Victoria has recorded 11 new infections yesterday but the lockdown is still likely to lift at the end of the week.
However, there is one factor that could force authorities to extend the restrictions, as there are now 83 locally acquired COVID-19 infections.
A significant rise in mystery cases would be the one thing that would keep restrictions in place.
“We are certainly on course to lift the lockdown as scheduled,” one senior Victorian government insider told the Herald Sun.
“Unless there is a massive shock, we would be expecting that to happen.”
The West Melbourne cluster is still of great concern and the variant is “more dangerous” and needs to be contained.
Authorities believe that the variant leaked into the community from an overseas traveller despite genomic sequencing not turning up any matches to those in hotel quarantine.
“This is almost certain that’s where this one has come from. Most people who have come across our borders have come through hotel quarantine, but we have no definite link to any particular breach,” federal chief medical officer Professor Paul Kelly said.
“There was some speculation at some point this may be due to people who received some [hotel quarantine] exemptions. I’m assured by my colleague, the chief health officer in the ACT that there’s been no positive cases. They have all received the standard number of tests anyone who would be in hotel quarantine get.”
Acting Premier James Merlino said that Victoria is living in a “different environment” due to the new variant.
“There’s a reason why public health is so concerned about the Delta variant,” he said.
“It is much, much more infectious than what we were dealing with last year. The last thing we want to see is this variant of the virus getting out and becoming uncontrollable,” he said.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that he is “hopeful” that restrictions would be lifted “as soon as possible”.
“I would be urging that we move toward lifting those restrictions as soon as possible,” Mr Morrison said.
“Hopefully [we] see Victoria opened again soon. Particularly for those parents who are having to keep their kids at home away from school. Kids have lost enough time out of school, over the course of the last 18 months.”
