Regional Victoria coronavirus restrictions on track to ease earlier than road map
The surprising mystery case in Echuca that could have prevented regional Victoria from skipping two steps on the Andrews Government’s road map out of lockdown was a false positive.
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REGIONAL Victoria could move straight to the last step of the Andrews Government’s road map for reopening next week, allowing the immediate easing of business and social coronavirus restrictions.
Premier Daniel Andrews flagged the move as Department of Health and Human Services data shows 38 regional Victorian local government areas have gone 14 days or more without a single new coronavirus case.
“We are on the cusp of regional Victoria as one unit moving to the next step and potentially taking two steps as early as next week,” Mr Andrews said.
The third step of the regional road map requires an average of less than 5 new cases over 14 days — currently at average of 4.7 — and 0 cases with an unknown source (“mystery” cases) for 14 days across all regions.
The total number of cases from an unknown source in the last 14 days is seven.
The final step requires no new cases for 14 days statewide.
Moving straight to the last step of restrictions would allow regional Victorians to resume eat-in dining, sports, weddings, funerals and church services, with 50 people allowed to gather outdoors and up to 20 visitors allowed in your home.
In a big relief for regional Victoria this afternoon, a surprising new case in Echuca overnight with no known source, which could have prevented even moving to the third step for another two weeks, has been confirmed as a “false positive”.
“The Public Health Unit Bendigo (phuB) can confirm the person in Echuca identified as COVID-19 positive was a false positive test due to a rare laboratory error,” Bendigo Health said in a statement.
“The phuB was notified on Thursday of a COVID-19 positive person in Echuca. That person was retested today, returning a negative result.
“Close contacts of the person have all tested negative to COVID-19.”
This morning, Mr Andrews said the case was of “significant concern” and anyone with symptoms in the area was urged to get tested.
The Opposition has been critical of the current road map, which prevents regional Victoria taking the “last step” in the easing of restrictions until the every local government area has gone for 14 days without a coronavirus case statewide.
“Why has regional Victoria been lumped in with Melbourne?” Opposition treasury and economic development spokeswoman Louise Staley said.
She said there was no reason why regional clusters of councils could not be put together now, allowing them to move straight to the last step of restrictions.
“We already have regions at the last step,” Ms Staley said.
Ms Staley has analysed the number of new cases occurring across all local government areas to show 38 have gone for 14 days without a new case and that others are close to meeting that standard.
When questioned why restrictions couldn’t be eased in some areas of regional Victoria that were coronavirus free by media today, Mr Andrews said the “notion of regional Victoria moving together as one is what we want”.
“Given that it was such a short time frame, where we were confident we can reach these triggers (to skip two steps on the road map), the notion of dividing up regional Victoria one week, people would barely be familiar with the rules before we took them off and said all of regional Victoria can open.”
Mr Andrews said if regional Victoria was divided up, it would require more policed borders, which he said wasn’t feasible.
He also shut down the suggestion of altering the border around Melbourne.
“It’s potentially risky to fundamentally alter the border between Melbourne and the regions,” he said. “We are using the current borders that are there. That is what guided us all the way through.”
MORE
VICTORIAN AGRICULTURE COMPANIES HIT BY CORONAVIRUS
REGIONAL COUNCILS WITH NO RECORDED COVID-19 CASES
BULOKE
HINDMARSH
TOWONG
35 REGIONAL COUNCILS WITH NO COVID-19 CASES IN PAST 14 DAYS
ALPINE
ARARAT
BASS COAST
BAW BAW
BENALLA
CENTRAL GOLDFIELDS
EAST GIPPSLAND
GANNAWARRA
GLENELG
GOLDEN PLAINS
GREATER GEELONG
GREATER SHEPPARTON
HEPBURN
INDIGO
LODDON
MACEDON RANGES
MILDURA
MITCHELL
MOORABOOL
MOUNT ALEXANDER
MOYNE
MURRINDINDI
NORTHERN GRAMPIANS
PYRENEES
QUEENSCLIFFE
SOUTHERN GRAMPIANS
STRATHBOGIE
SURF COAST
SWAN HILL
WANGARATTA
WARRNAMBOOL
WELLINGTON
WEST WIMMERA
WODONGA
YARRIAMBIACK
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