Victorian Prime Minister Daniel Andrews says state may have recorded its first day with zero new cases of coronavirus in months and is well positioned to bring forward an easing of restrictions currently set for November 1
M Andrews said the only case recorded overnight involved a person from Brimbank, north Melbourne, who had already tested positive in July and may simply be spreading the virus
If this case is ruled out, it would be the first day since June 9 that the state has not reported any new cases of COVID-19
« It could potentially be a zero day and it’s been a long time since we had a zero day, » M said. Andrews
« It’s a testament to the hard work of every Victorian in town, suburb, regional communities large and small »
A panel of experts will review the case, examining the person’s movements, symptoms, and epidemiological links with known cases to determine their decision
Some people who have tested positive for COVID-19 and have recovered will continue to shred genetic fragments of the virus for some time after their illness
Another case recorded overnight involves a person who has a Victorian address that is in interstate quarantine, having recently returned from overseas
The 14-day moving average for Melbourne has fallen to 64, from 72 yesterday, and there are now 13 ‘mystery’ cases
The PM gave a strong indication that a more widespread easing of restrictions would be announced this weekend, due to the continued decline in the average number of new cases
« I will be standing here on Sunday and hope to be able to confirm for the Victorians that as far as retail, pubs, restaurants, cafes, bars, as well as a number other settings, we can have what’s called a ‘dark opening’ for, say, the first day or two of next week, « he said
However, M Andrews stressed that no changes to the restrictions would be made before this weekend’s AFL grand final
The Prime Minister gave some hope to the Victorians who are waiting to see when the border between metropolitan Melbourne and the Victoria area is lifted
M Andrews said there was no average of specific case that would trigger a lifting of the so-called « steel ring » around Melbourne, but he hoped the border would be lifted next month so families can spend Christmas together
« There are many, many people who desperately want to see the people they love the most and then there are many other reasons, employment reasons, economic reasons, » he said. he declares
M Andrews said the Victoria COVID-19 hotel quarantine investigation did not ask for more time or money to complete its investigation, as it prepared to hold a special meeting this afternoon, in light of new revelations since the end of the public hearings
The investigation tried to find out who authorized the use of private security guards – widely seen as a flaw in the program that contributed to the second wave in Melbourne
The final report of the investigation is due next month But he confirmed that a statement would be made today by the chair of the investigation, Jennifer Coate, and the lawyer attending a session that will begin at 14 hours
Witnesses will not be called to appear at today’s meeting, and Mr. Andrews said he was not invited to appear again before the inquest
« I think there may have been a letter, I haven’t seen the letter, but I think there may have been a letter simply asking for clarification on a number of issues not news «
M Andrews and senior officials have provided additional telephone documents to the inquiry since the end of the public hearings
Health director Brett Sutton also admitted that he failed to « record » that private security guards were being used in quarantine at a hotel in an email he acknowledged a month ago earlier
Chris Eccles, the chief of the PM’s and Cabinet’s department, resigned last week after revelations he telephoned Graham Ashton, who was Victoria’s chief police commissioner, the day the investigation has been opened
Previously, he had told the inquest that he did not recall speaking to Mr. Ashton that day
The opposition wants M Andrews, Professor Sutton and former Health Minister Jenny Mikakos be called back to testify
Shadow Attorney General Edward O’Donohue said the investigation should establish a « way to find the truth » and should seek an extension if it needed more time
« How can the board of directors make recommendations about the future when the facts are not yet established? » M O’Donohue said
« Until we get to the heart of the truth and the facts, the council is not in a position to make recommendations for future policy »
The government also gave more details on an investigation into a possible risk of infection in hotel quarantine, linked to the sharing of a blood sugar measuring device
Health officials are reaching out to hundreds of people who had their blood sugar tested while in quarantine at the hotel, after it was revealed that the device used for the tests was used shared between people
Health Minister Martin Foley said the « clinical breakdown » of the hotel quarantine that led to the sharing of the device was a « regrettable » incident
M Foley said no one got sick from the incident and there was no risk of the coronavirus spreading, but there was a low clinical risk that blood-borne viruses such as hepatitis B and C, and HIV can be spread
« I must point out that this is, by all clinical advice, a very, very low risk of cross-contamination but, as a precaution, Safer Care Victoria and Alfred do exactly the right thing in one very low-risk way of trying to contact everyone involved, ”he said
A researcher from Monash University discovered that Victoria’s Stage 3 restrictions and the rule making masks mandatory were introduced too late and led to the extended stage 4 lockdown
The head of the university’s artificial intelligence and epidemiology modeling program, Lei Zhang, said the decision to apply the second lockdown was made when cases were at 143 per day, while the first lockdown had come with just 17 confirmed cases
« The fact that we have such a long and prolonged second wave proves that the decision to enter the Stage 3 restrictions was taken too late, » he said.
Dr Zhang said New South Wales should introduce mandatory mask wear to avoid second wave like Victoria’s
« With the greatest respect from the people at my old university, this is not an academic exercise, » he said
« The only way it works is to make the best decisions now, to stay true to your guns when you know you’re right Don’t get pressured into doing what’s popular Do what’s right and it’s what we did «
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AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time, which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)
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