Coronavirus: Greg Hunt urges Daniel Andrews to reopen borders

Health Minister Greg Hunt and Josh Frydenberg have challenged Daniel Andrews to ease restrictions by the weekend

Health Minister Greg Hunt says Victoria‘s numbers are below NSW. Picture: Martin Ollman

Health Minister Greg Hunt and Josh Frydenberg have challenged Daniel Andrews to ease restrictions by the weekend to address an unfolding mental health crisis, with the state recording lower numbers of infections than NSW where there was no lockdown.

The Morrison government’s two most senior Victorians claimed there was no longer a medical justification for the forced closure of pubs, shops, restaurants, offices and retail outlets in the nation’s second-largest state.

“Please give the people of Victoria their freedom back this weekend,” the Treasurer urged the Victorian Premier.

Business groups also warned that attempts to stimulate demand would fail in Victoria unless Mr Andrews changed his strategy, with Australian Industry Group chief ­executive Innes Willox declaring there was “no conceivable justification” for keeping Melbourne’s five million people confined to their homes.

“This only prolongs the economic agony for tens of thousands of businesses and hundreds of thousands of their employees,” he said. “We are seeing the economic, health and community damage mount by the day and the longer the state government keeps the doors shut, the greater the carnage will be.”

Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services figures show the number of people hospitalised after attempting suicide has increased by nearly 6 per cent in the state compared with the same time last year.

For people aged 17 and under, the rate has risen 31.3 per cent, as of September 25, when compared with the same time last year.

Mr Hunt said Victoria had recorded a rolling average of fewer than 10 new coronavirus cases — the threshold set by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee for reopening under commonwealth recommendations.

“We have a commonwealth definition in terms of hotspots. That’s a rolling average of less than 10 cases. Victoria is below that rolling average,” Mr Hunt said. “In fact, today, Victoria‘s numbers were below NSW.”

However — in a blow to Mr Hunt’s argument — the commonwealth definition of a hotspot is measured on a rolling average of cases over three days. While Victoria’s two-week average is 9.6 cases, its average over the past three days is 11.3 cases.

Victoria has rejected the federal government’s hotspot guide in favour of its own roadmap, which requires an average of five cases a day over a two-week period for an October reopening of ­retail and hospitality venues.

Its roadmap also requires zero cases for two weeks to further ease restrictions in November.

Mr Andrews on Wednesday flagged there would be significant changes to the state’s coronavirus restrictions, despite case numbers remaining higher than hoped for.

But he said it was “very positive” that four of the state’s seven new cases on Wednesday were in Melbourne.

“It is one that gives the very clear sign that the numbers are coming down; whether they are coming down as fast as we hoped, that is another matter,” he said.

“I still don’t think that on Sunday we’ll be able to go as far and as fast as we’d hoped but there will be significant announcements.

“At some point, the cost of the restrictions will be greater than the increased risk and the increased challenge for our public health team to keep suppressed the virus if we open earlier than we had planned,” Mr Andrews said.

But while Victoria eyed easing restrictions, authorities in NSW said they were becoming increasingly concerned as local case numbers continued to grow.

There were 11 new cases of ­locally transmitted COVID-19 recorded on Wednesday.

Gladys Berejiklian said this was “the most concerned we’ve been since that first incident when the Victorian citizen came up, infecting his colleagues and went for a drink at a hotel”.

“I want to make very clear we’re holding off (easing restrictions) because we are concerned with where we’re up to,” the NSW Premier said.

The state was on Friday scheduled to ease restrictions at hospitality venues, allowing one patron for every 2sq m in outdoor areas instead of one every 4sq m.

Mr Willox said on Wednesday Mr Andrews had to reopen.

“Four months after the second lockdown, we have still not seen a coherent economic strategy for economic recovery outlined by the Victorian government,” he said. “They can spend like drunken sailors in the budget in three weeks but it is next to useless if they keep industry closed or ­constrained.”

Australian Hotels Association president Stephen Ferguson said he backed the federal government’s call for reopening, labelling continued lockdowns as cruel.

“The AHA has a COVID safety plan that it’s presented to the Andrews government setting out how they are able to open safely,” Mr Ferguson said.

“It’s cruel that citizens, workers and businesses are being locked down when the Chief Medical ­Officer says it’s safe to reopen and the WHO has expressed concerns about lockdowns.”