Melbourne set to reopen on Sunday

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With Melbourne’s COVID-19 infections plummeting:

Premier Daniel Andrews has finally ceded to common sense and flagged significant reopening on Sunday:

Victoria has broken the back of the nation’s coronavirus second wave.

Premier Daniel Andrews on Friday declared that restrictions in Victoria would be overhauled on Sunday.

Mr Andrews said there would be a “significant statement on Sunday” about opening up Victoria…

“We are very well placed to make some significant announcements on Sunday and they will be a testament to the absolute determination of the Victorian community to see this thing off, to do it properly and to make sure we got the numbers to such a low level that we have every reason to expect we can keep them low,” Mr Andrews said.

“This is a good number. This is a very clear sign that the strategy is working and that we are well placed to be able to have more to say about a program to steadily open up those safe and steady steps towards that Covid normal summer, a Covid normal Christmas and a 2021 that is vastly different to 2020.”

Let’s hope these are genuinely significant announcements and that we don’t see ridiculous rules like the banning of gyms in regional Victoria, where there is virtually zero virus.

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Let’s also hope and pray that Victoria’s contact tracing system is up to par so that any future outbreaks can be nipped in the bud quickly and painlessly, like they have been in NSW, without the need for more lockdowns.

We cannot afford any more systemic failures by the Victorian Government.

About the author
Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.