Victoria has recorded just one coronavirus case in the past day and no deaths as the state prepares to take 'significant' steps out of lockdown on Sunday.
Just two new cases of COVID-19 were reported across the state on Friday.
Victoria's 14-day average is now 8.6. The last time Victoria had numbers lower than this was in early June, when there were new cases on June 6 or June 9.
There are 17 cases with an unknown source. The Victorian government had hoped to be under five mystery cases before October 19 in order to ease restrictions.
Premier Daniel Andrews said that any deficiencies in the state's contact tracing capacity would not hamper Victoria's next steps out of lockdown.
"The fact that we as a community... city and country... have been as stubborn as this virus in our resolve to defeat it, we are well placed to take significant steps on Sunday," he told a press conference on Friday.
"On Sunday, I very much look forward to giving people a sense of what the coming weeks will look like.
"[Contact tracing] capabilities are not a factor on Sunday."
Earlier this week, Deputy Chief Health Officer Allen Cheng floated the possibility of a 20km travel radius for those living in metropolitan Melbourne, an extension of the current 5km radius.
He warned the city's cafe and restaurant owners, they would be unlikely to open, saying it would "not be safe" to give hospitality venues the green light to host patrons from next week.
"But if we can take other steps to give people back some of the things that they love, some of the things that given them a sense of normality ... then they're the sorts of decisions we're looking to make on Sunday," Mr Andrews said on Friday.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison urged the state government to "as far as possible" when easing restrictions on Sunday.
He said that Victorians, and particularly Melburnians, "have kept up their side of the bargain" by abiding by strict lockdown measures and had suffered as a result.
Victoria's inquiry into the state's hotel quarantine program will reconvene next week for an 'extraordinary hearing, but no details around who will be called to give evidence have been released.
It comes as The Age and Sydney Morning Herald revealed that Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton actively authorised an email on the day in March that the state's hotel quarantine was set up, telling the federal government that private security guards were going to be used to guard returning travellers.
Seventeen Kiwi travellers who landed in Sydney on Friday were caught entering Melbourne on day one of the travel bubble set up between NSW and New Zealand.
"Victoria has not agreed to a travel bubble arrangement with New Zealand and did not expect to receive international travellers as a result of NSW making that arrangement," the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement.
Ashleigh McMillan is a breaking news reporter at The Age. Got a story? Email me at a.mcmillan@theage.com.au
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMid2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZWFnZS5jb20uYXUvbmF0aW9uYWwvdmljdG9yaWEvdmljdG9yaWEtcmVjb3Jkcy1vbmUtbmV3LWNhc2Utb2YtY29yb25hdmlydXMtbm8tZGVhdGhzLTIwMjAxMDE3LXA1NjV5Zi5odG1s0gF3aHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAudGhlYWdlLmNvbS5hdS9uYXRpb25hbC92aWN0b3JpYS92aWN0b3JpYS1yZWNvcmRzLW9uZS1uZXctY2FzZS1vZi1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1uby1kZWF0aHMtMjAyMDEwMTctcDU2NXlmLmh0bWw?oc=5
2020-10-16 21:35:00Z
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