Victoria has marked its second deadliest day since the outset of the coronavirus pandemic with 24 new fatalities overnight.
The state also recorded 149 new infections which aligned with the continuing downward trend.
Victoria Education Minister James Merlino indicated schools could return to face-to-face learning in Term 4, with Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton revealing the state’s case numbers were “going in the right direction for that to occur”. Recipients of the 71,000 tablets and laptops handed out by the government to assist with home-schooling during the pandemic were also informed they would be allowed to retain the devices until the end of the year.
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Vic State of Emergency extension nothing but 'a power grab' from Andrews | Sky News AustraliaVictoria Opposition Leader Michael O'Brien has labelled Premier Daniel Andrews' plan to extend state of emergency powers to September 2021, a 'power grab'.\n\nMr O'Brien said the reason state of emergency legislation only allowed for a six-month stretch period was because they were 'extraordinary powers'.\n\n'Victorians are going through curfews at the moment. Most businesses are closed down,' he said. \n\n'It is extraordinary the level of intrusion and restriction we live under and no government, no politician should be able to do that indefinitely.\n\n'Daniel Andrews has had that power for six months. He now wants it for 12 months with no accountability.'\n\nThe Liberal leader said he was willing to meet with the premier to discuss a timed extension for the state's reopening but said it was more important state parliament be allowed to sit.\n\n'There's no reason why parliament should not be sitting, for example, on a monthly basis... if the premier needs a month by month extension, he can make that case to the people of Victoria and if he's not prepared to do that, why should anyone give him a blank cheque?'\n\nMr O'Brien said he had not been contacted by Mr Andrews in months.\n\n'It's quite clear, Daniel Andrews only has a plan to keep us locked down. He doesn't have a plan to get us out of lockdown,' he said.\n\n'There is no justification for a year-long extension to these state of emergency powers.'\n\n'This is a premier who thinks he knows it all when Victoria is the only state going through a second wave because of his government's hotel quarantine failure.'\n\nImage: News Corp Australia\n
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SA to consider travel buffer zones with Vic | Sky News AustraliaSouth Australia Premier Steven Marshall says he will give serious consideration to border buffer zones with Victoria amid complaints of disruption from regional communities. \n\nReinstating the buffer zones will top the agenda today as SA health officials meet and reassess their hard borders as the coronavirus caseload in Victoria continues to fall. \n\nIf implemented, the buffer zones would allow travel between cross-border communities. \n\nImage: News Corp Australia
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Andrews defends plan to keep Vic in state of emergency until Sept 2021 | Sky News AustraliaPremier Daniel Andrews has defended a plan to extend Victoria's State of Emergency powers that would not see them lifted until September 2021.\n\nFormer state premier Jeff Kennett registered his anger with Mr Andrews labelling him a 'megalomaniac'. \n\n'The Premier said he might keep the state of emergency in place until we have a vaccine - we may never have a vaccine,' he said.\n\n'Are we all going to be locked up at the whim of the premier without any checks and balances?\n\n'This is an act of a megalomaniac.'\n\nThe opposition indicated it would not support the bill meaning the premier would need four Upper-House crossbenchers to back it when it was introduced in parliament next week.\n\nThe powers would allow the Victoria government to extend a state of emergency in four-week blocks for up to 12 months as well as greater powers to enforce mandatory quarantine, COVID safe plans for businesses and mandatory mask-wearing.\n\nMr Andrews defended the plan and argued getting back to normal 'won't ever be an option' if the state could not 'protect what it had already achieved'.\n\n'Extending State of Emergency is about ensuring that we can legally make the changes our health experts need to keep us safe, he said. \n\n'This does not change how long our current lockdown will last, or increase the restrictions we face.'\n\nImage: Getty\n\n
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Vic govt needs to provide plan for when stage four lockdown ends | Sky News AustraliaVictorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO Paul Guerra has called on the Victorian government to reveal what the plan is for when Melbourne’s stage four lockdowns are finished in three weeks.\n\nMelbourne’s stage four lockdown is set to be lifted on September 13 and the state government has not provided any clarity about what will happen when the lockdown is lifted.\n\n“We’re less than three weeks away now … what businesses now need is the certainty around September 13,” Mr Guerra told Sky News host Peta Credlin.\n\n“What does the plan look like to not only get out of this current phase, but what is the sign posting that means that we can go – if in fact we go to stage three- how do we get to stage two and ultimately how do we get out of this.”\n\nImage: News Corp Australia
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Vic Health implements evidence-based strategies to reduce staff infections | Sky News AustraliaVictorian Chief Medical Officer Andrew Wilson has outlined the conclusions reached and strategies implemented following research into Victoria’s health sector in a bid to reduce the risk of infection to staff in health settings. \n\nAs of August 23, just over 2,600 coronavirus infections had been recorded among Victorian health care workers.\n\nMr Wilson said most cases were reported in July and August in two distinct waves.\n\n“In hospitals about 70 per cent of people who were infected are nursing staff while a much smaller number are medical staff,” he said.\n\nHe said the evidence from the research suggested poor infection practices, an environment of contamination and staff members traveling between facilities were some of the primary drivers of outbreaks in nursing homes.\n\nIn hospitals, some outbreaks occurred in busy wards while other infections were linked to putting on and removal of personal protective equipment.\n\n“There’s a whole series of different things that we’re learning and that we’re acting on to try and prevent infections,' he said. \n\nImage: News Corp Australia
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SA, NSW to ease restrictions around Vic border communities | Sky News AustraliaNew South Wales and South Australia are moving to ease tough restrictions around communities bordering with Victoria following weeks of backlash over disruptions to residents' lives and businesses. \n\nSA Premier Steven Marshall revealed today a 40 kilometre buffer zone would be reinstated on both sides of the Victorian border from midnight on Thursday on the basis of continued low rates of community transmission. \n\n“School students will be able to return to school in South Australia, businesses will be able to resume exactly and precisely as they were,” he said. \n\nMr Marshall also flagged potentially easing travel restrictions for NSW and Canberra residents in the next two weeks, as well as removing the mandatory 14-day self-isolation period. \n\nNSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro also announced via Twitter the NSW government would look to provide greater relief to its border towns following pressure from the federal government. \n\nHe said the border zone would be extended from 2.5 kilometres back to 50 kilometres on both sides “to give more freedom on both sides of the border to work and function as a community.” \n\nAgriculture workers could also soon be permitted to work up to 100 kilometres on the other side of the borders. \n\nImage: News Corp Australia
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