Victorian premier reveals roadmap out of lockdown as state records 507 new cases and one death; NSW records 1,083 cases and 13 deaths; ACT records 17 new cases; Gladys Berejiklian announces restrictions to ease in western Sydney LGAs ‘of concern’ and NSW pools to reopen; no new cases in Qld; 24 new cases in New Zealand. Follow updates live
- Vic restrictions; Vic hotspots; NSW restrictions; border restrictions
- Covid vaccine rollout and rates tracker; Cases, trends and data tracker
- Get our free news app; Get our morning email briefing
4.09am BST
The chief health officer Brett Sutton is up. He says this will be “no easy pathway to take,” but we are on the “home stretch” and should feel hopeful:
There is the issue of our wellbeing, we all need to reflect on that, there are challenges every step of the way during lockdown and we need to be able to support people on that slow and steady pathway to opening up. That does mean for those lowest risk activities, we should make them available to people to support their wellbeing and ensure they are focusing their attention and behaviours in those areas that are the lowest risk – interactions with other people, happening outdoors, with the lowest risk of transmission to others…We are in a once in a century public health crisis so there is no easy pathway out of this, there are no easy choices to make…but we should feel hopeful about the things that are coming in months ahead.
4.05am BST
Martin Foley is providing a breakdown of today’s case numbers. There is continued transmission in Melbourne’s northern and western suburbs, with ongoing concern over growth in Melbourne’s south east: