Victoria records an alarming spike in coronavirus cases with 76 new infections and eleven deaths dashing hopes that the state was stamping out a second wave
- Victoria has recorded 76 new infections on Wednesday and 11 more deaths
- New numbers are a jump from Tuesday with 55 cases and Monday with 41 cases
- It comes after Premier Daniel Andrews revealed his road map out of lockdown
Victoria recorded another day of double-digit coronavirus infections on Wednesday, with just 76 new cases across the state.
A further 11 deaths have also been announced, taking the state's death toll to 694.
The figures are a marked jump from previous days after the state recorded 55 infections on Tuesday and 41 on Monday - the lowest number in two months.
Victoria has recorded 76 new COVID-19 infections and 11 deaths on Wednesday (pictured, two women in Melbourne wear face masks near the beach on Tuesday)
Residents walk near a popular beach in Port Melbourne while wearing face masks on Tuesday (pictured) as locals endure Stage Four lockdown
The rise comes after Premier Daniel Andrews unveiled his road map out of Stage Four restrictions - leaving many businesses devastated.
In order to move to the next step of easing restrictions on September 28, Melbourne must record an average daily infection rate between 30 and 50 over the next two weeks.
Cafes, bars and restaurants will not be able to have customers dine outside until October 26, as long as the statewide case average has fallen under five for the previous fortnight.
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Customers won't be allowed inside until November 23 and only if there have been no cases at all for the previous two weeks.
The strict draconian curfew enforced in Melbourne will be also be extended to October 26 but will be increased to 9pm-5am. Currently it begins at 8pm.
Retail shops are also expected to open their doors from October 26 along with hairdressers under strict safety measures.
Public gatherings will also increase to ten people.
Wednesday's cases have jumped from earlier days with Tuesday recording 55 new infections and Monday 41 - the lowest in two months (pictured, walkers in Melbourne on Tuesday)
Melbourne must record an average daily case rate of between 30 and 50 infections over the next two weeks in order to move to the next phase out of lockdown on September 28 (pictured cyclist in Port Melbourne on Tuesday)
More restrictions will ease from November 23 including public gatherings jumping to 50 people, 20 visitors at a home and groups of 20 people inside venues.
New modelling has predicted the extension of Melbourne's lockdown could destroy another 260,000 jobs in Victoria on top of the 432,000 already lost.
The Institute of Public Affairs, a free market think tank, has predicted the extended lockdown would cost Victorians 260,000 jobs between September 14 and November 23, with another 4,000 jobs set to be lost during the following week.
'Daniel Andrews is crushing jobs, small business, and the spirit of mainstream Victorians with continued lockdown measures,' IPA research fellow Cian Hussey said.
'He has disfigured Victoria with more lockdowns to deal with the second wave unleashed by his catastrophic ineptitude with hotel quarantine and contact tracing.'
New modelling has predicted Daniel Andrew's (pictured on Tuesday) extension of Melbourne's lockdown could destroy another 260,000 jobs in Victoria on top of the 432,000 already lost
The IPA calculated the first lockdown in March and the reintroduction of stricter, Stage Four measures in August would cost 696,000 jobs in eight months - including the 432,000 already lost, based on weekly, Australian Bureau of Statistics payroll data.
The Reserve Bank of Australia is already expecting the national jobless rate to hit ten per cent by the end of 2020, a level unseen since 1994.
The IPA calculated total and expected job losses from the extended, temporary shutdowns were 'equivalent to 21 per cent of the Victorian workforce'.
More details on Wednesday's cases are expected be revealed in a press conference.
There are currently 18 active cases linked to the Frankston Hospital and 12 infections linked to Vawdrey Australia Truck Manufacturer.
Fifteen cases are associated with Bulla Dairy Foods in Colac and 13 infections linked to Dandenong Police Station.
The average daily case number in Melbourne was at 78.6 on Tuesday.
