By Jessica Micallef
The number of active COVID-19 cases in Hume has dropped to below 200 for the first time in seven weeks.
As of Sunday, there were 193 active cases of the virus in the municipality – 1565 individuals have contracted the virus since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Hume continues to have the third-highest number of active and recorded cases of the virus in Victoria, behind Brimbank and Wyndham.
An outbreak at Japara Goonawarra Aged Care in Sunbury has been linked to 114 cases.
In the Macedon Ranges, the region has recorded 58 cases – eight of them remain active.
Last week, Premier Daniel Andrews flagged the possibility of Victoria’s State of Emergency being extended by a further 12 months until at least September 2021.
Since first being introduced in March, the State of Emergency has been extended six times, however under the current legislation, it can only remain in place for six months and is due to expire on September 13.
Mr Andrews said the State of Emergency was the “legal instrument” to enforce rules to help slow the spread of the virus.
“It allows for rules about face masks, rules about COVIDSafe work plans in large work forces,” he said.
“It is the legal instrument that sits behind density limits in pubs and restaurants and cafes or if someone who has got this virus, is required to isolate at home.
“We simply cannot have those rules in place without the legal framework that sits in place behind them.
“This does not mean we will be in lockdown for another 12 months or that we are forced to remain in a State of Emergency for that either. “It just means it is there if the health experts tell us it is needed.”
Mr Andrews said an extension of the State of Emergency did not relate to State of Disaster Victoria was currently under.
“Until we have a vaccine, we need to continue our fight against coronavirus,” he said.
The 12-month State of Emergency extension has been criticised by some legal experts
and the opposition. It has been reported the extension may be reduced to six months.
