Melburnians are again being warned not to flout restrictions and try to sneak into regional areas.

Police admit checkpoints around Melbourne’s outskirts, including the one at Little River may be unattended at times in heavy rain, if conditions are deemed too unsafe.

The police union says working on wet roads is a very dangerous environment for officers.

Police and ADF personnel are back at the local checkpoint this morning, checking drivers, but some motorists have reported delays.

Victoria Police are also patrolling trains between Geelong and Melbourne to make sure people are doing the right thing and not trying to sneak through unlawfully.

Picutre: Police patrolling trains and roads [Eyewatch – Wyndham Police Service Area]

Boost to health measures

Another $2 billion has been announced to boost coronavirus health measures during the pandemic.

The federal funding will be rolled out over the next six months.

It will help pay for continued telehealth services, personal protective equipment and free virus pathology tests.

Hotel quarantine inquiry continues

It still is not clear who first proposed the use of private security guards for Victoria’s hotel quarantine system.

Former Chief Commission Graham Ashton appeared at an inquiry on Thursday, with text messages shown between him and AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw suggesting the Premier’s department may have been involved with the decision.

In a written statement to the inquiry, Mr Ashton said he did not know whose idea it was to use private security guards, but it was not his.

Current Chief Commissioner Shane Patton also fronted the inquiry, saying he could not remember the conversation he had with Mr Ashton that prompted a note to be made.

A diary note made on March 27 mentioned the ADF was available for static guarding.

Unemployment falls

More than 100,00 jobs have been restored in the last month, which has seen the unemployment rate drop slightly to 6.8 per cent for August.

While Victoria lost just over 42,000 positions, it was offset by gains in other states and territories.

However most of the jobs were part time.

While Labor has welcomed the fall, it warns the situation is still precarious.

The Opposition’s Brendan O’Connor said many of the roles could disappear if coronavirus support payments ended.

“The government is foreshadowing that in just ten days’ time, they’re going to rip billions of dollars out of the economy which could have very adverse effects on businesses,” he said.

Remote learning comes to an end – for regional students

Today marks the end of remote learning in Term three for many regional Victorian students.

They will return to face-to-face learning in staggered starts from the first week of term four.

However, students in metropolitan Melbourne face more weeks of remote learning, depending on their year level.

Meantime, educators are advising anxious parents not to repeat the year.

Parents are worried about their children’s academic progress this year.

The Education Department is not expecting to see more kids repeating their year level next year.

The Principals Association though concedes remote learning has left some children behind.

Cases spike in Europe

Several European countries have reported a surge in coronavirus cases.

New restrictions are being rolled out in north-east England, which will see people banned from visiting other homes.

Pubs will also have to close under the temporary measures.

The World Health Organisation said the numbers should serve as a wake-up call.

Regional director Hans Kluger said a very serious situation was unfolding.

“More than half of European countries have reported a greater than ten per cent increase in cases in the past two weeks,” he said.

“Where the pandemic goes from here is in our hands – we have fought it back before and we can fight it back again.”

New tablets for hospitals

Elderly and vulnerable patients at University Hospital Geelong will be able to stay in touch with loved ones during the pandemic.

140 tablet devices have been donated to 20 hospitals across the state, including Werribee Mercy, to allow video and voice calls.

Each device will be sanitised after each use to minimise the risk of spreading infections in wards.

Popular ferry back in action

The weekend ferry service between Queenscliff and Sorrento is returning.

Searoad Ferries has confirmed two-hourly services will resume from tomorrow.

It suspended services as regional Victoria was returned to stage three lockdown early last month.

Passengers can head to the Searoad Ferries website for timetables and other information.

Source: news.google.com