Victoria has suffered a spike in COVID-19 deaths and cases, with the latest 15 fatalities taking the state toll to 591 and the Australian figure to 678.
There are also 113 new cases, the first time since Aug. 30 that the daily tally has been above 100.
The death toll is also back in the double figures.
The numbers released on Sept. 3 come after the state government warned a purported draft of Victoria’s plan to exit its coronavirus lockdown this month was out of date.
The document, leaked to and published by the Herald Sun, indicated metropolitan Melbourne’s stage-four lockdown would be extended by a fortnight to Sept. 28.
It outlined a range of small concessions that could be made for metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria when Premier Daniel Andrews on Sept. 6 announces a pathway out of the state-wide lockdown.
“This is an out of date draft document,” a state government spokesperson said.
“We know every Victorian wants certainty about the future—for them, for their family and for their work.
“By the end of the week, we will lay out a plan to re-open our state.”
The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is one of business and industry groups still negotiating with the state government on the easing of the stage-four lockdown in Melbourne and the stage-three measures in regional Victoria.
VECCI chief executive Paul Guerra said his group knew nothing about the contents to the leaked document.
“Nothing like it—in fact my phone blew up this morning with text messages (from) many aggrieved people,” Guerra told 3AW.
“I’m happy to say I have never seen that template beforehand and it’s certainly not the template we have been working with, in conjunction with unions and other industry leaders and the state.”
Federal Treasurer and Victorian MP Josh Frydenberg on Sept. 3 played down the leak, saying “I will wait for the final plan from the premier on Sunday.”
