'No changes': Melbourne's restrictions remain in place as state records seven new COVID-19 cases
On a much-anticipated day of announcements, Premier Daniel Andrews had just one on Sunday: there would be no easing of restrictions across metropolitan Melbourne.
"I know plenty of people were looking forward to some good news today. And soon, very soon, we'll have some," he said.
Mr Andrews said six new cases had been identified in the northern suburbs, meaning there had been 39 cases across 11 households, and more test results needed to be processed before restrictions were eased across metropolitan Melbourne.
He said it "was not safe to make any announcements today" but hoped to do so within the next few days.
Victoria recorded seven new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday – the same number as Saturday – and no new deaths. The state's 14-day rolling average dropped to 4.9, just below the threshold of five that was initially set to move to the next phase of the reopening road map.
An additional four cases were linked to the outbreak on Saturday and thousands of test results were pending.
On Sunday, Mr Andrews said he hoped to ease restrictions, possibly by Tuesday, once he was confident the northern suburbs outbreak was under control.
Mr Andrews acknowledged the deep frustration of Victorians and said his public health team needed to assess more than a thousand test results that were still pending, to rule out the possibility of widespread community transmission in the northern suburbs.
"I do hope to make definitive announcements about opening up metropolitan Melbourne in couple of days' time," he said.
"We will keep people updated today, tomorrow, and those test results will come back and hopefully what they will show us is not just some additional cases ... but that those cases are linked, and that we know that there is a chain of transmission and we have our arms around those people.
"This is not anything other than a cautious pause … This is not a setback. It is simply waiting and being led by the data, being led by the science.
"I know it is frustrating. I know people are keen to have a long and detailed list of changes to the rules. It is not appropriate for us to do that now. It will be in the next couple of days, and we will not be, I don't think, really in any meaningful way behind schedule but we had already set."
After a promising week of low single-digit case numbers, the government had advised retailers that staff could return to work to start preparing their stores from Wednesday this week in a “dark” opening.
Of about 17,200 tests completed on Friday, 2802 were in the northern suburbs – an increase of 35 per cent on the week before – and Mr Weimar said thousands more were expected on Saturday via pop-up testing centres such as one at East Preston Islamic College.
A second school, Croxton Special School in Northcote, has been shut after a positive test from a student who has links to the cluster, which has grown since a primary school student attended East Preston Islamic College for two days while infectious this week, leading to that school shutting.
In good news for regional Victoria, Mr Andrews said that from 11.59pm on Tuesday, indoor gyms and fitness spaces would be open to up to 20 people with a maximum of 10 people per space.
Indoor pools would be open to up to 20 people and indoor sport would begin for those aged under 18.
Food courts could open and live music would be allowed outdoor. School graduations will also be permitted.
Paul is a reporter for The Age.
Hanna Mills Turbet is the consumer affairs reporter for The Age.