Medical expert says prospect of Victoria easing lockdown 'questionable'
Victorians are on high alert as new cases are linked to growing clusters little over a week before restrictions are due to ease.
New cases of COVID-19 linked to outbreaks in Melbourne are causing concern the state's stage four lockdown may not be lifted as planned on October 19.
"It is starting to look a little questionable as to whether Melbourne is going to reach that deadline and that will allow the lockdown to be opened up," President of the Australian Medical Association (AMA), Dr Omar Khorshid told Today.
READ MORE: Melbourne hospital outbreak threatens Victoria's reopening
People enjoy the mild weather and engage in social distancing guidlines at Edinburgh Gardens, Fitzroy. Photograph by Chris Hopkins Photograph by Chris Hopkins
"It just takes one person not doing the right thing for another outbreak to occur and these numbers to jump up again."
"It is critical timing, but we have to stay the course because the lockdown has been working."
Dr Khorshid said Sydney should also remain vigilant amid a rise in community transmission this week.
"Follow the instructions. Stay the course. Because if you do the right thing, if you allow the contact tracers to be able to find you if there was somebody with COVID at the restaurant that you were at, then Sydney can keep on top of this and avoid having to go into a lockdown like Melbourne," he said.
READ MORE: Strict new mask rules to come into effect in Victoria
After a warm spring weekend, Melbourne woke to a wet Monday morning. Photograph by Chris Hopkins Photograph by Chris Hopkins
AMA calling for coordinated response over borders
"It does appear to me that the risk would be quite limited to Queensland, and I think there is a lot of pressure for those borders to be opened."
"What the AMA has called for, is all our levels of Government working together to agree on what the responses should look like.
"These outbreaks are going to keep happening, they are the reality, and because we have maintained at least partially open borders internationally we are going to see small numbers of cases from time to time until we are out of this."
"We need to make sure our systems are there to allow our economy to work, our borders to be open but also to keep our community completely protected from the virus."
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