Recently, the Victoria government announced a new roadmap out of pandemic lockdowns, which includes the use of masks and new provisions for people living alone and single parents in the “single social bubble” system, effective from September 14, according to The Conversation.
Under the new system, if you are single and living alone or a single parent with children under 18, you can have one more person to be a part of your bubble, who can visit your home or you can visit his/hers but only under certain circumstances. Both you and the nominated person must wear masks during the visit.
The Conversation Australia, the world’s leading publisher of research-based news and analysis, posted a picture of the Victorian government’s new roadmap, captioning, “So Melbourne, this is what things look like for us for the rest of the year. Today @danielandrewsmp [Victorian Premier] announced the Roadmap to Recovery which uses a combo of fixed dates + COVID case numbers to determine when/how restrictions will ease.”
“The main points for now are:
There will be a 2 week extension of Stage 4 until September 28.
From next Sunday (13/9), the curfew will be eased and it will be expanded to 9:00pm
Exercise will be increased to 2 hours per day
Singles will be able to partner up with someone else and visit each other. The 5 kilometre rule will not apply, but the curfew will
Playgrounds will reopen
FYI this is just the plan for Metro Melbourne (and we’ve posted that because we have a hunch most of you are in Metro Melb). But we’re publishing more onsite soon about restrictions in regional metro + analysis from @michellegrattan_ + what this means for businesses. Thanks all, and stay safe.”
Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services told The Conversation, “Masks will remain a tool in our fight against coronavirus for the foreseeable future. We have seen that there is more and more evidence to support the use of masks in slowing the spread of coronavirus. They are relatively inexpensive, accessible, and not too much of an imposition.”
“We expect that they will continue to be a part of our daily lives for some time to come,” it added. “FAQs for the roadmap to recovery in Victoria can be found on the Vic gov website here.”
According to the new roadmap, you cannot form a single bubble with your friend if you are single but live in a share-house or with family.
Epidemiologist Prof. Mary-Louise McLaws said, “I am glad the rule on masks is remaining in place for a while yet. It’s a cost effective way to reduce transmission. I am pleased the government has responded to calls from the community for compassion. I have argued before in favour of the bubble concept.”
McLaws is a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Emergencies Program Experts Advisory Panel for Infection Prevention and Control Preparedness, Readiness and Response to COVID-19.
She continued, “Yes, there are a lot of rules about how the single social bubble system will work in practice and some single people will miss out but I can understand why the authorities have done that.” The article originally appeared in The Conversation.
