Regional Victoria COVID-19 update: Chief health officer hints at further easing of restrictions

TOTAL BALLARAT CASES: 58 (no increase since October 23)

ACTIVE BALLARAT CASES: 0 (no increase since September 9)

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has hinted Victorian authorities could raise cap limits and density quotas higher than initially planned for some industries, as the state celebrates its second straight COVID-free day.

Victoria didn't record any fresh cases or deaths on Sunday, and active cases continued to tumble.

The state also reported no new infections on Saturday, with an expert panel reclassifying one case as a false positive.

"Another very good day for Victoria," said Deputy Premier James Merlino on Sunday, filling in for state leader Daniel Andrews.

Back-to-back days without adding to Victoria's virus tally coincides with the first weekend of Melbourne cafes, restaurants and pubs reopening to walk-in customers.

More restrictions are due to ease next Sunday including the scrapping of the so- called "ring of steel" dividing the city from the regions, along with the 25km travel limit. Although the encouraging case numbers won't bring forward that date, Professor Sutton said authorities would mull over changes that went beyond those previously announced.

"What allowances come on November 8 will absolutely be informed by what this week looks like," he said."Some of the details might change ... we can always make consideration of what caps might be in certain settings, what density quotients might be in those settings.

Prof Sutton said Victoria could be down to "a couple of dozen" active cases by next week. Nearly 16,000 tests were taken in the past 24 hours, with Prof Sutton saying it verified Sunday's result as a "true zero".

Mandatory masks will remain a feature of Victorians' daily lives for some time yet but that rule may be revisited with less virus circulating in the community.

"Clearly we should be transitioning and we will be transitioning from universal mask-wearing to maybe indoors only, to maybe just high-risk settings, at the appropriate time," Prof Sutton said.

The Victorian government also announced it would hand out $200 vouchers to support children's return to netball courts, football fields and cricket nets as part of a $45.2 million package

The total number of cases now at 20,346, down one from yesterday as one case has been reclassified.

To date, 819 people have died from coronavirus in Victoria.

Regional Victoria still remains COVID-free for the sixth day in a row - let's hope it stays that way as we get closer to the end of the 'ring of steel' border with Melbourne at 11.59pm on November 8.

Ballarat's total coronavirus case numbers remain steady at 58.

The rolling 14-day average for Melbourne dropped (from 2.4 to 2.2), while regional Victoria remains steady on 0.

The total number of cases from an unknown source in the last 14 days (16 Oct 2020 - 29 Oct 2020) is one for metropolitan Melbourne and zero from regional Victoria.

The mystery case is in the postcode 3081.

There has not been a mystery case in the regions since September 1.

Restrictions for Ballarat and regional Victoria lifted further from Wednesday morning. See the changes right here.

The following message has been issued by the DHHS:

Victoria has recorded no new cases of coronavirus since yesterday, with the total number of cases now at 20,346.

The overall total has decreased by one, as one case has been reclassified.

There have been no new deaths from COVID-19 reported since yesterday. To date, 819 people have died from coronavirus in Victoria.

The average number of cases diagnosed in the last 14 days (18 Oct 2020 - 31 Oct 2020) for metropolitan Melbourne is 2.2 and regional Victoria is zero. The rolling daily average case number is calculated by averaging out the number of new cases over the past 14 days.

The total number of cases from an unknown source in the last 14 days (16 Oct 2020 - 29 Oct 2020) is one for metropolitan Melbourne and zero from regional Victoria. The 14-day period for the source of acquisition data ends 48 hours earlier than the 14-day period used to calculate the new case average due to the time required to fully investigate a case and assign its mode of acquisition.

The one mystery case is in the postcode 3081.

The Department of Health and Human Services continues to work to contain an outbreak of coronavirus in Melbourne's northern suburbs with just under 35,000 tests processed from that area since Tuesday 20 October.

A total of 2,103 test results were processed yesterday, with a further 876 tests processed this morning from northern suburbs testing sites in the local government areas of Banyule, Darebin, Hume, Moreland and Nillumbik.

In the Deer Park area, the Department is continuing to investigate a case reported on Friday and is encouraging people with any symptoms to visit a local testing site. The case is being managed as a new infection pending further tests, with 21 close contacts identified and in quarantine.

In Victoria at the current time:

Of the 61 current active cases in Victoria:

Of the total cases:

Non-aged care outbreaks with the highest number of active cases include:

As public health work is undertaken throughout the day, outbreak totals are likely to change as the public health team identify links between cases and identified outbreaks. Organisation based outbreak totals include contacts as well as employees/residents/staff/students of that location/business.

Information regarding COVID-19 is available at the Department of Health and Human Services website or by calling 1800 675 398. Testing site details are available here.

Everyone who feels even the slightest cold or flu-like symptom must assume they have the virus until a test result proves otherwise. Anybody with symptoms or awaiting a result should self-isolate at home.

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