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Victoria records 148 new Covid-19 cases, eight more deaths

Author
Newstalk ZB / news.com.au,
Publish Date
Tue, 25 Aug 2020, 5:10PM
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews. Photo / File
Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews. Photo / File

Victoria records 148 new Covid-19 cases, eight more deaths

Author
Newstalk ZB / news.com.au,
Publish Date
Tue, 25 Aug 2020, 5:10PM

The Australian state of Victoria recorded 148 new cases of coronavirus overnight.

The Department of Health confirmed eight more people had died, taking the state's death toll to 423.

It comes after the net daily increase of coronavirus cases in Victoria dropped below triple digits for the first time since early July on Monday.

The new daily infections announced by the state's health department was 116, but with 17 cases from previous days reclassified due to duplication, the net daily increase was only 99 cases.

Andrews also revealed plans on Monday to extend Victoria's state of emergency for a further 12 months until September 2021, which prompted fierce backlash from the state Opposition and high-profile former premier Jeff Kennett.

Andrews said the current state of emergency in Victoria expired on September 13, but he intended to introduce a bill to parliament to extend that until at least September 2021.

"An act of the Victorian parliament provides for a maximum of six months for the running of that state of emergency," he said.

He today hit back at criticism over the plan to extend the State of Emergency, with some blasting the move as a “grab for dictatorial power”.

Andrews was quick to shut down suggestions that the plan to extend the government’s ability to enforce COVID-19 restrictions was merely a power grab.

“That’s wrong. That’s not accurate in any way,” Mr Andrews said on Tuesday.

“I am not particularly interested in having those sort of debates.”

It comes after Former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett branded extension and said Mr Andrews was a “megalomaniac” attempting a “grab for dictatorial power”.

Victorian Opposition leader Michael O’Brien also claimed Mr Andrews wanted  “a blank cheque to do whatever he likes”.

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