Daniel Andrews has flagged a further easing of Covid-19 restrictions in Victoria, saying he will announce “good news” on Sunday after the state reported only 12 new cases and one more death on Saturday.
The Victorian premier faced a barrage of questions following the resignation of health minister Jenny Mikakos on Saturday, saying he believed it was “appropriate” that she quit a day after he said she was partially to blame for the state’s vicious second-wave outbreak.
Mikakos issued a statement confirming her move after Andrews gave evidence to an inquiry on Friday pointing partial blame at the minister for her role in the bungled scheme.
But the premier also flagged plans to outline a further easing of restrictions as Melbourne’s 14-day average fell again to 23.6. The average is 0.8 in regional Victoria.
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Calling Saturday “a very good day”, Andrews warned restrictions would not be eased dramatically but said the state was “ahead of schedule”.
“There’s no dramatic departure from [the state’s Covid-19 roadmap], but there are a couple of areas where we can do more, and we will finalise those this evening, and we will be able to talk about those tomorrow,” he said.
“Again, we are not throwing the doors open tomorrow – the place is not opened up tomorrow. But people can be optimistic and positive about the fact that these numbers are coming down. Once you get them low, you can keep them low. That’s what the science and logic tells you.
“But I do hope tomorrow to be able to talk a little bit more about what October looks like and the fact that we are ahead of schedule.”
Also on Saturday the West Australian health minister, Roger Cook, confirmed a further seven crew members from a bulk carrier anchored off Port Hedland had tested positive for Covid-19.
It came after two crew members on board the vessel that was due to dock earlier this week tested positive to Covid-19 late on Wednesday evening.
New South Wales recorded no locally acquired cases after a mystery new case of a man in his 50s from Sydney’s south-west testing positive on Friday ended the state’s three-day streak of no community transmission.
His infection could reset NSW’s “border clock” with Queensland if authorities cannot account for the origin of his case.
NSW Health said on Friday the man had not had contact with a previously confirmed case.
Just one new case was recorded in the latest reporting period: a returned traveller in hotel quarantine. The case was detected from 12,258 tests.
In Queensland there were three new confirmed cases, taking the number of active cases to seven.
“Two of these cases, a male aged 40-49 years and a male aged 60-69 years, are crew members of an international vessel,” Queensland Health said in a statement.
“The third case, a male aged 40-49 years, is a returned traveller detected while in hotel quarantine. He is a resident of Western Australia. All other passengers on this individual’s incoming flight to Queensland are in quarantine.”
Meanwhile, Melburnians are waiting for restrictions to be eased on Monday, although the premier has tried to temper expectations.
He has flagged the next scheduled “step” on 26 October could be changed, depending on improving case numbers.
Proposed changes for Monday include a staged return to school for some students and an allowance for outdoor gatherings of five people from two households.
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In NSW people are being urged to get tested as soon as symptoms appear as residents move across the state during the school holidays.
“We all need to do our part to keep the community safe from another outbreak,” NSW Health said on Saturday.
“Get tested right away at the earliest symptoms and help protect friends and family from serious disease. This is especially important in south-west Sydney.”
Queensland’s chief health officer, Jeannette Young, said it appeared the mystery infection would reset the border clock with NSW but she would await the result of the investigation.
NSW must record 28 days with no community transmissions before its border with Queensland is reopened, a feat its premier, Gladys Berejiklian, has described as a “pretty tall order”.
That target was on track to be reached on 6 October but the case has put it in doubt.
NSW Health has advised anyone who attended Woolworths in Campbelltown Mall on 17 September between 1.30pm and 2pm is considered a casual contact of the man and to monitor for symptoms.
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