Coronavirus Victoria: More than 400 new cases announced as 13 more die
Victoria announced 429 new coronavirus cases on Monday and 13 more deaths as the state begins stage four restrictions.
Premier Daniel Andrews announced the new figures on Monday afternoon while also advising most Melbourne retailers will close as part of Stage Four restrictions. Supermarkets, service stations, pharmacies and banks are among those allowed to stay open.
Of the 13 deaths announced on Monday, eight are linked to aged care facilities. The victims are a man in his 60s, two men and a woman in their 70s, two men in their 80s, five women and two men in their 90s.
There were 671 cases announced on Sunday, the state’s second highest daily total during the pandemic. There have been 3,629 cases in the past seven days in Victoria.
There were 10 further deaths announced over the weekend, meaning there have been 53 deaths in the space of just six days.
Upgraded restrictions in metropolitan Melbourne include an 8pm to 5am curfew, allowing only one person per household to shop and only one to exercise for an hour a day. Both activities must be within a 5km radius.
Opposition leader slams new restrictions
Victorian Liberal leader Michael O’Brien said in a statement it was evident Mr Andrews has “lost control” as he plunged Victoria into a “state of disaster”.
“Victorians don’t deserve this. I can understand why they’re angry at the failures of the Andrews Labor Government that has brought us here,” he said.
“The failings of the Labor Government in hotel quarantine, in testing and in contact tracing have led to millions of Victorians being subjected to the harshest restrictions in our history.”
While Monday’s predicted cases total is significantly lower than Sunday’s, the fluctuating nature of the daily total in recent weeks has meant Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has been reluctant to pin the state’s hopes on such a short period of improving results.
Last week he stated he would need to see at least a week of lowering or stabilised totals to suggest the crisis was under control.
More to come.
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