Coronavirus: Business calls on Daniel Andrews to reveal his reopening plan
Victorian businesses urge the government to disclose plans for easing pandemic restrictions as daily new case numbers fall to their lowest level in seven weeks.
Pressure is building on the Victorian state government to be upfront about whether it plans to wind back COVID-19 pandemic restrictions next month, amid concern that uncertainty is exacerbating community malaise and compounding the hit to business.
Premier Daniel Andrews drew criticism on Monday for moving to change the law to extend the government’s state of emergency powers for a further 12 months without providing guidance on when, or if, restrictions might ease.
That was despite reporting the smallest daily rise in coronavirus cases in seven weeks and claiming the 116 new cases — down from the peak of 723 on July 30 — as an indication that statewide restrictions were “working”.
The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry urged the government to come clean on what it proposed to do once current restrictions — stage-four for Melbourne and stage-three for the rest of the state — expire on September 13.
VECCI chief executive Paul Guerra pointed to commentary from the health department and media in recent days suggesting daily case numbers would need to fall to the 20s before restrictions would be eased.
“Every one of our members is saying: ‘We’re half-way through, what happens next?’ ” Mr Guerra said.
“No one has come out and said this is where we need to be in order to move into the next phase. We are not even sure what that next phase will look like and that’s what we’re asking for — let’s hear what things are going to look like after September 13. Business can’t stay shut forever.”
The government intends to introduce amendments to the Public Health and Wellbeing Act next week, which, if passed, would enable the state of emergency to be extended for a further 12 months.
Mr Andrews described it as a “logical and proportionate” move that would pave the way for ongoing enforcement of stay-at-home directions and face-covering laws if necessary.
The state has recorded 18,330 cases since the start of the pandemic and 430 people have died. Among 15 new deaths on Monday were five men and three women aged in their 80s, four women and two men in their 90s and one woman aged over 100.
“Without a vaccine, this pandemic is far from over,” Mr Andrews said, and without the extended public safety provisions, there would be “zero chance” the state’s Chief Health Officer would agree to easing restrictions.