2 Sep

The Australian State of Victoria recorded 90 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, pushing the seven-day average below 100 for the first time in nearly two months.

Strict lockdown conditions have seen daily case numbers in Victoria steadily decline since peaking at over 700 in late July and early August.

Meanwhile, an additional six deaths recorded on Wednesday took the state's toll number of fatalities to 576 since the beginning of the pandemic.

Victoria's Chief Medical Officer, Professor Brett Sutton said that should case numbers continue to drop, officials would move ahead with plans to ease lockdown restrictions, due to be outlined in detail on Sunday.

Victoria's parliament passed legislation overnight, allowing the state to extend a state of emergency for a further six months. The laws are required for the government to enforce lockdown conditions on residents.

Critics of the law changes said they grant the government and police officers too much power including being able to enter private properties without a warrant.

However government officials say that they are necessary in order to keep case numbers down, with Health Minister Jenny Mikakos saying those who voted against the changes were voting for a "third wave" of infections.

"This pandemic will not be finished in two weeks' time, it won't in fact be finished in six months, this will be going into 2021 because we know in all likelihood there will be no vaccine...within that six-month period," she told the Parliament.

xinhua