May 12, 2020
RESTRICTIONS
Changes to Victoria’s stay-at-home directions were announced on Monday and will take effect from midnight on Tuesday, May 12. A fifth allowable reason to leave home has been added, which will allow up to five people at a time to visit family and friends in their home. The government has also amended the direction regarding exercise, making it allowable for up to 10 people to participate in outdoor exercise.
The updated stay-at-home directions will be in place for at least three weeks.
You can leave home:
A summary of what the first stage of easing restrictions means for various activities is below.
The enforceable legal directions for these changes are available here.
Monday’s updated directions follow the Prime Minister’s announcement last week of National Cabinet’s three-step plan towards lifting restrictions, outlined below.
SCHOOLS
This morning the government announced students will start to return to face-to-face learning from the end of May.
COVID-19 CASES
Currently there are 110 confirmed active cases of COVID-19 in Victoria. At this time, we do not have any active COVID-19 cases across the Lowan electorate, meaning that the cases represented below and listed in my previous updates have now recovered.
COVIDSafe APP
This app is designed to improve contact tracing to limit the further spread of coronavirus.
It allows health officials to tell if you have come into close contact with someone who is diagnosed with the virus, and helps them notify people you have been in close contact with so they can self-quarantine and be tested.
The Federal Government hopes use of the app will speed up the lifting of restrictions
More than five million people across Australia have voluntarily downloaded the app so far.
The app is available to download from the App Store and Google Play.
EXPANDED TESTING
Victoria’s COVID-19 testing has been expanded in the past two weeks, with more than 160,000 people tested in this time. Anyone with the following symptoms – even if mild – is encouraged to be tested: fever, chills, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, runny nose and loss of sense of smell. The results of the increased testing will help to gather data about the virus itself and possible community transmission.
WHERE TO GET HELP
It is important that you follow accurate information and know where to go if you need assistance. The following resources offer reliable, up-to-date information:
While some restrictions have been lifted and aspects of our lives will change for the better, this is still an uncertain and difficult time for many. If you are worried or anxious, you can reach out to the following support services:
WE’RE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU
My team and I are only a phone call or email away if you need help with any query.
You can reach us by emailing [email protected] or by calling 5382 0097.