Coronavirus: Patience plea as Victorian infections fall

Daniel Andrews has called on Victorians to continue to be patient regarding easing of coronavirus restrictions, despite the state’s lowest number of new cases since June 16.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews in Melbourne on Monday. Picture: Wayne Taylor

Daniel Andrews has called on Victorians to continue to be patient regarding easing of coronavirus restrictions, despite the state recording its lowest number of new cases on Monday since June 16.

Monday’s 11 new cases came as the active caseload in every local government area in the state fell below 100 for the first time since July 4, with the Premier hinting at a revision of the timeline for reopening, but making no promises.

With a 14-day daily average on Monday of 34.4 cases, Melbourne is on track to move to its next step of relaxing restrictions on Sunday, already surpassing the threshold of a 14-day daily average of 30-50 cases.

This will enable outdoor gatherings of up to five people from two households, the resumption of childcare, and a staged return to the classroom for school students.

For the following step, which would see Melburnians released from a stay-at-home lockdown and a curfew by October 26, the statewide 14-day daily average needs to fall below five cases, with fewer than five cases with an unknown source over that fortnight.

There have been 47 cases with an unknown source in the fortnight to September 18 — the most recent period for which the figure is available.

Asked whether there was any possibility of the October 26 relaxation being brought forward, Mr Andrews said modelling would be “updated regularly to take account of the actual data”.

“We will have more to say about that process later in the week but, again, it is very tempting and I appreciate why everybody wakes up today, sees a low number and is hopeful and positive, and that is a good thing, but we have to stay the course on this,” the Premier said.

“Not only are case numbers important but the story behind the numbers and the passage of time, frustratingly, also is important.

“Advice can change, models will be rerun and we will have more to say about what we believe is safe but, ultimately, safety has to guide us, and while we would all like to bring things forward a month, that is not the advice, not what the data and science says.” Mr Andrews’s comments came as Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services, for the first time since June 16, resumed ­providing a breakdown of the clusters to which each day’s coronavirus cases have been linked. Of 11 new cases on Monday, five had been linked to known outbreaks, while six remained under investigation.

Of the five, one was linked to Opal Aged Care in Hobsons Bay, in Melbourne’s inner southwest, one to the Australian Meat Group abattoir in Dandenong South in Melbourne’s outer southeast, another to Victoria’s biggest-ever cluster of 256 cases at Baptcare Wyndham Lodge aged care in Werribee, in Melbourne’s outer southwest, and the remaining two to Embracia Aged Care in Moonee Valley, in Melbourne’s northwest.

No further information, such as local government area, has been provided regarding the six cases under investigation.

The additional information comes after The Australian last week highlighted key failures in contact tracing in Victoria early in the state’s second wave, compared with what was done in NSW in the fortnight after both states had their first day of more than 10 locally acquired cases. At Monday’s press conference The Australian asked Mr Andrews which outbreaks the day’s cases had been linked to. “That’s detail that will be included in the Chief Health Officer’s press release,” Mr Andrews said.

Told that such information had not been included in CHO press releases for months, the Premier said: “Well, the Chief Health Officer’s release today will give you as much information as it possibly can.” Asked why the cluster breakdown had not been a feature of recent daily press releases, Mr Andrews said: “I have no idea. That’s not data that is compiled by me, but I’m more than happy to follow it up.”