Victoria announces zero chance of zero COVID

The Victorian Government has announced that Melbourne’s lock-down will continue until vaccination targets are reached as Victoria abandons it’s COVID-zero goal

The majority of Victoria’s restrictions will stay in place until 70 per cent of Victorians aged 16 and older have received at least one dose of vaccine, Premier Daniel Andrews has announced. He also said the state could no longer “hold out hope” that case numbers would fall, and the State must instead focus on suppressing the outbreak’s growth while racing to reach higher vaccination coverage.

“We will not see these case numbers go down,” he said. “They are going to go up. The question is, by how many and how fast.”  He confirmed the shift in approach meant Melburnians would remain under some form of lock-down for weeks.

There will be minimal easings on Friday when playgrounds will reopen with QR codes and age limits, but only for children under 12 with only one parent or carer present. The government said adults “should not remove their masks to eat or drink” and QR codes would be provided at playgrounds.
“In-home care — like babysitters — will also be expanded to school aged children, but only if both parents are authorised workers,” Mr Andrews added.
Authorities anticipate reaching the 70 per cent first-dose threshold for Victorians aged 16 and older by around September 23.
After that threshold is reached, the 5-kilometre travel limit will expand to 10 kilometres and outdoor exercise will also be allowed for three hours with personal training permitted.