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Hospitals in Bendigo have had mixed reactions to the state government's announcement on Friday afternoon.
St John of God Bendigo Hospital acting chief executive Maria Noonan welcomed the announcement and said it will commence operating at 75 per cent of normal surgical activity from Monday, February 14.
Meanwhile, Bendigo Health Code Brown commander David Rosaia said while the Bendigo Hospital was well equipped to deal with the recommencement of procedures following the lifting of the Code Brown, the situation would be reviewed early next week to determine how it will move forward.
"We'll take directive from Department of Health while considering current COVID case numbers and workload given that staff are still being furloughed,' he said.
"We will have a clearer picture following discussions next week as to what changes will be made following the lifting of the Code Brown. "
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The state government will lift its Code Brown emergency alert on Monday, as the state's COVID hospitalisations continue to fall.
Bendigo Health will be among six regional hospitals to lift the measures put in place in mid-January to cope with surging Omicron case numbers.
More elective surgeries will also be given the green light on Monday, allowing private hospitals to perform up to 50 per cent of all elective surgery in metropolitan Melbourne and up to 75 per cent in regional areas.
In a press conference on Friday, health minister Martin Foley said the state had come to a turning point.
"As that pressure continues to ease, now is the right time to lift it."
More to come.
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