Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has been fined $400 for twice not wearing a mask outside parliament in Melbourne, as the state reported a record 1,838 local Covid cases and five further deaths. Andrews apologised for breaching the state’s mask mandate on Wednesday and Thursday morning, calling it an “oversight”.
Victoria Police issued two infringement notices, each to the value of $200. All Victorians over 12 must wear a mask when leaving home, both indoors and outdoors, though journalists and politicians are permitted to remove them while working.
The Andrews government has also been forced to water down its vaccination mandate for workers, excluding commonwealth employees and those involved in court proceedings. Treasurer Tim Pallas cited “separation of powers” issues, but said mechanisms were being developed to ensure MPs comply.
With the health sector under strain, Australian Defence Force personnel will be deployed next week to drive ambulances, and triage tents are being erected outside Melbourne hospitals. In a state first, some ambulances will be staffed by a paramedic and a driver from the ADF or other services.
Chief health officer Prof Brett Sutton warned Victorians to brace for higher case numbers and deaths in the coming days, but believed the peak was “close”. He noted that ICU admissions for active cases were just two-thirds of 1%.
Meanwhile, the regional town of Mildura will enter a seven-day lockdown from midnight Friday after 12 cases were detected, while Shepparton and Moorabool will exit lockdown.
