Businesses have called for remaining mask rules to go as workers and shoppers are expected to flood back to the CBD from Monday.It comes as Victoria announced 5052 new Covid cases and 17 deaths in the past 24 hours.Currently, 274 patients are in hospital with Covid, including 28 receiving intensive care.Of those, five are on a ventilator. There are 41,038 active cases across the state.Meanwhile, as many as 500,000 people could be pounding the city’s footpaths daily this week as workers return to city offices.That’s an extra 100,000 people a day – an estimated 25 per cent jump on last week, as most indoor mask mandates free workers for the first time this working week. NED-5250-Victoria’s Covid-19 statisticsLast week, the CBD attracted about 400,000 people daily, a vast improvement on the depths of lockdown but still far below pre-pandemic levels.Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Paul Guerra said the state government must end the final mask mandate for retail and hospitality staff.“We need to move to the requirement that NSW and Queensland have where it was recommended rather than mandated,’’ he said.“We know from here that in all instances everyone can make their own determination whether they wear a mask or not.’’CBD diner Melisa, who was enjoying a meal at Cookie in Swanston St, said: “It’s nice to not have to wear it and you feel like you can breathe.”Her friend Oscar said: “I still feel like I have to wear it sometimes when I’m inside.” Mr Guerra said the expected uplift in CBD numbers was welcome.“It will bring a lot of life back to the CBD, it’s also a signal that we are at the end of the latest phase of Covid,’’ he said.Lord Mayor Sally Capp said she was confident a “new, vibrant rhythm’’ would wash through town.“We know discussions have been taking place across the city between employers and employees about what the new working week will look like,” she said.Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll said 450 extra train services would get people out of cars and back on to public transport.Public transport patronage is currently at 52 per cent of pre pandemic levels, and was hovering at 36 per cent in January.Masks remain mandatory on public transport.Disability, Ageing and Carers Minister Anthony Carbines said it was hard to predict how many Victorians would return to their offices on Monday. Mr Carbines said it was up to individual workplaces to implement plans for the safe transition and monitoring of those returning en masse to CBD offices,“There’s no doubt that as more and more workers are encouraged to return, it will be horses for courses, and all the different arrangements for different workplaces,” he said.“But there’s clearly a strong desire for Melburnians to get back to the city, and back to the workplaces, and we’ll start to see that ramp up now.”In an effort to further ramp up Victoria’s Covid-19 booster shot program, all of the state-run clinics are now open for walk-up jabs.Victoria also reached a milestone of having 10,000 people living with disability or special needs receiving a Covid-19 vaccination through the Australian-first Disability Liaison Officer program.
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