As a wave of Omicron infections wreaks havoc across workplaces and the healthcare system, the data suggests many Victorians are voting with their feet and staying close to home.
Two months ago, Premier Daniel Andrews said Victorians could expect a summer filled with the "normality we've all craved" due to the state's strong vaccination coverage.
He said the size of the fall could not be fully accounted for by the hundreds of thousands of Victorians isolating as cases or close contacts. "We're still doing things like we're going to the park, we're going to the beach on hot days, you can see that very clearly," he said. Victorians are less interested in finding restaurants or cafes to enjoy than they are in finding a rapid antigen test , for example.
The Department of Transport's figures show public transport usage steadily rose through December to hit 83 per cent of February 2020 levels — before crashing to 32 per cent.Business groups have been sounding growing alarm about the trend for weeks, warning the unofficial "shadow lockdown" is dealing significant damage to the bottom line, but this time without significant government support.
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