MELBOURNE • Australia's coronavirus hot spot state of Victoria yesterday extended a hard lockdown in its capital Melbourne by two weeks to the end of this month as infection rates have declined more slowly than hoped.
State Premier Daniel Andrews extended the hard lockdown, in place since Aug 2, to Sept 28 with a slight relaxation, and mapped out a gradual easing of restrictions over the following two months.
"I know people are disappointed. I'm disappointed too that we cannot open up faster. But the key point here is to open and stay open," Mr Andrews said.
Starting from 11.59pm on Sept 13, some stage four restrictions will begin easing in Melbourne, with the nightly curfew starting at 9pm instead of 8pm. People will be allowed outdoors for up to two hours instead of one, and those living alone will be allowed to have a visitor. After Sept 28, if infection rates have dropped to between 30 and 50 for 14 days, childcare, construction sites, manufacturing plants and warehouses will go back to normal. Schools will also partially reopen and outdoor gatherings of up to five people would be allowed.
After Oct 26, if daily infection rates have dropped below five over the previous two weeks, cafes and restaurants could reopen and shops and hairdressers would do so.
At the same time, the curfew would be lifted, there would be no limits on leaving home, outdoor gatherings could increase to 10, homes would be able to have five visitors, and some adult non-contact sports could resume. Regional Victoria will see a similar easing of restrictions to this so-called "stage three" level from Sept 13.
After Nov 23, cafes, bars and restaurants could have more people indoors, schools could reopen more fully, museums and other entertainment venues could reopen, public gatherings of up to 50 people would be allowed, and up to 20 visitors permitted in homes.
Victoria accounts for about 75 per cent of the country's 26,282 cases and 90 per cent of its 753 deaths. The state yesterday reported 63 new infections and five deaths.
Australia will receive the first doses of an AstraZeneca and Oxford University Covid-19 vaccine next January if trials prove successful, after Canberra agreed on a deal to purchase a second potential vaccine, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is expected to say tomorrow.
Australia said last month that it had signed a preliminary agreement with AstraZeneca for enough doses for its population that would be manufactured by pharmaceutical company CSL.
That deal appeared in some doubt when CSL said its priority was manufacturing an alternative potential vaccine developed with the University of Queensland (UQ).
Agreeing on a deal to overcome the potential roadblock, Australia will now also buy 51 million doses of the UQ vaccine.
REUTERS
