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'Hope and confidence': The 'positive sign' Victoria's lockdown is working

There could be light at the end of the tunnel for Victoria after officials said there is a “positive sign” strict lockdown measures to fight coronavirus are working.

The state remains in a stage four lockdown and premier Daniel Andrews told reporters on Saturday Victoria has 303 new COVID cases and four more deaths.

On Friday, Victoria recorded 372 and 14 deaths.

Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said on Saturday the stabilisation of case numbers is a “positive sign”.

Victoria's Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton speaks to the media in Melbourne, Australia.
Victoria's Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton said residents can be confident restrictions are working. Source: Getty Images (file pic)

“Our new outbreaks every day are in single figures now,” Professor Sutton said.

“At one point in time there were 20 or 30 new outbreaks every day.

“We are at four or five now each day, which is another positive sign.”

He added people can’t be complacent and need to keep confidence that restrictions are working, which is being shown in daily case numbers.

The chief health officer said people “should have hope and confidence” the rules are yielding results.

People are seen walking wearing face-masks along the Geelong Waterfront.
People wear masks at the Geelong Waterfront. Source: Getty Images

“We are seeing the fruits of a very difficult period of restrictions, stage three and stage four, and it should continue to trend down,” Professor Sutton said.

Professor Sutton said efforts need to focus more on “those tricky settings where transmission is hard to control” referring to workplaces with essential workers.

“In aged care, healthcare, disability we need to work on all of the things that we can try to do to minimise transmission,” Professor Sutton said.

“Of course that is a focus on personal protective equipment, it is also a focus on sure no-one turns up to work with any symptoms whatsoever and that people are continuing to physically distance to the fullest extent they can in the workplace.

“It may be that people are focused on risk when they are dealing with patients or residents or they are in their carer roles. They absolutely have to be mindful of the fact that transmission can occur between friends, colleagues, including before symptoms begin.”

The current restrictions are due to end on September 13.

But when the premier was asked whether they would conclude on this date, he said “it is very difficult to predict”.

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