Regional Victoria will move to the second step of the state’s roadmap out of lockdown from September 14 due to the low numbers of COVID-19 cases recorded outside of Melbourne.
Approximately five per cent of Victoria’s coronavirus case count can be found within regional areas, with only 98 active cases found outside the state’s capital city. The new changes will allow up to five people from two different households will be allowed to gather outdoors, while all students will begin a staged return to school.
Childcare facilities will also reopen and people living alone will be allowed to have a single visitor. Premier Daniel Andrews flagged regional Victoria could move to step three in just a few weeks but warned the Geelong Corridor could be treated separately. Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack slammed the roadmap, saying the regions should be assessed and released according to their coronavirus situation rather than Melbourne’s, which for some regions was hundreds of kilometres away.
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