’ve got to let some time pass with a maintenance of testing so that you can have a clear picture or the clearest picture possible about what the impact of the decisions, the easing, the opening up that you’ve done is.

“If it were different, if every person could take like a blood sugar test every morning and only those who tested positive stayed at home and everyone else could go about their business, then of course we would do that.

“That’s not the fight we’re in, though, so I think it unlikely.

“Despite the pretty vocal criticism from many in the business community, I have had no business leader come to me and say: ‘The best outcome here is to open and then have to close again.’ That just doesn’t make any sense.”

Health Ministet Greg Hunt has urged the Premier to redo the plan. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Mr Andrews’s comments followed those of Mr Hunt, who urged him to “redo” his roadmap to ensure it contained “achievable targets”. “In short, the modellers from the University of Melbourne said yesterday that their model shouldn’t be used to justify zero cases as the basis for the road map, and they’ve encouraged Victoria to redo the road map,” Mr Hunt told Sky News.

“I think the improvements in contact tracing and the statements from the University of Melbourne mean we really have the opportunity now to work with Victoria, for them to work with the business community, the academic and medical communities and the commonwealth, to redo the road map, to have achievable targets which will help people with their mental health and their­ ­social and economic wellbeing.”