Australia news LIVE Australian Medical Association backs COVID-19 reopening plan NSW eases rules for hotspot LGAs

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Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, Health Minister Martin Foley and Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton are unveiling a road map for the state to reopen after lockdown, including a plan for schools to return to face-to-face learning.

Watch the video below from 12.15pm:

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has sent out an alert that he will have a press conference from Kirribilli House in Sydney at 3.30pm AEST.

We hope to have a live stream for you at that time.

Premier Daniel Andrews has lashed Victorian anti-lockdown protesters as “selfish” after 10 police officers were injured in demonstrations yesterday.

Mr Andrews told reporters on Sunday afternoon he believed police did an outstanding job at Saturday’s anti-lockdown rally in Melbourne’s inner-east.

A police officer uses capsicum spray on a protester during the anti-lockdown rally.Credit:Chris Hopkins

“I thank all (police), and I thank their families. It would have been a very anxious day for police families across our state yesterday to see so many members deployed in potentially very dangerous circumstances,” he said.

“Some have finished up in hospital, and I send my best wishes to them.

“No one has a right to selfishly put somebody else in hospital, whether it’s through spreading the coronavirus or by violently bashing a member of Victoria Police.

“This is not a popularity contest, it’s a pandemic and protests don’t work against this virus.”

Victoria’s press conference to detail the road map ticked over one hour and fifty minutes long and has now finished.

The Western Australian government will give a press conference at 2pm AEST.

Premier Daniel Andrews has told the public he would only stop the rollout of the state’s road map out of lockdown if patients were going to “unnecessarily die” in overstretched hospitals.

“If we have to pause, it would only be for the very best of reasons, and what that would be for instance is that our hospitals are overwhelmed and our nurses are being asked to do superhuman things,” he said.

“If I get advice to pause because people will unnecessarily die, then we will do that.”

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton called the roadmap a long journey, but said it was ultimately “our pathway out of here”.

He said the reason why opening up was occurring before 80 per cent full vaccination was reached on November 5 is because people are being “challenged by their social isolation”.

“There is an issue of our wellbeing,” he said.

“I’ve been asked many times on it and we all need to reflect on that. There are challenges every step of the way in lockdown, and we need to bear in mind how people sustain the behaviours that need to be sustained.”

G’day everyone. It’s Roy Ward here. I’ll be handling the blog for the next few hours as we continue to cover Daniel Andrews press conference and the WA press conference coming up in a couple of minutes.

Huge thanks to Natassia Chrysanthos for handling a big morning shift.

Please keep leaving comments on the blog and enjoy the afternoon to come.

Premier Daniel Andrews is aiming to have 80 per cent of the eligible Victorian population fully vaccinated by Melbourne Cup Day, leaving the door open for crowds on-track.

He said he hoped to have the major event in “as normal circumstance as possible”, with work under way with the racing industry.

“If we deliver it by Cup Day, or it’s really clear that we’re going to, then we’ll have options to have a crowd,” he said. “I can’t say how big … but it’s a great goal. It’d be a great signal to the world, signal to the rest of the country that Victoria is open.”

In case you missed it earlier, several lockdown restrictions will be eased in Sydney’s LGAs of concern to bring those suburbs further in line with the rest of the city. The following detail is from the government.

From 12.01am Monday, 20 September, the following restrictions will ease for those who live in LGAs of concern:

No limit on the duration of outdoor exercise and recreation (previously a two-hour limit);

Outdoor gatherings of up to five fully vaccinated people (not including children aged 12 and under) will be allowed in a person’s LGA or within 5km of home (previously only fully vaccinated household members could gather outdoors, or up to two fully vaccinated people from different households);

Shopping, exercise and outdoor recreation can be done 5km from home or within your LGA (previously only 5km from home);

Attend a small wedding (maximum 11 people) in Greater Sydney as a guest (previously only allowed in their LGA); and

A person’s single’s bubble buddy can live in Greater Sydney (previously must have resided within 5km of a person’s home). A person from a LGA of concern can also now be a buddy for someone in Greater Sydney.

