Australia’s coronavirus hotspot of Victoria state maintained its steady downward trend in new infections on Wednesday as states began easing internal border closures, fuelling optimism about a return to normal.
Victoria’s quick containment of a second wave of the outbreak prompted Western Australia state to relax its travel restrictions, allowing travellers from the southeastern state to quarantine at home rather than in a hotel from Monday.
Australia’s iconic Sydney Opera House, a national symbol, said it would work to reopen its venues from November after the New South Wales state government raised the seating capacity in theatres to 50% from Thursday.
Victoria, Australia’s second-most populous state, said cases rose slightly from the previous day but the key indicator of 14-day average cases in the state capital of Melbourne fell below 17.
Victoria on Wednesday reported 13 new cases, sharply down from a peak of more than 700 cases logged in early August.
“Just three more weeks and we’ll be able to take a very big step,” Andrews told reporters. “We are so close to seeing this off.”
Australia has so far reported more than 27,000 Covid-19 cases and 886 deaths, with Victoria accounting for 75% of infections and 90% of deaths.
New South Wales, the country’s most populous state, reported no locally acquired case of Covid-19 for the fifth day in a row.