All Victorian students will be back in the classroom by the end of the month, though there's no guarantee the state will meet targets needed to relax coronavirus restrictions.
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Victoria recorded nine new cases of COVID-19 on Monday and no deaths for the first time since September 15.
Melbourne's 14-day case average is now 11.6, down from 11.9 on Sunday, while the total number of mystery cases between September 19 to October 2 is 13.
The city needs a 14-day average of fewer than five cases as well as less than five mystery cases before it can further ease restrictions.
When asked if Melbourne would meet the targets by October 19, Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said: "My gut feeling is it will be a line ball. It's not certain one way or the other".
He said the state could move to the next stage if there are more than five mystery cases, depending on circumstances.
"We'd have to see exactly where we were at, at that time including the trend. Because if all five of the cases are in the first week of that fortnight and we have seven or eight or nine days prior to the 19th that has absolutely no mystery cases, that's a positive," Professor Sutton said.
It comes as the government announced all Year 7 students will return to face-to-face learning on October 12 alongside all primary school and senior school students.
About 164,000 students in years 8 to 10 will return from October 26.
Education Minister James Merlino said the staggered return was designed to manage the increased movement of staff and students through the community.
"This is the light at the end of the tunnel," he told reporters on Monday.
Face masks will be compulsory at secondary schools, while there will be staggered pick-up and drop-off times and restrictions on the number of adults allowed on-site.
"There will be a very strong message to parents - this is pick-up and drop-off. It's not dropping off the kids and having a chat at the school gate," Mr Merlino said.
Of the state's new cases, three are linked to known outbreaks and six are under investigation.
One case is in the regional city of Shepparton, though Professor Sutton said it was the result of a rapid COVID-19 test, which may not be accurate.
"The result has a high CT (cycle threshold) value. A high CT value can sometimes mean a weak positive. So we're treating it as a positive. It may end up being a negative," he said.
"The case has been retested. There will be a formal test that goes to our reference laboratory in Melbourne."
Professor Sutton said some close contacts of the case have tested negative to COVID-19, but there were others with results pending.
The case lifts regional Victoria's 14-day case average to 0.3.
Another new case has also been linked to the Butcher Club and Chadstone Shopping Centre cluster, which now totals 24 people including nine family members, seven staff and three customers.
Three more sites have also been added to the high-risk locations list: Leo's Fine Food and Wine Supermarket in Glen Iris, Aldi in West Footscray and White Line Tyres in Benalla.
Anyone with symptoms is urged to get tested.
The state's total number of active cases has dropped to 227 from 241 on Sunday.
The number of active cases among healthcare workers has also dropped to just 15 aged care staff, 13 nursing staff and one medical practitioner.
There are 30 Victorians fighting the virus in hospital, including three in intensive care.
The state's death toll from the virus remains at 806 and the national figure is 894.
Australian Associated Press
