Victoria’s chief health officer Brett Sutton has today announced the state government will not be easing current ‘stay at home’ restrictions until at least Monday, May 11.
Victoria’s current State of Emergency is due to end at midnight on May 11. On April 12, the state government extended the State of Emergency to continue measures designed to ‘flatten the curve’. Under a State of Emergency, authorised officers (who act at the direction of the chief health officer) have the right to detain people or restrict movement to reduce serious risk to public health.
While other Australian states are beginning to ease restrictions (including New South Wales and Queensland), professor Sutton has rejected notions that Victoria will follow suit. Health minister Jenny Mikakos also reminded Victorians that social distancing measures won’t be lifted any sooner in regional or rural Victoria even though case numbers are lower than those in metropolitan Melbourne and Geelong.
There are currently only 84 active cases in Victoria. Read up-to-date information on the DHHS website.
Via The Age.