Victoria has recorded another 16 coronavirus cases and two more deaths as Premier Daniel Andrews announced Melburnians will no longer be barred from leaving their homes at night under a new stage of coronavirus restrictions.
The 14-day rolling average has now dropped to 22.1 in Melbourne, well below the 30-50 case benchmark for moving to the next stage of lifting restrictions in the state's COVID-19 roadmap.
As a result, a number of restrictions in Melbourne will be eased from Monday, including 127,000 employees returning to work, the reopening of childcare, and an increase of the number of people able to attend a public, outdoor gathering to five from a maximum of two households.
Sunday night will also be the last time Melburnians will be barred from leaving their homes between 9pm and 5am, with Mr Andrews announcing a new $5,000 fine to punish unlawful gatherings.
"We are so close, so, so, so close to beating this thing and it is just not appropriate to be going to visit friends or gathering in car parks," he told reporters on Sunday.
The decision to ditch the curfew was made on the advice of the public health team, Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said, stating that it was no longer a "proportionate measure".
The limit on only one person per household being able to go shopping once per day will also be lifted, but it is "not an invitation for an entire family" to go to the supermarket, Mr Andrews said.
Two parents or carers will also be able to visit people under 18 years old in hospitals at the same time, and faith-based services of up to five people and one leader will also be permitted outdoors. Weddings of five people, including the couple and two witnesses, will also be allowed in outdoor spaces.
Permitted workers will also now be able to exercise within five kilometres of their workplace.
"We are ahead of schedule, we have made more progress than we hoped to make at this point in time," Mr Andrews said. "We must wait and see how things unfold over the next three weeks."
As a result of the progress, Mr Andrews brought forward the date that the city could likely move into the next stage of the roadmap to 19 October.
But the "trigger point" for lifting further restrictions will no longer be dates, as previously announced, and instead will be solely dependent on reaching the target of a 14-day average of five cases per day or less, he said.
Under the original roadmap, , the next stage of lifting restrictions was scheduled for the 26 October.
From 5 October, a week earlier than previously planned, some VCE and VCAL students will also be able to return to onsite learning, followed a week later by a staggered return of all primary school students from 12 October.
Deputy Chief Health Officer Allen Cheng said modelling showed that Victoria was "on track and perhaps even slightly ahead" of where they expected to be by the end of September.
On the decision to reopen schools ahead of schedule, Professor Cheng said primary school children were at a lower risk of contracting and spreading the virus.
"New modelling suggests it's relatively safe to return students to primary schools in the first weeks of Term 4," he said, adding that since the beginning of the pandemic 139 staff members and 373 students had been infected with COVID-19.
The revised roadmap came a day after , citing Mr Andrews' testimony that she was "accountable" for the bungled hotel quarantine scheme as the catalyst.
"I have never wanted to leave a job unfinished but in light of the premier's statement to the Board of Inquiry and the fact that there are elements in it that I strongly disagree with, I believe that I cannot continue to serve in his cabinet," she said in a statement posted to social media on Saturday.
"I have never shirked my responsibility for my department but it is not my responsibility alone."
Ms Mikakos will be replaced by Mental Health Minister Martin Foley, Mr Andrews announced on Saturday.
Metropolitan Melbourne residents are subject to Stage 4 restrictions and must comply with a curfew between the hours of 9pm and 5am.
During the curfew, people in Melbourne can only leave their house for work, and essential health, care or safety reasons.
Between 5am and 9pm, people in Melbourne can leave the home for exercise, to shop for necessary goods and services, for work, for health care, or to care for a sick or elderly relative. The full list of restrictions can be found . All Victorians must wear a face covering when they leave home, no matter where they live.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your state’s restrictions on gathering limits. If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080. News and information is available in 63 languages at .
