The Australian state of Victoria will lift COVID-19 restrictions in regional parts of the state from midnight on Thursday due to low CCP virus case numbers. Meanwhile, metropolitan Melbourne and the single regional town of Shepparton are still managing serious outbreaks and will remain in lockdown. From Friday, the five reasons to leave home will end, schools will reopen for Prep to Grade 2 and Year 12 students, and there will be no limit on the distance regional Victorians can travel from home for the eligible regions. Most businesses and venues will also be able to reopen with capacity and density limits. But Victorian Premier Dan Andrews warned Victorians that there remained a serious risk of the virus spreading. “It’s not a snapback. It’s not freedom day. It’s not 100 percent capacity down at the pub,” Andrews told reporters on Wednesday. “It can’t be. If it is, then we will simply …