Coronavirus: Chances of third wave ‘minimal, but not zero’
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has declared the chances of Melbourne experiencing a third COVID-19 wave are minimal but not zero.
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has declared the chances of Melbourne experiencing a third COVID-19 wave are minimal but not zero, as Daniel Andrews urged residents to be responsible ahead of a weekend of eased restrictions.
Mr Andrews said he did not expect NSW to open its border to Victoria before November 22, saying it was reasonable for Gladys Berejiklian to wait two weeks from when the “ring of steel” separating Melbourne from regional Victoria was lifted.
Professor Sutton said the pandemic would not be over until a vaccine was distributed across Australia, meaning that industry and the public needed to follow the rules and advice.
Asked how great the threat of a third wave was as the state opened up, he said: “I think it’s minimal but I don’t want to say it’s zero because it will not be zero for any of us in Australia until there is a widespread use of a vaccine that’s effective.”
Mr Andrews said Victoria would eventually match NSW in integrating a QR code check-in system with contact tracing software, implementing the program as restrictions ease.
Ahead of the weekend, he reiterated that visits to homes were limited to one visiting event a day. “I know that’s challenging but if we want to keep doing that, and not be locked down again and unable to see the people we love, then we have just got to keep vigilant, we have just got to keep doing this,” he said.
“We have to be, as a community, as stubborn as this virus. It’s not going away. It spreads rapidly. It spreads silently. We have come so far and done so much that we have to safeguard that.
“These last few months have to mean something, they have to be worth something. There’s a lot of pain and hurt out there. There’s grieving.”
After 120 press conferences in a row, Mr Andrews will not front the media on Saturday, handing over the briefing to Health Minister Martin Foley.
He said he had exchanged a series of text messages with the NSW Premier on Friday morning and he backed her approach.
“They’re very keen to wait a couple of weeks and they want to see how things unfold once Victoria is whole again. So it’s not unreasonable for them to wait and see,” he said.
He said no Premier took any joy from closing borders but each leader had a responsibility to do whatever they could to keep their community safe.
“I have got no criticism of those who have made those choices and I’m confident there will be a logical, sequential, evidence-based, data-driven, epidemiologically driven approach to opening up those borders.”
Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas said the state budget would be delivered on November 24.
“This budget will continue our unprecedented support for Victorian families and businesses, and kickstart our economic recovery,” he said.
More Coverage
Indigenous-owned firms to get bigger contracts slice
Companies controlled and majority owned by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will be awarded more commonwealth contracts in an expanded Indigenous procurement policy.
Chinese centre ‘insult to traditional owners’
The proposed first Chinese cultural and heritage centre in Cairns has sparked concern from Aboriginal elders that such a project without a similar space dedicated to First Nations history would be an ‘insult’ to traditional owners.