Victoria records lowest daily tally since mid June
Victoria has had two coronavirus deaths, taking the state toll to 763 and the national figure to 851.
There were only 11 new cases as Melbourne’s 14-day case average dropped to 34.4, while the regional figure came in at 1.6.
This is the lowest daily Covid19 case number since June 16, when it was nine – before the start of the state’s second wave.
‘‘This is not just a good day, this is a great day,’’ Premier Daniel Andrews said of the case numbers yesterday.
‘‘Ultimately, these are very good numbers.’’
Melbourne’s daily average is well below the target of 50 to lift some virus restrictions later this month.
But the premier remains adamant it is not yet time to ease Melbourne’s stage four restrictions.
‘‘If we were to open up right now, these numbers are still too high and, as has been noted many, many times . . . you won’t see the impacts of that for two to three weeks’ time,’’ he said.
The Casey cluster that emerged last week as a major worry for health authorities remains at 43 cases.
Andrews said yesterday’s low testing number of 7164 is ‘‘acceptable’’ but it must remain ‘‘robust’’ so authorities could be confident about what was happening with the virus.
The 14-day average for cases with an unknown source is down to 47 for Melbourne and there have been none in regional Victoria.
Education Minister James Merlino announced school camps will resume in term four for regional Victoria.
But they will be limited to single schools and can only happen outside Melbourne.
Prep to grade six students in standalone regional primary schools will return to on-site learning from October 5.
Optimism has risen among Melbourne small businesses, with a survey showing 35 per cent now believe the Victorian economy will be better in one year’s time.
That compares with just 17 per cent in August believing the state’s economy will improve by then, the latest Sensis Business Index shows.
More also think the national economy will mend, with 26 per cent saying it will be better in a year compared with 14 per cent last month.
Despite the premier’s upbeat tone, frustrations were evident on Sunday as anti- lockdown protests continued in Melbourne.
More than a dozen protesters gathered illegally at Chadstone Shopping Centre and belted out a rendition of John Farnham’s You’re the Voice before police intervened.
Two people were arrested and six were issued fines hefty fines, adding to Saturday’s 16 arrests and 21 fines after up to 100 people rallied in Melbourne’s inner beachside suburb of Elwood.