Victoria records nine deaths and 41 cases, as new infections drop to 10-week low

Victoria has recorded 41 new coronavirus cases and nine deaths in the past 24 hours.

The fatalities include one woman in her 70s, one woman and three men in their 80s, one woman and three men in their 90s.

Of the deaths, eight were linked to aged care outbreaks.

READ MORE: Melbourne's roadmap out of lockdown questions answered

The state's death toll has risen to 675 while the total number of deaths nationwide from coronavirus is now 762.

There are 266 Victorians in hospital, including 25 patients in intensive care and 17 people on ventilators.

"Our thoughts are with those impacted," Victoria's Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement.

There are 1781 active cases of COVID-19 in Victoria, including 259 among healthcare workers.

"Those numbers continue to fall and that is good news," Premier Daniel Andrews said.

READ MORE: What you need to know about Victoria's 14-day case average

In regional Victoria, there are 95 active cases. The problematic corridor of Greater Geelong has recorded no new cases today.

Today's new cases numbers are the fewest recorded in the state since June 26, when 40 cases were reported.

'This strategy is working'

Mr Andrews has given hope to Victorians following yesterday's lockdown extension announcement, saying the state was on track to defeating the virus.

"On 5th of August, we had 725 cases. On the 7th of September, we have 41 cases. These numbers are coming down, this strategy is working. We are bringing a sense of control to this and we'll drive these numbers down further," he said.

"I'm grateful, I'm proud of every single Victorian and the work they're doing, without that, we simply can't keep driving these numbers down.

Victoria's Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton says September 28 is locked in when it comes to easing stage four restrictions, however there is scope for bringing the next step forward if case numbers proved safe to do so.

"I think we would always go through a process of review," Professor Sutton said.

READ MORE: Melbourne four-step roadmaps full of 'inconsistency'

"Everyone would welcome an earlier opening rather than a later one. I just don't want to, you know, be giving that promise in advance of knowing how we're tracking."

The Victorian government is not calling the roadmap out of lockdown an elimination strategy, but rather a pathway to prevent a third wave.

"We're just trying to have a pathway where we can be assured that we're not going to be - stepping backwards in weeks or months to come," Professor Sutton said.

"If that means that community transmission ends, terrific, we'll have an even greater level of confidence that it's not going to go backwards but if it's a controlled, very small number of cases that we can keep suppressed over weeks and months, then equally that's a decent place to be in."

However, Professor Sutton said wiping out community transmission before the state opened up was "preferable".

Single-person bubbles designed to address loneliness

Life in Melbourne will not return to anything resembling normal until late November at the earliest.

Many industries will remain shut until late October.

Retail settings will not open until October 26 due to risks of transmission, Professor Sutton explained.

"In a retail setting, people are mobile, there are thousands and thousands, tens of thousands or more, moving through on a daily basis and I'm sure the risk of transmission is there," he said.

"They are indoors, people getting in close proximity, but we can't identify them as outbreaks because those individuals will go back home and they have been to one particular retail setting but also been shopping for food, also gone out for medical care, emergency purposes. And so we can't always identify the transmission in those places."

Also under Victoria's roadmap out of current restrictions, single people living alone and single-parent households throughout the state will be allowed to create a "social bubble" with one other person from September 14.

Mr Andrews said the single-person bubble was an important step to ensure people who lived on their own did not feel isolated as restrictions continue over the coming months.

"The single-person bubble basically means that a single person will be able to have another individual to their home so long as they are the only adult living there," he said.

"The person who is supporting them doesn't need to be another person who lives on their own, but the person for whom the bubble is most important.

"This is directly listening to feedback from people for whom loneliness and that sense of isolation is a very real thing, they are able to have someone come from another household, much like the intimate partner arrangement."

Mr Andrews has defended his four step plan and said opening Victoria up too soon could trigger a third wave.

Professor Sutton admitted the newly announced restrictions were "not easy" on mental health, but the state simply had no other choice.

"It is a long road ahead and it's not easy from a mental health point of view for anyone and so I think we have always been cognisant of what it means to have these restrictions in place," he said.

"Equally, what's the alternative? We have done this modelling to understand what it would mean to lift at an earlier point in time, to lift at different numbers, and going into another lockdown, I think, would be even more devastating for a mental health point of view."

Victoria's latest coronavirus outbreaks

Outbreaks with the highest number of active cases:

•             19 active cases are currently linked to Frankston Hospital

•             14 active cases are currently linked to Vawdrey Australia Truck Manufacturer

•             16 active cases are currently linked to Bulla Dairy Foods in Colac

•             11 active cases are currently linked to Dandenong Police Station

•             10 active cases are currently linked to the Royal Melbourne Hospital Royal Park campus

Hopes permits soon won't be needed for childcare

Permits will no longer be required for childcare from September 28, proving case number markers are met.

"Assuming that we have cases between 30 and 50 in terms of average cases, at that trigger point, we will move to that next step and consistent with onsite child care, in-home child care will also be permitted. There won't be a need for a permit," Mr Andrews said.

With frustration rising, Victoria's contact tracing system has again come under criticism.

Yesterday Victoria reported five deaths and 63 cases.

You can get up-to-date information from the Federal Government's Coronavirus Australia app, available on the App Store, Google Play and the Government's WhatsApp channel.

Beyond Blue's Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service is a 24/7 service free of charge to all Australians.

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