Victoria has recorded zero new cases of COVID-19 and zero deaths caused by the virus for the second day in a row, making today even better than it already promised to be.
The Department of Health and Human Services revealed the tally Tuesday morning, confirming the rolling 14-day average of new daily cases – a key metric used to quantify the virus’ impact – has dipped to just 2.8.
In regional Victoria, that figure stands at 0.2.
Between October 11 and October 24, Metro Melbourne has recorded six cases with an unknown source. That’s down by one from yesterday’s results.
Once again, yesterday there were no new cases and no lost lives reported. In Melb, cases with unknown source are down, as is the 14 day rolling average. In regional Vic, 14 day average remains stable. https://t.co/pcll7ySEgz#COVIDVicData pic.twitter.com/dVfpCqyBiV
— Victorian Department of Health (@VicGovDH) October 26, 2020
Those figures mark Victoria’s second consecutive Donut Day.
Even better, those zeroes arrive just hours before Melbourne’s bars, restaurants, and cafés open for seated service for the first time in yonks.
From 11.59pm tonight, the city’s hospitality sector will lurch back into life, granting locked-down residents the chance to sink their first pint with mates since lockdowns shuttered watering holes across the map.
Venues in the Victorian capital will be permitted to serve 50 patrons in outdoors areas and 20 indoors, with those numbers slated to expand on November 8.
Elsewhere, retail stores and beauty services are expected to kick back into action, and Melbourne residents are now allowed to leave the home for any reason. Ripper.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is expected to announce further amendments to rules regarding guests and home visits some time today.
Andrews yesterday indicated that further changes to those arrangements would be contingent on further case data.
“We’re going to take the next 24 hours to understand how we might be able to make this work – safely – and I’ll have more to say about this tomorrow,” Andrews said in a statement.
Given the fact we’re staring at another set of zeroes, it seems very possible that considerable changes to lockdown protocols are on the way.
All up: today appears to be a pretty good day for Victoria, after a months-long stretch of truly terrible bullshit.
