There have been 17 more COVID-19 deaths in Victoria and 208 new cases, bringing the state death to 415 and the national toll to 502.
Victorians in hospital now total 585, with 32 receiving intensive care, 21 of those on ventilation.
The number of active cases fell by 281 to a total of 4,012 cases, continuing a declining trend.
Those figures have encouraged Chief Health Officer Dr Brett Sutton, who is confident the state has turned a corner in its virus response.
“We're not going to see, [days of] 300s and 400s again in Victoria, not under my watch at least,” Dr Sutton said.
“It would be great to see numbers going down even further, but I still do expect that we're on a trajectory, seven-day moving average that sees it continue to decrease.”
Premier Daniel Andrews welcomed the trend but warned the state’s lockdown, due to be revised on 13 September, could stay in place if the virus hasn’t been adequately contained.
“If we start opening up before we have defeated this second wave, then we'll just be in the beginnings of a third wave,” Mr Andrews said on Sunday.
“We have got to beat this thing and get these numbers down to such a low level that we can keep a lid on them, not just for a week or two, but indeed have them suppressed, have it extinguished to the greatest extent possible.”
There are currently 536 active cases among healthcare workers, numbers that are declining, according to the premier.
Mr Andrews urged Victorians not to become complacent following an increase in activity and movement at local parks.
“Again, as enjoyable as it is to get out and about, we can't be focused on one Saturday at the park. We got to defeat this thing so people can spend every Saturday at the park,” he said.
“We can't have a situation where any sense of fatigue, our rightful weariness with this thing, means that we basically give in to it because the only victor out of complacency will be this virus.”
Melbourne residents still have another three weeks of Stage Four restrictions, including an overnight curfew, ahead of them before they are revised.
Regional Victorians are under a slightly less onerous Stage Three restrictions for the same period.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews Source: AAP
Victorians encouraged to support local producers online
With Victorians only allowed to shop for essential supplies in person, Mr Andrews encouraged them to jump online to support local small businesses.
The government has launched
“There are so many businesses across Victoria that are just absolutely outstanding,” Mr Andrews said.
“The Click for Vic campaign will mean that every Victorian can play a part in supporting small business and supporting jobs by continuing to buy those first-class products online.”
Victoria’s Business Support Fund has delivered $1.3 billion worth of assistance to businesses.
The premier also said close to 25,000 Victorians had applied for and received the coronavirus worker support payment, currently worth $450, which ensures workers without leave can stay at home while awaiting test results.
“The mere fact that nearly 25,000 people have applied and received a grant that didn't exist before a couple of months ago, I think that is proof that that is working,” Mr Andrews said.
He said masks would remain part of life for a long time, along with careful hand washing and physical distancing, as Victorians adjust to a new "COVID normal".
Dr Sutton said people must expect to continue wearing protective masks long after Stage Four restrictions ease in metropolitan Melbourne.
Victorians cop fines for virus breaches
Victoria Police have fined 199 people for breaching coronavirus restrictions, including a man who told officers he "got bored at home".
The man from Altona Meadows was pulled over 19km away in Brimbank - in breach of the 5km travel radius rule - and told police he was aware of the restrictions but wanted to visit a friend.
Of the people fined in the 24 hours to Sunday, 73 were in breach of the 8pm to 5am curfew in metropolitan Melbourne, 20 were pinged for failing to wear a mask when leaving home and 14 were picked up at vehicle checkpoints.
Five men found inside a vehicle in Airport West told police they were "just out chilling".
Police were called to an address on the Mornington Peninsula to reports of loud music and found two women and three men drinking together.
When asked why they were breaching restrictions on gatherings they said, "we are idiots", according to police.
A person wearing a face mask walks past Victoria Police, Airforce and ADF personnel outside of the Melbourne Museum in Melbourne. Source: AAP
A man was also seen leaving a petrol station in Glen Eira after curfew.
He told police he had been buying chocolate for a friend with diabetes who had low blood sugar.
"When asked to produce chocolate he admitted to lying and produced cigarettes he had just purchased," police said in a statement on Sunday.
Police conducted 3,869 spot checks on people at homes, businesses and public places across the state.
Some 316,136 spot checks have been conducted since 21 March.
Metropolitan Melbourne residents are subject to Stage 4 restrictions and must comply with a curfew between the hours of 8pm and 5am. During the curfew, people in Melbourne can only leave their house for work, and essential health, care or safety reasons.
Between 5am and 8pm, people in Melbourne can leave the home for exercise, to shop for necessary goods and services, for work, for health care, or to care for a sick or elderly relative.
All Victorians must wear a face covering when they leave home, no matter where they live.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your state’s restrictions on gathering limits.
If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080.
