Coronavirus: fragile state may not last, says Daniel Andrews
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says the recent string of days with no new cases of COVID-19 ‘won’t last’ if people don’t follow rules and wear masks.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says the recent string of days with no new cases of COVID-19 “won’t last” if people don’t follow rules and wear masks, refusing to be drawn on whether Sunday’s promised easing of restrictions will go further than foreshadowed.
Having announced that there are now just 30 known active cases in Victoria, Mr Andrews said he had been concerned by scenes of thousands of people crowding onto beaches to enjoy a sunny Melbourne Cup Day, many of whom were not wearing masks.
“I just ask all Victorians: we‘ve all built this together, we’ve made great sacrifices, it’s fragile, it’s precious, and if we don’t all value it and play our part — wearing a mask, keeping our distance as much as we possibly can, following the rules as they relate to you — then this won’t last,” the Premier said on Wednesday.
Last week he foreshadowed a relaxation of restrictions from 11.59pm on Sunday, which would enable Melburnians to travel more than 25km from their homes, including to regional Victoria, and allow hospitality businesses to accommodate up to 40 people indoors and gyms to reopen to up to 20.
Asked whether he was considering easing other restrictions following five straight days with no new cases, Mr Andrews said: “I’ll make Sunday’s announcements on Sunday. It’ll all be based on data tomorrow, the day after, you know, we’ve always done this, we’ve always looked at the most contemporary picture.”
The Premier’s comments came as Australian Bureau of Statistics payroll jobs figures published on Wednesday showed the proportion of jobs lost in Victoria since March was double that of every mainland state.
The data showed that between March 14 and October 17, Victorian payroll jobs fell by 8 per cent, compared with 4 per cent in NSW, 3 per cent in Queensland, 2 per cent in SA, 1.4 per cent in WA, 4.8 per cent in Tasmania, 1.3 per cent in the Northern Territory, 3.4 per cent in the ACT and 4.4 per cent nationwide.
Victoria also had the sharpest fall in total wages over the same period, 6.1 per cent, compared with 5.8 per cent in NSW and 5.1 per cent nationwide.
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