Daily Update

Date issued: 27 March 2021

Issued by:  Adjunct Clinical Professor Brett Sutton, Chief Health Officer

Issued to: Clinicians and the Victorian public

Purpose

This Chief Health Officer update is intended to provide clinicians and the Victorian public with information about the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Victoria as well as relevant public health response activities in Victoria. This update will be sent regularly.

Chief Health Officer Alerts will continue to be issued when there are changes to the public health advice related to coronavirus (COVID-19).

What’s new?

• Victoria has recorded no new cases of COVID-19 since yesterday.
• The total number of COVID-19 cases reported in Victoria is now 20,483.
• There were no new deaths and the state’s death toll stands at 820. 
• Victoria has no active cases.
• A total of 5,357,113 test results have been received. This is an increase of 10,286 since yesterday.
• You can find further details in today’s COVID-19 media release.
• The DH website has full details in the interactive daily report.

Queensland Exposure Sites 

• Queensland Health has announced a positive case of coronavirus and has listed a number of public exposure sites on its website at Queensland Government website.
• As a result the Queensland Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Brisbane and Moreton Bay have been designated an orange zone under Victoria’s ‘traffic light’ travel permit system.
• People entering Victoria from an orange zone (excluding people who have only passed through an orange zone during transit to the airport) must apply for an orange zone permit
• People currently in Victoria who were at any of these locations in the specified times must contact the Victorian Department at 1300 651 150 and follow the relevant advice issued by Queensland Health. 
• Anyone who has entered Victoria from the City of Brisbane and Moreton Bay Region since 12 March must immediately self-isolate, get a coronavirus test within 72 hours, and stay isolated until they receive a negative result. 
• Using data from travel permits, the Victorian Department of Health will be contacting anyone who has entered Victoria from the City of Brisbane and Moreton Bay Region since 12 March to advise them of their obligations.
• To see where to get tested in Victoria, visit Where to get tested. The Department will continue monitoring the situation in Queensland and provide further updates where required.

COVIDSafe Settings

• On Friday 26 March 2021 Victoria further relaxed its COVIDSafe Settings.
• Face masks will no longer be required in retail settings but Victorians will still need to carry one with them at all times and wear it on public transport, in rideshare vehicles and taxis and in sensitive settings such as aged care facilities and hospitals.
• Victorians will be able to host up to 100 people in their home per day. Outdoor gatherings in public places can also increase to 200 people.
• Density limits in venues still operating under more restrictive settings – like casinos, karaoke venues and nightclubs – will move from 1 person per 4sqm to 1 person per 2sqm. This is in line with cafes, pubs and restaurants.
• Additional people will also be allowed in indoor non-seated entertainment venues with an increase from 50 per cent to 75 per cent capacity however, the limit of 1000 people per space remains. Dancefloors will move to the same density limit of the venue and the 50 patron cap will also be removed.
• There will no longer be limits on class sizes for outdoor and indoor physical recreation or fitness classes – and unstaffed gyms will be moving from a density limit of 1 person to 8sqm to 1 person per 4sqm.
• The 75 per cent cap on private and public offices workers will also be removed.

COVID-19 vaccination program

• A total of 5,072 COVID-19 vaccination doses were administered yesterday at hospital vaccination hubs across Victoria.
• This brings the total number of vaccine doses administered in Victoria since the program started on Monday 22 February to 80,698.
• As part of the Australian Government’s vaccination program for Phase 1B we will be vaccinating critical workers, including emergency service workers, lower-risk healthcare workers, food processing workers and transport workers.
• Victoria is continuing to support the Australian Government with their vaccination program, with further expansion of the program dependent on vaccine supply.

Testing sites and expanded testing

• Demand for testing is stable across the system, with no waiting times longer than 30 minutes.
• The department is publishing expected wait times at testing sites as well as updated information about locations and hours of operation at Where to get tested.

Interstate border restrictions 

• All travel into Victoria from other states and territories requires a travel permit. You can apply for a permit via the Service Victoria website.