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Health

Melbourne locations put on COVID watch list as Victoria reaches day 12 of zero cases or deaths

Life is returning to normal at Melbourne's cafes and restaurants.

Victoria has recorded no new cases of coronavirus or deaths for the 12th straight day, but several locations in Melbourne have been listed on a government coronavirus watch list.

Close to 20,000 test results were processed in the past 24 hours.

There are four active cases, including one "mystery" case with an unknown source of infection.

The 14-day rolling average of new cases per day in Melbourne is now 0.3.

In regional Victoria it remains at zero.

The Victorian Government is warning anyone who visited Melbourne Central shopping centre on November 8 or Melbourne Airport on November 9 to get tested, even if they have very mild symptoms.

The warning comes after a woman, who had been in Melbourne for several days, tested positive to the virus after returning to South Australia.

The nurse is not believed to have had any symptoms while in Victoria and had returned negative results in tests at the end of October.

Health Minister Martin Foley said it was most likely a case of viral shedding but the warning was being issued out of "an abundance of caution".

Two positive test results recorded yesterday in Melbourne have also been ruled as non-active after being reviewed by health authorities and found to be viral shedding.

'The time has come' to plan for office workers' return, VECCI says

The continued absence of new COVID cases has prompted business leaders to call for workers to be allowed to return to offices in Melbourne's CBD.

A Roy Morgan Research SMS survey of 1,253 Victorians conducted on November 9 showed two-thirds of those questioned said office workers should be able to return to work in a COVID-safe office.

Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) CEO Paul Guerra wants workers to be cleared to return for one day a week initially.

"We think it would be a significant step," he said.

"We know it would start to alleviate some of the mental health issues and certainly bring productivity up.

"There's been no timeline as to when people can come back into the office yet.

"We think with over 11 consecutive days of zero infections, the time has come to start planning for the return of office workers."

Premier Daniel Andrews said the Government was not planning to ease the restrictions on office workspaces anytime soon.

"We've just got to be cautious, all Victorians have built something that is precious but it is fragile, and we just have to be careful that we don't do anything that might compromise that," Mr Andrews said.

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