MILDURA will be lifted from lockdown from Friday despite a new COVID-19 case being confirmed in Mildura today.
Victoria Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said the new Mildura case was a Melbourne resident who had travelled to Mildura.
Mr Sutton admitted there would be “a few exposure sites”, but they had not yet been released.
It came as a pop-up testing site was established at Mildura’s Aerodrome Ovals on Wednesday morning.
But it’s understood with the risk considered low, Mildura was not excluded from the lockdown being lifted in regional Victoria.
Shepparton, however, remains in lockdown, although Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said he hoped to ease restrictions in Shepparton next week.
Across regional Victoria, the five reasons to leave home will be removed from 11.59pm on Thursday night, with prep to Grade 2 students, as well as Year 12 students, to return to the classroom.
There will also be no limit on the distance regional Victorians can travel, although they will not be allowed to enter Melbourne.
The authorised worker list will no longer apply in the regions, paving the way for most businesses and venues to reopen.Restaurants and cafes, retail, hairdressers and entertainment venues can reopen for seated service, although they will be kept to strict patron caps.
Premier Daniel Andrews said Shepparton, which is still working to fully contain an outbreak there, would not be released from lockdown, although he hoped restrictions would be eased next week.
The only change to Melbourne’s lockdown will be that single parents will now be able to access childcare.Victoria reported 221 new local cases, with 123 new mystery infections in the past 24 hours.
The total number of active cases across the state is now 1920.
There are 120 people in hospital with coronavirus, 33 of those are in intensive care and 15 are on a ventilator.
None of the Victorians in hospital were fully vaccinated.MORE TO COME
