Melbourne virus roadmap: Premier offers to go further on Step 2
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews has revealed he plans to go further than Step Two on the roadmap when he eases restrictions for metropolitan Melbourne on Sunday.
Step Two can go ahead from September 28 if the 14-day rolling average for the city is below 50. It is currently at 29.4.
“The band we're chasing is 30 to 50 and right now we are in fact better than that, just under 30,” he told reporters.
“These numbers are a positive trend. The trend is with us.”
While he stressed once again the importance of a “safe and steady” opening, he confirmed he would look to go further than what is outlined in Step Two of the roadmap.
“Yes I am,” he responded when asked if he planned to implement more than outlined in Step Two, while refraining from going into detail on what those extra steps may entail.
What will the roadmap’s Step Two currently allow?
Step Two currently allows five people from a maximum of two household to meet outdoors.
Essential retail will resume while funerals can have 10 attendees and weddings five.
There will be a staged return for students in years prep, one and two, students in years 10 to 12 undertaking VCE or Vcal subjects, and specialist schools in term four.
“I can't give you a list of all the things we're looking at because a lot of them are nowhere near settled,” he said.
“It's all about modelling. It's all about a deep analysis of the actual data from the last couple of weeks and then trying to extrapolate about what that tells us the next couple of weeks might look like and the couple of weeks after that.”
The roadmap indicates the curfew will only end on Step Three on October 26.
“I have no announcements to make about the curfew,” Mr Andrews said.
“Curfew provides police with an easily enforceable rule. It means less people going visiting friends and accordingly, it will be in place for as long as it needs to be in place to get these numbers down and keep them down.
On Wednesday, 15 new cases were announced.
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