BALLARAT COVID UPDATE | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20
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NEW CASES: 2 (2 down from 5 yesterday)
ACTIVE CASES: 56 (down from 61 yesterday)
UPDATE, 11.30AM: Ballarat is showing further promising signs in its fight against COVID-19, with relatively low numbers of the virus in the city.
Just two new cases were confirmed in the 24 hours to midnight on Tuesday, the lowest figure in 10 days.
Both cases fall within the 3350 postcode.
The active case count also continues to fall, down to 56 after peaking at 74.
Moorabool recorded seven new cases, five of which are in the 3340 postcode of Bacchus Marsh. There was one case in the 3341 postcode and one in the 3342 postcode.
There is one new cases in Hepburn and none in Golden Plains or Pyrenees.
Meanwhile, there is confusion in Ballarat today around rules that mean hospitality workers need to be double-vaccinated by Friday this week, despite initially being told they had until November 26 to be fully vaccinated.
EARLIER, 9AM: Victoria has recorded 1841 new COVID cases, as the state edges tantalisingly close to significant easing of lockdown rules.
With the easing of restrictions less than 48 hours away, there are still 22,598 active cases in the state.
There was also 12 deaths recorded yesterday.
The new deaths take the toll from the current outbreak to 175.
There were 78,928 tests returned.
Further information about the deaths and new cases will be released later on Wednesday.
In Ballarat, there were five new COVID cases confirmed on Tuesday, as the city showed further promising signs of preventing significant spread of the virus.
The number of active cases also continued to drop.
As of yesterday there were 61 active cases in Ballarat, down from a peak of 74 just three days ago.
There has not be a new Ballarat exposure site added this week.
According to the latest figures, Ballarat has reached 70.6% of eligible residents to be fully vaccinated, with the 80% benchmark possible as early as next week.
Meanwhile, Victoria has opened its borders to fully vaccinated people arriving from Sydney, who will no longer have to quarantine or take a COVID-19 test when they arrive.
An update released by Victoria's chief health officer says there will be no more red zones in NSW from midnight Tuesday, with greater Sydney to become an orange zone.
Travellers from the greater Sydney region, including the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Shellharbour and Wollongong, will still need an orange zone permit to enter Victoria.
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But the rules will be different for people who are not fully vaccinated.
They will have to isolate on arrival, get tested within 72 hours, and remain in isolation until they receive a negative result.
The rest of NSW will become a green zone, but travellers will still need a permit.
Broken Hill in NSW and Shepparton in Victoria will re-join the cross-border community area, meaning residents will not need permits to cross the state border.
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