People are seen walking and having picnics at Treasury Gardens this month.Credit:Asanka Ratnayake
Health Minister Martin Foley has announced that the Surf Coast will come out of lockdown at 11.59pm Sunday,but urged Melburnians to continue to follow health orders despite the temptation to break the rules,particularly with the grand final approaching.
“The majority of yesterday’s numbers,of today’s numbers have come from transmissions in house,in the hands of families in social settings,people leaning into the prospect of,‘it doesn’t apply to me. I’ve always looked after,for very good reasons,my family,I’m going to just have dinner with my family,my parents,my grandparents’,” Mr Foley said.
“In these times,with large numbers of social transmissions of COVID,so please,the public health rules are there for the very good reason of seeking to minimise transmission and at the same time seek to maximise vaccination rates.
“So please,the rules of not visiting other people’s homes in social settings are there to avoid precisely this.”
There are now 321 people in hospital,a rise of 55 per cent on a week ago,and a 124 per cent increase on two weeks ago.
COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar said the state was trying to increase capacity in hospitals,but it would undermine access to treatment for other ill people.