Premier speculates roadmap changes ahead of eased lockdown
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews has said both businesses and Melbourne’s residents will benefit from the easing of restrictions to be announced on Sunday.
Mr Andrews will announce what easing of restrictions as part of Step Two of the roadmap will look like, with changes due to either be rolled out midnight Sunday or 24 hours later on Monday night.
And while he remains reluctant to provide details on the exact measures that will be relaxed, he once again suggested there will be further easing than previously planned on the original roadmap released earlier this month.
“We are looking at other things we might be able to do,” he told reporters on Thursday.
The roadmap as it stands means Step Two would allow public gatherings for five people from two households, while there’d be a staggered opening of schools and childcare centres, some workplaces would open, along with outdoor pools, while personal trainers could operate with two clients.
Mr Andrews once again threw caution to the wind, stressing Sunday’s announcement wouldn’t bring “massive steps”.
“It will be, however, steady and safe steps, and that sense of gradual, continual progress is what we are able to do because we have a gradual and continued decline in these numbers.”
He said final decisions will be made on Saturday night.
The roadmap’s most significant change, Step Three, is currently pencilled in for October 26 if a 14-day rolling average of cases drops below five.
Step Three would see the end of the curfew and allow people to leave their homes freely and meet in groups of 10.
Hospitality would return with outdoor dining while retail will return to relative normality.
With Mr Andrews once again suggesting Melbourne is ahead of schedule, he said the October date is “under constant review”.
“Sunday is a pretty hard date but there may be some other options that not right now but they may become available to us if these numbers continue to fall the way that they have,” he said.
On Thursday, Victoria recorded just 12 new cases, the fourth time in five days daily infections have been 15 or lower.
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