Five weeks into a hard lockdown in Melbourne, Victoria has recorded a consistent week – suggesting containment of virus spread ahead of Sunday announcement by the Victorian government.
Victoria, on Saturday reported 76 new coronavirus infections and 11 deaths. Victoria’s daily new cases were below 100 on most days this week, down from a peak of 725 new infections on Aug. 5, but remain higher than health officials had hoped five weeks into a six-week hard lockdown.
State premier Daniel Andrews is due to outline plans on Sunday for easing Melbourne’s stage 4 restrictions which shut large parts of the economy, required everyone to stay home except for essential business, and imposed a night time curfew.
Frustration with the prolonged lockdown has led to calls for protests in Melbourne on Saturday, which would be illegal under the stage 4 restrictions, and police were out in force.
Australia’s government and businesses have urged Victoria, which makes up about a quarter of the nation’s economy, to lift the restrictions as the country has sunk into its first recession since 1991.
“This is a health problem in the first instance and until you fix the health problem, there can be no economic repair,” Andrews said .
Victoria’s total 19,479 cases now account for about 75% of Australia’s tally, while the state’s 661 total fatalities make up nearly 90% of the country’s deaths from the virus.
