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Victorian virus cases, deaths up again

Victoria has recorded a spike in coronavirus deaths and cases, with the latest 15 fatalities taking the state toll to 591 and the Australian figure to 678.

Sep 03, 2020, updated Sep 03, 2020
An empty street in Melbourne's CBD. Photo: AAP Image/Erik Anderson

An empty street in Melbourne's CBD. Photo: AAP Image/Erik Anderson

There are also 113 new cases, the first time since Sunday that the daily tally has been above 100.

The death toll is also back in the double figures.

The numbers released on Thursday come after the state government warned a purported draft of Victoria’s plan to exit its coronavirus lockdown this month was out of date.

The document, leaked to and published by the Herald Sun, indicated metropolitan Melbourne’s stage-four lockdown would be extended by a fortnight to September 28.

It outlined a range of small concessions that could be made for metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria when Premier Daniel Andrews on Sunday announces a pathway out of the state-wide lockdown.

“This is an out of date draft document,” a state government spokesperson said.

“We know every Victorian wants certainty about the future – for them, for their family and for their work.

“By the end of the week, we will lay out a plan to re-open our state.”

The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is one of business and industry groups still negotiating with the state government on the easing of the stage-four lockdown in Melbourne and the stage-three measures in regional Victoria.

VECCI chief executive Paul Guerra said his group knew nothing about the contents to the leaked document.

“Nothing like it – in fact my phone blew up this morning with text messages (from) many aggrieved people,” Guerra told 3AW.

“I’m happy to say I have never seen that template beforehand and it’s certainly not the template we have been working with, in conjunction with unions and other industry leaders and the state.”

Federal Treasurer and Victorian MP Josh Frydenberg on Thursday played down the leak, saying “I will wait for the final plan from the premier on Sunday”.

On Wednesday, Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton warned the need for mandatory mask-wearing could remain in Melbourne and regional Victoria beyond the scheduled end of the current lockdown on September 13.

“I think we’ll see masks for the next month in one form or another,” he said. “It may not be all settings at all times.”

Professor Sutton also said the Melbourne curfew could also be continued.

“It’ll be a consideration to continue (curfew),” he said.

Andrews on Wednesday said daily case numbers were still too high despite Victoria’s seven-day new case average falling below 100 for the first time since early July.

Victoria’s lower house will rubber-stamp a six-month extension to state of emergency powers on Thursday after the bill narrowly passed through the upper house in a marathon sitting.

The state government also extended its state of disaster until September 13, bringing it into line with the state of emergency.

The disaster declaration allows the government to enforce the nightly curfew and a ban on residents travelling more than five kilometres from their homes.

Andrews warned people not to read too much into the extension.

“That doesn’t necessarily mean that either the state of emergency or the state of disaster will automatically come off on the 13th,” he said.

-AAP

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