Regional Victoria has entered step three of its coronavirus reopening plan, after recording a consistent drop in case numbers.
Under the eased restrictions, all retail stores will open and beauty services can resume provided a face covering is worn.
Here’s a summary of what happened on Thursday:
- Victoria recorded 28 new cases of coronavirus and another eight deaths. Premier Daniel Andrews said it was the first time case numbers had been in the 20s since June 24.
- Victoria announced a $26.7 million support package for early childhood education. Deputy Premier James Merlino said it was aimed at helping parents with the cost of fees, and keeping kindergarten providers open.
- Regional Victoria entered step three of its coronavirus reopening plan, after recording a consistent drop in case numbers. Police warned that Melbourne residents who try to enter regional Victoria to enjoy the eased restrictions face fines of up to $5,000.
- NSW confirmed five new coronavirus infections. Premier Gladys Berejiklian said social distancing restrictions on stadiums in NSW would be relaxed. Stadiums will now be permitted to have crowds at 50 per cent capacity for major events, up from 25 per cent.
- Queensland recorded one new case of coronavirus, a male healthcare worker in his 60s. The man is linked to a known case and was on his 10th day of quarantine.
- Victoria's former police chief commissioner, Graham Ashton, questioned why the Australian Federal Police were not being used to guard returned travellers in hotel quarantine. Jason Helps, the state agency commander for the Department of Health and Human Services, said he was not sure using police or the army in the hotels would have prevented the second wave.
- The Australian Taxation Office said it had received 9,000 tip-offs about businesses or sole traders rorting the JobKeeper wage subsidy scheme, but had not issued a single fine. The ATO told a Senate inquiry examining the Government’s response to the pandemic that 55,000 applications for JobKeeper were stopped in the system, before any money was paid out.
