Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews has extended the pandemic declaration for another three months, a decision that the opposition warned would lead to a “slower road to recovery.”
Under the pandemic declaration, which was introduced late last year, the Victorian government can continue to impose pandemic rules such as mask and vaccine mandates as well as control venue capacities.
The move comes despite the overwhelming majority of Victorians over 12 years having been double vaccinated (94.6 percent) and 68.4 percent of those over 16 years have got the third dose.
While “key settings” will remain in place over winter, “modest and sensible changes” have been made to “allow Victorians to live safely with COVID-19,” Andrews said in a statement on Tuesday….