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CERTAINTY will be critical for Bendigo businesses to re-open when the state announces its plans to ease restrictions, city leaders say.
Maintaining financial support offered by JobKeeper was the other key element named to help for businesses to recover from the blow dealt by the COVID-19 crisis.
Premier Daniel Andrews announced on Monday a roadmap would be released on Sunday, detailing plans to re-open the state. But Mr Andrews flagged this would be subject to case numbers and public health advice.
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Business enterprise centre Be.Bendigo chief executive Dennis Bice said a time frame for re-opening would allow the city's businesses to plan.
Mr Bice said hopefully certainty would stimulate quicker recovery.
He said the JobKeeper supplement was the key player in helping businesses recover, as it kept people employed and engaged.
12pm
COVID-19 numbers in regional Victorian will be jealously guarded by the state government, as a key part of re-opening the state.
Premier Daniel Andrews said keeping regional numbers low was critical to easing up restrictions on the whole state.
The Victorian government announced on Monday it would give more information about a roadmap to reopen the state on Sunday September 6.
He confirmed this could cover a range of industries, such as hospitality, and visitors to homes, but the amount of information provided would necessarily vary.
Mr Andrews said another week's data was critical to the roadmap to reopening the state. He said today - Monday - was too early to lock in the reopening restrictions.
He flagged any restrictions would have an asterisk next to them, based on case numbers and health advice.
Victoria reported 73 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, and 41 deaths. Twenty-two of these deaths took place in the weeks leading up to August 27, but were only reported to the Department of Health and Human Services on Sunday.
Mr Andrews said the state was aiming for a COVID-19 normal to last for months, not just weeks.
He said stages two and three would look quite different to their previous iterations.
Mr Andrews said he hoped to jealously guard low case numbers in regional Victoria, when asked if Melburnians would be able to leave the city in the September school holidays.
"Keeping those numbers low in regional areas is very important," he said.
"It's absolutely critical to us being able to open the whole state in a steady, cautious, but progressive and sustainable way."
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Chief Health Officer Professor Brett Sutton said holding the course and getting tested were critical to having a summer that had some degree of normality, such as seeing family and friends.
He called for people to keep to restrictions, despite being fed up with them.
Mr Andrews said commonsense principles would underpin the roadmap announced on Sunday. These included managing social distancing, maintaining hygiene, and masks.
"Another week's data is almost invaluable. I know a week feels, and indeed is a long time locked at home, but it's also a very lengthy period of time when it comes to understanding what this virus is doing," Mr Andrews said.
"It moves fast, it does so silently ... the numbers are too high for us to open at this time.
"It is also very very challenging for us today to predict with any certainty where we're going to be in a week or two weeks."
Mr Andrews flagged any roadmap could not be 100 per cent certain, because everything had to be based on case numbers and advice from public health experts.
He said there would be no economic benefit in Victoria opening up too fast and finding itself back in a situation with out of control case numbers in a few months.
Mr Andrews said this would mean the sacrifice people have endured wouldn't have been worth the pain.
He said Victoria had no choice but to see the second wave through.
Earlier
VICTORIANS will know when restrictions are likely to ease on Sunday, when the government releases a roadmap for reopening the state.
In a statement released on Monday the government said it would consult heavily with industry, unions and community organisations ahead of the development of a roadmap to "COVID normal".
The statement said it would be based around six key principles to keep the community safe.
These include ensuring physical distancing, wearing a face covering, requiring hygiene at workplaces and acting quickly if staff become unwell.
Different industries will have tailored guidance as part of the roadmap.
Working from home will still be recommended where possible.
It is likely to involve workforce bubbles to limit staff numbers who have prolonged close contact with each other.
It's likely meetings and lunchtimes will look different, with enclosed spaces avoided, and open doors and windows where possible.
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