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Victoria has recorded no new cases of coronavirus for the second day in a row.
No new cases were recorded on Saturday after the state’s Expert Review Panel rejected a single case as a false positive.
The case initially returned a low positive before a negative test result was confirmed.
A run of low figures has seen metropolitan Melbourne’s 14-day average fall to just 2.6. In regional Victoria, where there were no active cases on Saturday, the average is zero.
Chief health officer Brett Sutton says Victorians should feel free to get outside and enjoy themselves, with Daniel Andrews missing his first press conference in three months.
“We deserve to enjoy ourselves now. We got to this incredible point where case numbers are very low and we have days of literally no true cases so we should go out, with all the precautions we talked about, but we need to enjoy our lives after three months of really constrained activity,” Prof Sutton said.
Prof Sutton said Victorians could feel confident about heading out.
“We know how to protect ourselves. It is doing the right thing, wearing a mask, keeping a distance, making sure that if there are people unwell around us, we are not interacting with them.”
After 120 consecutive appearances by the Premier, Health Minister Martin Foley stepped in for Mr Andrews at Saturday’s conference.
Victoria has recorded, at worst, consecutive single-digit rises since October 13, including four days of no new cases.
Authorities are now confident Victoria is well placed to further ease restrictions on November 9, with Mr Andrews expected to confirm the next steps next Sunday.
It will include dropping the 25km travel limit and scrapping the metro-regional border.
Prof Sutton believes coronavirus could potentially be eliminated from Victoria.
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Dining out cash incentives should be given to Victorians to help financially strained restaurants, the opposition says.
It has called on the Andrews government to introduce an “eat out for Victoria” program to bring hospitality back to life.
Their plan would allow diners to claim 50 per cent off their bills to a maximum of $20 a head for four weeks.
Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien said the harsh lockdowns due to the second wave had decimated the hospitality industry.
Some bars, pubs and restaurants had been hit so hard they would not reopen, he said.
“This is a great initiative to bring people together in a COVID-safe way,” Mr O’Brien said. “Victoria has always been the foodie capital, so let’s support our local publicans, cafe owners and restaurateurs.”
With many Victorians also losing their jobs during the pandemic, the proposed initiative would also make it more affordable for struggling families to dine out, he said.
“Victorians have done it so tough the last few months,” Mr O’Brien said.
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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMilQFodHRwczovL3d3dy5oZXJhbGRzdW4uY29tLmF1L2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzL3JvbGxpbmctY292ZXJhZ2UtdmljdG9yaWFucy11cmdlZC10by1nZXQtb3V0LWFuZC1lbWJyYWNlLWZyZWVkb20vbmV3cy1zdG9yeS9iODllMDQ3OWQ5OTdkMzZjMTYxZjc1MGIyNDQxYTBkZdIBlQFodHRwczovL2FtcC5oZXJhbGRzdW4uY29tLmF1L2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzL3JvbGxpbmctY292ZXJhZ2UtdmljdG9yaWFucy11cmdlZC10by1nZXQtb3V0LWFuZC1lbWJyYWNlLWZyZWVkb20vbmV3cy1zdG9yeS9iODllMDQ3OWQ5OTdkMzZjMTYxZjc1MGIyNDQxYTBkZQ?oc=5
2020-10-31 21:18:14Z
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