Nearly all restrictions in the LGAs of concern are now aligned with other lockdown areas, with the main differences being authorised worker conditions and travel permit requirements which remain in place in the LGAs of concern.

From 12.01am Monday, 27 September outdoor pools across NSW will be able to open, provided councils have a stringent COVID safety plan approved by NSW Health. Natural pools are already permitted to be open.

Premier Berejiklian said the high levels of vaccination in areas of concern, coupled with the ability to control the environment at public pools, gave NSW Health the confidence to allow them to open. The government is also urging people to keep coming forward for vaccination.

Geelong, Surf Coast Shire and Mitchell Shire will be plunged into a seven-day lockdown from midnight tonight but unlike Melbourne, there will not be a curfew.

Health Minister Martin Foley said the decision for another localised lockdown was made to “avoid devastation” of the virus getting into families and communities.

“The national plan also is predicated on where you have to, you have localised short, sharp lockdowns ... which is why the Chief Health Officer has advised us that we need to take such strong fast short sharp action,” he said.

Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and Victorian Chief Medical Officer Brett Sutton arrive at the daily press conference.Credit:Darrian Traynor

Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton also announced that 66 local government zones in New South Wales will be downgraded from “extreme risk zones” to “red zones” from 11.59pm tonight, meaning Victorians can again apply for permits to re-enter their state.

Residents will be able to apply for a “red zone” permit and if granted, they will be required to quarantine at home for 14 days and get tested multiple times.

Professor Sutton said Victorians trying to get back to the state would have to have not visited one of the regions in NSW which is still locked down.

NSW border communities will also be downgraded from “extreme risk zones” - except for Albury. Those who live in the cross border area will be able to once again enter Victoria without a permit, as long as they have not been an “extreme risk zone” in the last 14 days.

Premier Daniel Andrews is now explaining what will happen to Victoria when the state reaches its 80 per cent vaccination target.

Regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne are expected to be returned to the same restrictions when the state reaches 80 per cent double dose coverage, around November 5.

By that time, masks will only be needed inside. Weddings, funerals and religious services will return to 450 fully vaccinated people indoors and 500 people outdoors.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews outlines the state’s path out of lockdown.Credit:Darrian Traynor

Hospitality will be able to have 150 patrons inside and 500 patrons outside. Hairdressing, beauty and personal care will reopen for those who are fully vaccinated, with retail also open.

“All students return to school [on this date] with additional safety measures in place, and we aim to have that return to school as close to a normal pre-COVID, fully open school environment,” Mr Andrews said.

He said he expected that, after 80 per cent fully vaccinated targets were hit, interstate and international travel would resume, with 30 people able to be at your home on Christmas Day.

“Christmas as close to normal as possible - that’s something that’s very, very important,” Mr Andrews said.

“This is Victoria’s road map to deliver the national plan - we will do so cautiously, but make no mistake, we are opening this place up. There is no alternative.”

Victoria is expected to hit a peak of up to 2900 daily cases by the end of October, according to the modelling on which Victoria’s road map out of lockdowns is based.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the lockdowns in Victoria had been “buying us time” to get to 70 per cent and 80 per cent fully vaccinated population targets. He said it was clear doctors and nurses would come under “intense pressure” in the coming weeks and months as case numbers rose.

Mr Andrews said Burnet Institute modelling showed cases would hit a second peak at 4500 cases in mid-December, after restrictions were loosened.

According to the documents, hospital admissions will peak at 3150 by the end of December, and deaths from the Delta variant will peak at around 2200 in January.

“There is going to be some very difficult days and weeks, perhaps longer in our health system,” Mr Andrews said.

“I have nothing but respect and absolute admiration for those who work in our health system. We will stand with you, we will support you, and we will monitor very closely what the impact of this inevitable opening up, which is absolutely essential.”

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