Victoria records 42 new coronavirus cases and eight deaths as a Melbourne is set to be ring fenced to stop people travelling to regional areas where restrictions are eased
- Victoria recorded 42 new coronavirus cases and eight deaths on Wednesday
- New cases come as police prepare to crack down on regional travel in the state
- Regional Victoria will return to Stage Two restrictions on Thursday morning
- Regional Victorian homes can also welcome five visitors from another household
Victoria has recorded 42 new coronavirus cases and eight deaths as police prepare to crack down on regional travel.
Regional Victoria will return to Stage Two restrictions at 11.59pm on Wednesday, but Melbourne will stay in its Stage Four lockdown.
Authorities are ramping up roadblocks, creating the so-called 'ring of steel' around Melbourne to ensure city residents do not try to take advantage of the eased regional measures.
Premier Daniel Andrews has warned motorists travelling out of the city to expect longer wait times as police tighten checkpoints.
A man wearing a mask walks past street art in Prahran in Melbourne on September 14
Locals wearing face masks walk along the South Melbourne Beach on Monday. Lockdown restrictions in regional Victoria will be lifted from tomorrow
Cyclists are seen riding at Albert Park on September 9, in Melbourne, Australia
'I'm sorry to say it will mean that there will be significant queues, there will be travel issues,' he told reporters on Tuesday.
Outdoor gathering limits in regional parts of the state will increase to 10 people from midnight on Thursday morning - as will weddings and outdoor religious gatherings.
Funerals will be allowed 20 mourners and regional Victorians can welcome five visitors from another nominated household.
Melbourne's lockdown rules remain unchanged and people cannot travel out of the city without specific reasons.
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The next step for regional Victoria means pubs, cafes and restaurants will be able to serve people outside with strict density quotas, while outdoor gathering limits will be upped to 10.
Regional Victorians will also be able to leave their homes without restriction and all shops can reopen.
The premier said Melburnians should be inspired by the rolling back of restrictions, rather than disheartened.
'I'd encourage people not to see it that way and instead see this as proof positive,' he said.
Masked walkers on South Melbourne Beach on Monday as the world's heaviest coronavirus restrictions in the city were eased overnight to allow residents two hours exercise time
A pedestrian wearing a face mask walks past a closed pub in Melbourne on Thursday. Mr Premier Daniel Andrews announced $100million will go towards a Melbourne City Recovery fund to inject life back into the city
The move comes after Mr Andrews was heavily criticised for a $290million plan to revive the state's crippled entertainment sector.
The under-fire premier unveiled a funding package on Monday to help the state's sole traders and entertainment industry survive when COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
Mr Andrews said the plan would turn the city into an al fresco dining hub - but the head of Melbourne's largest restaurant group has already labelled the proposal unworkable.
'The government thinks this is going to be some sort of outdoor Disneyland for dining, but it's not going to work,' Luca Restaurants chief executive Chris Lucas told the Herald Sun.
People are seen at Brighton Beach in Melbourne on September 14 as the number of coronavirus cases continues to fall in the state
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said Tuesday was 'a great day for regional Victoria' as he eased gathering limits outside of metropolitan Melbourne
'The majority of the city's restaurants cannot work outdoors. Outdoor dining really only suits cafes, not to mention Melbourne's problematic weather.'
Restaurant and Catering Industry Association chief Wes Lambert said though the package would help lift the city's restaurants out of lockdown.
'This is a generous and comprehensive package that matches calls from industry organisations like R&CA to help businesses operate outdoors,' he said.
Mr Andrews compared the revival plan - which will see $100million go towards a Melbourne City Recovery fund to inject life back into the city - to New York's Open Restaurants initiative.
The program in the US' largest city involved footpaths, laneways and streets being temporarily transformed into dining areas.
Computer-generated imagery showed the vision for Victoria's plan to rejuvenate its hospitality sector after the city's Stage Four lockdown - but the plan has come under fire from business owners
But Mr Lucas said as many as 60 per cent of New York's businesses could still not be saved by the program.
Premier Daniel Andrews has meanwhile flagged regional Victoria may move to the 'third step' of its roadmap plan as early as this week.
That step, allowing people to leave their homes without restrictions and hospitality businesses to reopen, is triggered if its 14-day average remains below five and no 'mystery' cases are recorded.
'There won't be a lot of notice,' Mr Andrews told reporters on Monday.
'That is preferable in making people wait for another week or so.
'Hopefully we can have very good news for regional Victoria tomorrow.'
Under the state government's plan, Melbourne's bars, cafes and restaurants can open for outdoor dining from October 26.
Melbourne will move to its next step of reopening on September 28 if the 14-day average falls to 30-50.
The city took its first tentative steps out of lockdown on Monday, with those living alone or single parents allowed to have one visitor, outdoor exercise extended to two hours and the curfew's start time extended an hour to 9pm.
