There have been no new cases of coronavirus in regional Victoria since Friday's update.
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It means Horsham Rural City remains with two active cases, ahead of today's release of local statistics.
At his Saturday briefing, Premier Daniel Andrews said there were 58 active cases in regional Victoria, and the 14-day average for new infections had dropped to 4.3. It needs to be five or less for more than 14 days for regional Victoria to move to step three of restrictions easing.
"Nothing certain but regional Victoria is on track to take two steps by the middle of next week," Mr Andrews said. "This is proof to every single Victorian we can drive these numbers down, we can open up and do it safely."
"Only five weeks ago we had 725 new cases on a single day. The trend is with us, the strategy is working, and people can be confident we will be able to take these steps."
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He also announced businesses providing beauty and personal services would now be permitted to reopen in the third step.
However, they will only be allowed to provide services where the customer can wear a face mask for the entire time. Mr Andrews said this means facials and face tattooing can not occur under eased restrictions in step three.
Chief Medical Officer professor Brett Sutton said the number of new cases in regional Victoria would need to be "significantly above five in the remaining days" before it reached the 14 day mark for the average number to rise above the threshold again.
Responding to a question about towns that have never had any case,s of which there are several in the Wimmera and Grampians, Professor Sutton said: "We need to recognise we only know about cases that are notified, and there can be cases out there that are not known to us because people have mild symptoms and haven't sought testing.
"Even if there have been areas with no cases, they will be treated the same as the rest of Victoria," he said.
Professor Sutton did not commit to a day on which the move to step three could be announced for regional Victoria.
What happens next
As of Monday, the Wimmera, along with the rest of regional Victoria, is in the 'second step' in the reopening plan.
This includes the introduction of 'social bubbles' for single adults living alone, a staged return to education, and gatherings of up to five people from two households outdoors for exercise or recreation. Outdoor pools and playgrounds can also reopen.
A move to step three potentially mid-next week would mean there would be no restrictions on reasons for people to leave home, the resumption of hospitality businesses with outdoor seating and the allowance of travel to other regional areas, among a number of other changes.
Other statistics:
- 1251 active cases across the state
- 4296 cases of unknown origin, down by seven from yesterday
- 194 healthcare workers are active cases
- 126 Victorians are in hospital, nine in intensive care and six on a ventilator
- The six new deaths are two women and a man in their 90s, and two women and a man in their 80s
8.30am: It's become a familiar sentence, but it's still good to hear: Victoria has recorded its lowest number of new coronavirus infections in more than two months.
The Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed 37 infections were recorded in the 24 hours to 11.59pm on Friday.
That is the lowest number since June 26, and the first time since June 25 there have been fewer than 40 new cases recorded.
Sadly, a further six people have died.
As of yesterday, there were 1336 active cases of the virus across Victoria. It remains to be seen whether the number will fall again today. The state reached a peak of 6792 active cases on August 7.
In the Wimmera and Grampians, Horsham is the only local government area with active cases, with a total of two. The DHHS website shows these two cases are in postcode 3401, which encompasses the western Grampians and other areas surrounding the city.
More to come.