Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews will today detail Melbourne's move into the second step on its recovery roadmap.
The roadmap outlines how some restrictions will ease, but the Premier has been considering further changes — albeit no "massive steps".
What restrictions will ease under the roadmap?
The city is due to move to the second step of its recovery tomorrow.
The roadmap says that can happen if the average daily case number, for the past fortnight, falls into the 30–50 range.
Melbourne has done even better than that, already lowering the average case number below 30.
The measures already announced in the second step of the roadmap include:
- Public gatherings of up to five people from a maximum of two households allowed outdoors (infants under 12 months are not included in that number)
- Childcare to reopen
- A staged return to school for students. Term 4 will see prep to grade 2 students back at school, along with year 10-12 students undertaking VCE/VCAL studies, and specialist school students
- Outdoor exercise with a personal trainer allowed
- Some workplaces moving from being "heavily restricted" to "restricted" environments, allowing an estimated 101,000 people to return to work.
What industries will see more people return to work?
Under the second step of the roadmap, the Victorian Government plans to allow more workers to return to jobs in industries like construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, warehousing and postal distribution.
Deakin University's chair of epidemiology, Catherine Bennett, believes the Victorian Government will focus on returning people to work in this second step, rather than allowing more personal freedoms.
Melbourne University epidemiologist John Mathews believes the city's low case numbers will make it safe for more people to return to work in these industries, with some conditions.
He says it must be done "with the understanding employees who develop any symptoms are off the job and have to get tested straight away".
What about Melbourne's renowned restaurant scene?
Professor Mathews says an early re-opening for hospitality businesses is a different matter.
Under the roadmap, hospitality businesses will remain takeaway only until the city reaches the third step in late October, and even then businesses will be open for predominantly outdoor service only.
About 40 hospitality industry leaders signed an open letter earlier in the month, calling for their businesses to be allowed to reopen under the second step, with both indoor and outdoor dining, with density limits.
The City of Melbourne is also been pushing for an earlier return to indoor dining.
But Professor Mathews says the nature of the hospitality industry makes it different to sectors like construction.
"You need to be a little more cautious with the hospitality industry before going back to the stage three restrictions," he says.
One issue with hospitality is the high rate of casual employment in the industry.
While the Premier has not gone into details about what extra measures will be announced, he has said the state will take a cautious approach.
"We have got to be safe, steady and cautious, otherwise those new settings simply will not last," he has said.
Could the curfew or 5km limit be ditched?
Under the second step of the roadmap, the city's night curfew and 5 kilometre travel restrictions both remain in place.
Professor Bennett doesn't think Mr Andrews will announce a change to those measures.
"It sounds like the Premier is hanging on to that," she says.
She believes they could be lifted early without significantly increasing the risk of spreading the virus. But she says the Government would risk confusing its public health message if it started significantly altering those measures under the second step.
"And I worry that if it is only going to be for a week or two, I would prefer to know step three is coming."
Professor Mathews also thinks the curfew could be lifted early without creating a big increase in the risk of coronavirus being further spread.
"If you want to go for a run at 10 o'clock at night, what is the risk?" he says.
"The curfew could be eased on the understanding that people are not going to socialise."
The nightly curfew is the subject of a Supreme Court challenge, brought by a business owner who has also flagged her intention to run for Liberal Party preselection.
The Premier has previously said the curfew and 5km travel limit were both designed to limit movement and the spread of the virus.
When can I see my family?
The Melbourne roadmap allows for a household to form a bubble with another household once the city reaches the third step, which is scheduled for October 26.
At that step, a household will be allowed up to five visitors from one other household.
But outdoor visits will be slightly different.
Once Melbourne reaches the second step, outdoor visits will be allowed for up to five people from two households.
This means you will be able to gather with a larger number of family members or friends from tomorrow — if you can meet at an outdoor location within 5km of both homes.
Could we move to the third step ahead of schedule?
Professor Bennett believes Melbourne could reach the case number threshold to move to the third step before October 26.
To reach that target, Victoria needs to average less than five cases a day and the state needs less than five cases with an unknown source in a two-week period.
Professor Bennett says Victoria might meet this target by early to mid-October.
She says this is more important than the State Government allowing a few extra freedoms in the second step.
He said the city's move to the third step of the roadmap "may be able to occur sooner".
"The positive thing out of these last few weeks since we announced the roadmap is we are ahead of schedule," he said.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMib2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTA5LTI3L21lbGJvdXJuZS1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1yZXN0cmljdGlvbnMtZGFuaWVsLWFuZHJld3MtY292aWQtcm9hZG1hcC8xMjcwNDA3NNIBJ2h0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMjcwNDA3NA?oc=5
2020-09-26 19:22:00Z
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