Victoria was notified of 514 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday. All were locally acquired, with 11 historic cases reclassified.
There are 4,370 active cases in Victoria – 4,367 locally acquired and three overseas-acquired cases.
There are 182 COVID-19 cases in hospital in Victoria. 51 of those cases are in intensive care, with 29 cases on a ventilator.
The total number of confirmed cases in Victoria since the beginning of the pandemic is 26,942.
Update: Restrictions
With Victoria due to hit its 70 per cent first-dose vaccination target tomorrow, the Chief Health Officer has recommended some modest easing to restrictions from 11:59 pm on Friday 17 September.
Restrictions on outdoor social interaction and gatherings, outdoor exercise and the distance people can travel from their home will ease in the lockdown areas of metropolitan Melbourne and Ballarat.
In regional Victoria (excluding Ballarat), gyms and swimming pools will reopen with capacity limits.
For more information, refer to New freedoms when 70 percent first dose target reached.
Update: Restrictions on the construction sector
Construction workers are no longer permitted to cross between metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria for work, in light of cases seeding from Melbourne into regional Victoria.
Additional COVID-safe measures are also in force at all construction sites – including use of on-site COVID-Safe Marshals, worker shift bubbles and immediate closure of tea rooms.
All construction workers in Victoria are also required to show evidence to their employer that they have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine before 11:59 pm on 23 September.
Limited medical exemptions and proof-of-booking exceptions will apply. Workers unable to provide suitable evidence will not be permitted to work.
