LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
* Victoria recorded 15 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, its highest daily total in nine days.
* One further death took Victoria’s virus toll to 807 and the national figure to 895.
* Victorian authorities are desperately trying to contain a coronavirus outbreak linked to a butcher at Chadstone Shopping Centre after it spread to regional Victoria.
* Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton says 28 cases are linked to the butcher outbreak, up from 24 on Monday.
* Two people in Kilmore, 60km north of Melbourne, have also tested positive after coming into contact with someone in the cluster.
* Melbourne’s 14-day crucial case average has dropped to 10.6 from 11.6 on Monday and its number of mystery cases between September 20 and October 3 stands at 13.
* Professor Sutton “can’t say” if Melbourne will now meet its “step three” case targets by October 19 as initially planned.
* More than two-thirds of Australians want state borders reopened by Christmas as confidence in the public health response to coronavirus continues to climb.
* Economic recovery has firmed as the number one concern among Australians, with virus worries falling to the lowest level since May, before the second wave.
* The plight of travel agents devastated by the coronavirus pandemic has been raised in federal government ranks.
* NSW extended its streak without a locally acquired case to 11 days, but the state recorded 11 new cases in hotel quarantine.
* Premier Gladys Berejiklian is doubtful NSW will go 28 days without community transmission, the benchmark set by Queensland counterpart Annastacia Palaszczuk for the border to fully reopen on November 1.
* The Queensland government is urging people not to get complacent about COVID-19 testing as rates fall amid warmer spring weather over the school holidays. The state recorded yet another day of no new cases.
* South Australia will extend its border buffer zone with Victoria from 40km to 70km from midnight on Wednesday. SA had two new cases on Tuesday – both returned travellers in hotel quarantine.
* West Australian Chief Health Officer Andy Robertson says the gradual reopening of other state borders is making it harder to justify following suit. WA also recorded no new cases on Tuesday.
* October 8 – South Australia’s border buffer zone with Victoria will increase from 40km to 70km.
* October 8 – Singapore will open to Australian travellers – except Victorians – subject to a COVID-19 test upon arrival.
* October 12 – Melbourne primary school students to return to on-site learning.
* October 26 – Tasmania’s state of emergency due to expire.
* November 1 – Queensland border reopened to NSW visitors subject to conditions being met.
* November 2 – Regional Victoria residents allowed to travel to the Northern Territory if case numbers remain low.
* November 6 – Victoria’s hotel quarantine inquiry report due.
AUSTRALIAN CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS
* There were 28 new cases in Australia – 15 in Victoria, 11 in NSW and two in South Australia. There was also one further death in Victoria.
* The national death toll is 895: Victoria 807, NSW 55, Tasmania 13, WA 9, Queensland 6, SA 4, ACT 3. (Two Queensland residents who died in NSW have been included in the official tolls of both states.)
GLOBAL CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS
* Cases: at least 35,483,000
* Deaths: at least 1,044,000
* Recovered: at least 24,758,000
Data current as of 1800 AEDT October 6, taking in federal government and state/territory government updates, Worldometer and Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre.
Australian Associated Press