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SYDNEY: The Australian state of Victoria, a hotspot in the country’s COVID-19 outbreak, said on Saturday (September 26) that social distancing restrictions will be eased earlier than previously announced as new infections per day remain near three-month lows.
Victoria said 12 COVID-19 infections have been detected in the past 24 hours, close to a three-month low of 11 recorded on Sept. 21.
With case numbers well below the thresholds set in the government’s phasing out of restrictions, state Prime Minister Daniel Andrews said he will update the schedule on Sunday to ease the restrictions.
“We have had a very good day and I will come back to you tomorrow to make some substantial announcements,” Andrews told reporters in Melbourne.
READ: Australia says the world needs to know the origins of COVID-19
Andrews did not specify what restrictions could be relaxed, but said he would focus on the curbs that will be removed in late October.
Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city, has been under a strict lockdown for almost two months. The state ordered nearly 5 million people to stay home, shut down much of the economy, and imposed a nightly curfew.
Victoria accounts for 90 percent of the 870 coronavirus deaths in Australia. Health officials believe the outbreak in Victoria started after private security guards mixed in with infected travelers in the hotel quarantine.
Otherwise, the country has reported just over 27,000 cases, well below the figures seen in many other developed nations.
Other states used Australian military officers as security in quarantining their hotels.
Victoria officials have been under pressure for months to explain why private security guards were used.
On Saturday, state health minister Jenny Mikakos resigned after Prime Minister Andrews said in an official investigation that she was responsible for the decision.
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