Australia COVID LIVE: COVID-19 cases grow in Victoria and NSW as cities enjoy easing of restrictions

Victoria has recorded 1935 local cases and 11 deaths in the past day, as schools prepare to begin a trial that would see students who are close contacts of a COVID-19 case able to return to classrooms after returning a negative rapid test.

Of the 787 people in hospital with the virus in Victoria, 146 are in an intensive care unit and 93 are on a ventilator.

NSW has recorded 296 new cases and four deaths in the 24 hours to 8pm, with more than 66,700 tests conducted.

There are 480 people in hospital of whom 119 are in ICU.

About 93per cent of people aged 16 and older have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 84.4 per cent of people over 16-years had have two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

NSW Police are cracking down on crime across Sydney’s public transport following the easing of restrictions.

Since Friday, police have arrested 86 people in an operation targeting anti-social behaviour, violence, and the possession of weapons on public transport.

In one case, police were conducting searches in Parramatta on Friday at 3.20pm when they attempted to speak to two men.

“As more people resume travel on public transport and move freely throughout Greater Sydney, our priority is keeping commuters safe and we want all travellers to know that police are here to help,” North West Police Transport Commander Superintendent Despa Fitzgerald said.

For generations of young adults, the social connections made on campus – often with people from different places, backgrounds and circumstances – has been just as important as their education.

But for Mr Mason and many other young people, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed that.

Experts say COVID-19 case numbers in the coming days will be crucial to understanding how the virus is spreading in reopened NSW, but high vaccination coverage should see hospital admissions continue to decline.

NSW recorded 333 new cases on Saturday, with all but one acquired in the community.

Across the state, 469 people are in hospital, with 123 in intensive care.

“It might only take a couple of weeks to get back up, and I’m not going to give specific numbers and I don’t want to alarm people, but the way the reproductive number is at the moment at 1.3 that means there could be a reasonable climb in case numbers.”.

A fortnight after the Olympic flame went out in Tokyo on August 8, Japan recorded more than 25,000 cases.