Regional Victoria will be released from lockdown at 11:59pm on Monday night after no new COVID-19 cases were detected outside Melbourne. Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed the regions will return to the COVID-safe settings in place prior to the state's sixth lockdown, meaning schools, retail and hospitality can reopen. Home visits will remain banned and masks will still be compulsory indoors and outdoors. "There is a degree of localisation if you like to these cases," Mr Andrews told reporters on Monday, as the state recorded 11 new locally acquired cases. "Pleasingly we haven't seen cases in regional Victoria over these last four or five days." Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said while there were a few close contacts self-isolating in regional Victoria, there were no new exposure sites or recent wastewater detections of COVID-19. But opposition regional Victoria spokesman Peter Walsh said it was "four days too late" for regional businesses, including those in hospitality who had to cancel bookings and throw out fresh food before the snap lockdown. The government had used coronavirus detections in Wangaratta wastewater, some 236 kilometres northeast of Melbourne, as a justification for a statewide lockdown. "You've got to take a conservative approach, particularly with (the) Delta (variant)," Mr Andrews said. "The advice was to lock everything down." People from regional Victoria will only be able to travel to Melbourne for a permitted reason and must follow the city's restrictions when in town. Businesses that are open in regional Victoria but closed in Melbourne, such as restaurants and beauty salons, must check the IDs of customers. Roving police patrols of 200 officers will check compliance and Melburnians caught trying to drive into regional Victoria face fines of up to $5452. "Anyone trying to sneak out of Melbourne and drive through the back roads, I implore you not to do it, we will be out in force in all areas," Victoria Police Commander Deb Robertson said. She called on regional Victorians to dob in their city counterparts, saying police had "the eyes and ears of our regional town people". The state's 11 new COVID-19 cases are all linked to the Hobsons Bay outbreak, including seven cases linked to Caroline Springs Shopping Centre, two to Newport Football Club, a Newport family household contact and an Al-Taqwa College student. One case was in quarantine throughout their infectious period. There are now more than 190 exposure sites across the state. Some 38,987 tests were processed in the 24 hours to Monday morning, while 17,101 Victorians received a COVID-19 vaccine at a state-run hubs. The state's vaccination program has also ramped up, with Australia's first drive-through clinic opened at a former Melton Bunnings warehouse, anticipated to administer 10,000 vaccines a week. All Victorian adults now have the opportunity to get the AstraZeneca jab at a state mass vaccination centre, while children aged 12 to 15 with underlying health conditions or of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent can receive Pfizer doses. For exposure sites visit www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/exposure-sites Australian Associated Press
