The city’s 5km limit could be up to 20km with the...

Victoria recorded six new cases on Thursday, all related to known outbreaks. Allen Cheng, assistant health officer, said this was “about as encouraging as it was at this point in time,” although he did signal his ongoing concern about the number of cases with an unknown source.

Professor Cheng said the modeling, completed by Friday, would take into account factors such as increasing the travel limit since August 2 from five kilometers to 20 kilometers before the prime minister said “significant changes” on Sunday.

“We’re looking at everything right now,” said Professor Cheng.

“Models are running as we speak, and they should be away from the computer for the next day or so. It takes a little time to get this done. We consider all sorts of things in order to make these decisions. ”

Additional drive-through test stations opened in Shepparton on Thursday, but the long lines lasted into the afternoon as local authorities expected around 2,000 residents to be tested.

Approximately 1,300 tests were conducted on Wednesday in response to the outbreak, which was triggered by a man who did not tell contact tracers until this week that he had visited Shepparton while it was contagious on September 30th.

Of the 350 results received as of Thursday, none were positive, although Professor Cheng said more cases would almost certainly be picked up in the coming days.

There were 340 close contacts and 70 secondary contacts in self-isolation as of Thursday, and Goulburn Valley Health chief executive Matt Sharp, whose team led the local health response, said testing numbers would go on by the thousands through Friday.

“And that’s exactly what we want to get the latest information on how widespread COVID-19 is in the community,” he said.

Under pressure from corporate groups on the government to clarify the reopening of deadlines, Treasurer Tim Pallas announced on Thursday that the state’s public finances were on hold at the end of last fiscal year due to the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic and crisis 6, Summer bushfires were $ 5 billion in debt.

The Prime Minister acknowledged that tight checkpoints around Melbourne are vital to protecting the regions and that NSW and South Australia reopen their borders to regional Victoria and that the national cabinet meets on Friday.

Peter Harriott, CEO of City of Greater Shepparton, said maintaining strong checkpoints in the Melbourne area is a difficult task.

“The reality is that the regions need people who come from Melbourne, whether they deliver to supermarkets or transport goods,” he said. “We are a major supplier of food to the nation.”

Mr Harriott said the council, in addition to Victoria Regional Development, recently took steps to ensure the cafes are checking that the guests have not come from Melbourne.

Many companies voluntarily decided to shut down in Shepparton on Thursday to prevent the virus from spreading.

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The government is considering measures such as increasing hospitality capacity, reopening more retail stores and increasing gatherings at events in regional Victoria on Sunday.

Some epidemiologists criticized the five-kilometer limit as unnecessary as the number of cases has fallen, despite Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said the rule prevents COVID-19 cases from reaching previously unaffected areas of Melbourne.

Professor Cheng warned that the number of “mysterious cases” with an unknown source – the top criteria for health officials – was still too high at 15 in the fortnight ending October 12.

“That’s the problem, and that these mysterious cases are spread across many different LGAs [local government areas]”Said Professor Cheng, which prevented authorities from targeting tests to an area.

Victoria’s existing roadmap targeted five or less mysterious cases in the past fourteen days before freedoms such as reopening meals were allowed, although this could be revised on Sunday.

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