Zero to hero: Daniel Andrews ends lockdown after 111 days

Five million Melburnians will finally be released from lockdown, but business warns relaxation of restrictions has come too late.

Five million Melburnians will finally be released from coronavirus lockdowns that have confined them to their homes for 111 days, after Daniel Andrews accelerated his cautious easing of restrictions, allowing shops, pubs and restaurants to reopen on Wednesday.

The decision came little more than 24 hours after the Victorian Premier controversially announced a “cautious pause” on long-promised reopening plans, as health authorities scrambled to reassure themselves and the government that a coronavirus cluster of 39 cases — 22 of which remain active — in Melbourne’s north was under control.

Victoria recorded no new cases in the 24 hours to Monday — the first “zero” day since June 9, less than a fortnight after the virus began to leak out of the Andrews government’s hotel quarantine program, causing a second wave that peaked with 7880 active cases on August 11.

Business groups expressed relief at finally being able to reopen but some warned that the relaxation of restrictions had come too late for thousands of operations that had already become casualties of the lockdown. Others indicated it would not be viable for them to reopen until restrictions were eased further.

Despite the limited opening announced by Mr Andrews, Melburnians will have to wait until November 8 for the 25km travel restriction to be lifted and to be allowed to travel to regional Victoria. Citing just over 3000 negative test results received from the northern suburbs in the 24 hours to Monday, Mr Andrews declared: “Now is the time to open up”, congratulating Victorians for “proving equal … indeed proving better than this wicked enemy”.

“Fundamentally, this belongs to every single Victorian, every single Victorian who has followed the rules, stayed the course, worked with me and my team, to bring this second wave to an end,” he said. “But it is not over. This virus is not going away. It is going to ¬continue to be a feature of our lives, it is going to be a feature of our lives every day until a vaccine turns up.”

In a joint statement Scott Morrison, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Health Minister Greg Hunt welcomed the announcement, declaring that after a long winter, “there is light at the end of the tunnel for Victorians”.

“It will be important for the Victorian government to provide even more clarity to Victorians in the coming days and where restrictions do not have a health basis that they are removed quickly,” the Prime Minister said.

Melbourne’s lockdown has been costing Australian taxpayers $200m a day in direct economic support, with up to 1200 jobs being lost each day.

From 11.59pm on Tuesday, retail will reopen in Melbourne, as will restaurants, hotels, cafes and bars. There will be a total limit of 20 people indoors, subject to a limit of 10 people per space. Fifty people will be allowed in outdoor venues, subject to density thresholds.

The ban on leaving home for reasons other than permitted work, study, medical care, essential shopping or exercise will be lifted for the first time since July 9. Beauty and personal care services will reopen. Masks will remain compulsory for an indefinite period.

Mr Andrews is expected to ease restrictions on household visits on Tuesday, with any new rules to also apply from Tuesday night. Outdoor gatherings will remain at a maximum of 10 people, not including infants, with these gatherings no longer limited to just two households.

Weddings will increase to a maximum of 10 people and funerals to a maximum of 20 mourners.

A woman prays on St Kilda Beach in Melbourne on Monday. Picture: AFP

From 11.59pm on November 8, restrictions will ease further, with a 25km travel limit for Melburnians lifted, and the “ring of steel” between regional Victoria and the city finally taken down. This stage will also see gyms reopen to up to 20 people, hospitality businesses to 40 indoors and 70 outdoors, and religious gatherings and funerals to 20 indoors and 50 outdoors.

Mr Andrews said he would be able to explain on November 8 “what November looks like and what a COVID-19 Christmas looks like”.

Small Business Australia executive director Bill Lang said he welcomed news of a Victorian reopening, but feared the possibility of a “third lockdown” if Victoria‘s contact tracing capabilities were not up to scratch.

“Sadly, we have lost thousands of businesses during the extended closure and want to lessen that damage, which is why we are urging people to get out and shop, eat, drink and enjoy that freedom that has been taken from Melburnians for weeks,” Mr Lang said.

“The lingering concern from small business is a third lockdown. Hearing the Premier say that he prefers ‘old-fashioned ways’ such as pen and paper to technology when it comes to contact and trace, would have sent a shiver down the spine of business owners.”

AiGroup Victorian chief executive Tim Piper expressed “relief” at the announcement, which was “particularly welcome after the weekend delay and disappointment”.

Having been released from an initial Stage Three lockdown on May 12, Victoria re-entered it on July 9, as the state’s number of active cases ballooned from 64 on June 9 to 932 a month later. Stage Four restrictions — under which entire industries were shut down and a curfew was imposed on Melburnians — came into effect on August 2, as active cases reached 6322, peaking nine days later.

Victoria was down to 91 active cases on Monday. But there are ongoing concerns about the state’s infection control and contact tracing capabilities after it emerged the northern suburban cluster had been sparked by a hospital worker catching the virus from a patient in the COVID ward at Box Hill Hospital. Further infections emerged when the worker’s Grade Five family member attended school at East Preston Islamic College while still infectious, two days after the family received a letter from the Department of Health and Human Services stating: “As discussed, your family has met (DHHS)’s criteria to end isolation”.

Police patrol St Kilda Esplanade in Melbourne on Monday. Picture: AFP