Geelong and the Surf Coast remained free of active COVID-19 cases as Prime Minister Scott Morrison today announced a plan to ease restrictions nationally.
But Victorians will have to wait until at least Monday for stage 3 restrictions to ease, Premier Daniel Andrews announced shortly after.
“Nothing changes today, nothing changes tomorrow and nothing changes on Sunday,” he told a press conference.
Mr Andrews said he would announce changes on Monday and would make a series of announcements throughout next week.
He urged Victorians not to flout stage 3 restrictions over the weekend when the state was “so close” to easing the rules.
He also foreshadowed a return to training for the AFL and said that he was confident the season could resume safely at some point.
Earlier today Mr Morrison announced ‘step one’ in a three-step plan to ease national stage 3 restrictions, which would allow gatherings of up to 10 people outside home.
Step one would also allow people to have up to five guests at home, 30 people at funerals and 10 at weddings, he said.
“It will see children back in classrooms and in playgrounds in their communities. Golfers back on the green. Lap swimmers back in the pool.”
Step one allows shops, restaurants, cafes and playgrounds to reopen, and boot camps, home sales and auctions, and local and regional travel to recommence.
The changes do not yet apply to Victoria, with Premier Andrews saying he would on Monday “pick and choose” elements of federal government’s road map to reopening the economy to apply to the state.
National Cabinet will consider the three-step plan every three weeks, with steps two and three to allow subsequent reopening of more businesses.
Meanwhile, the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services yesterday began releasing active case numbers for local government areas, revealing none in Geelong and the Surf Coast.
The last new coronavirus case was confirmed in greater Geelong on April 21 (63), while Surf Coast cases have remained on 10 since April 10, according to the department.
The result comes as the state total increased by 13 to 1467, including 71 cases linked to an outbreak at Cedar Meats processing facility in Brooklyn.
The increase included another eight cases related to the meatworks.
Eighteen Victorians, aged from their 50s to 90s, have died after contracting coronavirus.
In Victoria 158 confirmed cases may have been acquired through community transmission.
The 1467 cases include 778 males and 689 females, with cases ranging from infants to people in their 90s.
Currently eight people are in hospital, including six patients in intensive care, and 1327 people have recovered.
Of the 1467 cases, 1209 occurred in metropolitan Melbourne and 219 in regional Victoria. Several cases remain under investigation.
Meanwhile police fined 13 people yesterday for breaching COVID-19 restrictions while conducting 973 spot checks at Victorian homes, businesses and non-essential services.
