Cases continue to fall in Victoria as state draws closer to finally easing harsh lockdowns: Your two-minute guide to the latest on COVID-19
- Victoria has recorded its lowest number of new COVID-19 cases in four months
- State reported 37 new cases and six deaths on Saturday - taking its toll to 716
- The figure follows police arresting 14 anti-lockdown protesters on Saturday
- Comes as Northern Territory prepares to open to Sydneysiders from October 9
- New South Wales recorded six new cases on Saturday, Queensland tallied three
Victoria has recorded its lowest number of new COVID-19 cases in four months, and ninth consecutive day of double-digit daily increases.
The state reported 37 new cases and six deaths on Saturday - taking its toll to 716 and the national figure to 803.
The last time Victoria's daily increase of new COVID-19 cases was at 30 was on June 26.
The figure follows police arresting 14 anti-lockdown protesters after swarming the streets of Melbourne in a bid to shut down a 'Freedom Walk' rally.
Officers on horseback and in riot gear were marching across the city in preparation for a protest at 11am on Saturday in the city's Tan walking track.
The figure follows police (pictured) arresting 14 anti-lockdown protesters after swarming the streets of Melbourne in a bid to shut down a 'Freedom Walk' rally
Officers on horseback and in riot gear (picture) were marching across the city in preparation for a protest at 11am on Saturday in the city's Tan walking track.
Demonstrators were taken away in handcuffs as police attempted to avoid a repeat of last week's protest, which had violent clashes leading to 17 arrests.
It also follows Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton confirming regional Victoria, where active cases have fallen to 58, was on track for major restrictions to be lifted in coming days.
Regional residents are facing the possibility of restrictions jumping two steps by mid-next week.
Here's the latest on the pandemic in Australia.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
* A 33-year-old woman who recently returned to Perth from NSW has been fitted with an electronic ankle tracking device after being ordered to self-isolate and then caught at home with two visitors.
* A West Australian nurse infected with COVID-19 while helping in Victoria's virus-ravaged aged care sector says she always wore a mask and doesn't know how she contracted the illness.
A 33-year-old woman who recently returned to Perth from NSW has been fitted with an electronic ankle tracking device (pictured) after being ordered to self-isolate and then caught at home with two visitors
* People who visited a public swimming pool in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, face an anxious wait to see if they have been exposed to COVID-19 after a positive test for someone who used the facility on September 4.
* Police have charged two men at a border checkpoint in Albury, with one of the pair, 39, telling officers he was entering NSW for a medical appointment but his permit was found to be fraudulent.
* The Northern Territory will open to Sydneysiders from October 9, dropping the two-week quarantine requirement.
Police have charged two men at a border checkpoint in Albury, with one of the pair, 39, telling officers he was entering NSW for a medical appointment but his permit was found to be fraudulent. Pictured: Police stopping drivers at a checkpoint in Albury
A final decision is still pending as negotiations continue for the four children of dying Brisbane man Mark Kean (pictured with his kids), 39, to enter Queensland so they can farewell him in hospital
* A man in his 20s and two girls under nine are the three latest confirmed COVID-19 cases in Queensland. All are in quarantine and are contacts of confirmed cases.
* According to Health Minister Steven Miles, the state has manage to go 14 days without any cases outside of quarantine.
* A final decision is still pending as negotiations continue for the four children of dying Brisbane man Mark Kean, 39, to enter Queensland so they can farewell him in hospital.
SPORT
* Australian cricketers returning from England in coming days will quarantine and train in Adelaide ahead of this summer's competition, with arrangements struck for the eight players to isolate at the new Adelaide Oval Hotel.
KEY DATES
* August 2 to September 13 - stage four lockdown for Melbourne and stage three lockdown for regional Victoria.
* September 14 to September 27 - stage four lockdown for Melbourne with some changes, including curfew moving back an hour to 9pm.
* From September 28 - if average daily cases are 30-50 in metro Melbourne over the previous 14 days the city will move to the 'second step', including increased limits for public gatherings and a staged return to school for some students.
From September 14 to September 27, Melburnians will receive a few changes to the Stage Four lockdown, including curfew moving back an hour to 9pm. Pictured: Two young women in public in Melbourne
* October 26 - Tasmania's state of emergency due to expire. In Melbourne, the curfew will be dropped if over the previous fortnight the average number of new cases falls below five and there are fewer than five cases from an unknown source.
* November - Victoria's hotel quarantine inquiry report due.
* From November 23 - If there are no new cases for 14 days in Melbourne the city will move to the 'last step', which includes all retail shops opening, public gatherings of up to 50 people allowed outdoors and up to 20 visitors at a time allowed into a home.
* December 1 - Tasmania's borders will remain shut until at least the last month of 2020.
AUSTRALIAN CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS
* There were 46 new cases in Australia on Saturday - 37 in Victoria, 6 in NSW and 3 in Queensland.
* The national death toll is 803: Victoria 716, NSW 54, Tasmania 13, WA 9, Queensland 6, SA 4, ACT 3. (Two Queensland residents who died in NSW have been included in the official tolls of both states).
GLOBAL CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS
* Cases: at least 28,482, 608
* Deaths: at least 915,393
* Recovered: at least 20,586,420
Data current as of 1700 AEST September 11, taking in federal government and state/territory government updates, Worldometer and Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre.
