Victoria has had eight more coronavirus deaths as Melbourne's crucial new case average continues to fall.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The deaths take the national toll to 781 and the national figure to 869.
There were 14 new cases, while Melbourne's 14-day average fell again on Friday to 25.1.
It is only 0.8 in regional Victoria.
Ballarat has not had an active case of the virus for more than two weeks and as of Thursday, there were just 10 active cases in regional Victoria.
Melbourne's cases with an unknown source are 34 for September 9-22 and there are none in the regional areas.
Under the state government's roadmap, Melbourne's new case average needs to be between 30 and 50 for the city for some restrictions to be eased next Monday.
Premier Daniel Andrews will announce those revised rules on Sunday.
But he has tempered expectations, warning Melbourne will not take "massive steps" out of its lingering lockdown.
"Sunday will not be a day of massive steps," he said on Thursday.
"The roadmap does not speak to that. It is not a day when we essentially throw the doors open."
Under the metropolitan Melbourne roadmap announced on September 6, proposed changes for Monday include a staged return to school for some students and an allowance for pubic gatherings of five people from two households.
Mr Andrews said the figures were still "too much" to skip to "step three" a month early.
He expects the state government and health authorities to settle on the new rules on Saturday night before publicly confirming the package.
IN OTHER NEWS
It came as Mr Andrews stands by beleaguered Health Minister Jenny Mikakos after the Health Workers Union called for her dismissal.
Ms Mikakos appeared before the inquiry into Victoria's botched hotel quarantine scheme on Thursday, and the premier will be grilled on Friday.
Meanwhile, the state government suffered a blow in the Supreme Court on Thursday.
A judge ordered legal advice justifying the state's 9pm-5pm curfew must be handed over to the lawyers for Mornington Peninsula cafe owner Michelle Loielo, who is challenging the validity of the controversial measure.
The Courier has removed the paywall from our stories relating to health warnings and safety of the community in regards to the coronavirus. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.