Coronavirus restrictions in regional Victoria could be eased as early as next week amid a promising trend in case numbers.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
No new infections were recorded in regional Victoria on Thursday, with its daily average across a fortnight sitting at 4.5.
Of 1483 active cases statewide, just 72 are in the regions.
"What that shows us is that regional Victoria are quite close to being able to take perhaps not just one step, but two," Premier Daniel Andrews said.
"If the trend continues, and the numbers are very promising, we'll be able to take a step, or steps, as early as toward the end of next week."
Deputy Chief Health Officer Allen Cheng said things are looking "fairly good" in regional Victoria and there are not many cases with an unknown source.
He said health authorities are confident an outbreak of 30 cases at Colac is under control.
"The cases that we have, we know where they are," he said.
"One case that arrived in Colac resulted in 30 secondary cases. But we know where they are."
As of Thursday, eight active regional cases are from an unknown source
"We're still looking, obviously, into the last of those cases to work out when the 14 days will be up," Dr Cheng said.
"I'm sure all my friends in regional Victoria will be holding their breath and making sure that nothing else comes up in the next week."
Regional Victoria can progress to the third step of eased restrictions, which allows people to freely leave their homes, when its daily 14-day average is less than five and there are zero unknown source cases across two weeks.
Mr Andrews said he wouldn't be drawing boundaries between areas with and without COVID-19.
"If you start drawing boundaries, you have to defend those. You have to have police at checkpoints," he said.
"If you've got certain venues open (and) a community not too far away that's closed, people will go where the hotels are open.
"Common sense just tells you that."
Australian Associated Press