Starting from June 1, Australia will allow tourists to stay overnight in regional areas in the southern state of Victoria, especially in its rural regions which have been ravaged by bushfires and the coronavirus.

On Sunday, state Premier Daniel Andrews said, “tourism is such an important part, especially for bushfire-affected communities”. Victoria, Australia’s second-most populous state continues to show low cases of community transmission.

From June 22, Victoria will open up ski fields with strict rules around hygiene, density and without shared facilities.

“This is all about opening up again, but doing so because we have got some new test results, and we can be confident about how much virus is out there in the Victorian community,” said Daniel.

On Saturday Victoria reported just one case. The state has conducted more than 420,000 tests since the start of the year, and 174,000 alone this month.

In a statement, Jenny Mikakos, Australia’s Health Minister said, community transmission remained low and that the state would continue expanding its testing program at least until the end of this year.

Victoria has reported 1,593 cases in total, of which 180 are community transmissions.

She went on to add, “Victoria’s testing rate is 6,340 per 100,000 people, which if it were a nation, would be the sixth highest for testing in the world”.

In Australia’s most populous state of New South Wales, just one case was recorded from Saturday, bringing the total to 3,085.

Australia has reported 7,095 cases and 102 deaths.

Victoria and New South Wales are scheduled to open schools next week; playgrounds and skating parks are also scheduled to reopen from Tuesday, said Andrews.

Queensland, Australia’s third biggest state by population, only one new case was recorded overnight.

From June 12, Australia will invest $50 million into community sports.

Categories: Creativity, Economy & Finance, Entrepreneurship, HR & Organization, Strategy, Sustainability