LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
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* Victoria reported just 11 new coronavirus infections along with a further two deaths, taking the state's toll to 763 and the national figure to 851.
* This is the lowest daily case number since June 16 - before the start of the second wave. Melbourne's 14-day case average dropped to 34.4, while the regional figure came in at 1.6.
* Premier Daniel Andrews said it was a "great day", but remained adamant it is not yet time to ease Melbourne's stage four restrictions.
* NSW recorded four new cases, including one which was locally acquired but already in self-isolation.
* Premier Gladys Berejiklian also announced the state's plan for a COVID-safe summer which features more outdoor dining and safe distancing marked out in parks and some public spaces.
* Queensland recorded just one new case - a young teen in hotel quarantine. Queensland's active cases have fallen to 17.
* About 200 AFL fans have volunteered to act as guinea pigs in a trial as the government considers increasing the density for a small number of people at the Gabba stadium.
* Western Australia had no new cases with three remaining active across the state.
* South Australia is considering lifting the 14-day quarantine requirement for people from NSW, but the premier will first seek information about a "concerning" coronavirus infection in a Sydney taxi driver.
* Australia's deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth is "worried" about the drop in national testing numbers - which have fallen 30 per cent in the past three weeks.
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KEY DATES
* September 14 to September 27 - stage four lockdown for Melbourne with some changes, including the curfew moving back an hour to 9pm.
* September 27 - NSW, Queensland and WA will start taking more international arrivals.
* September 28 - if average daily cases are 30-50 in metro Melbourne over the previous 14 days the city will move to the 'second step', including increased limits for public gatherings and a staged return to school for some students.
* October 26 - Tasmania's state of emergency due to expire. In Melbourne, the overnight curfew will be dropped if - over the previous fortnight - the average number of new cases falls below five and there are fewer than five cases from an unknown source.
* November - Victoria's hotel quarantine inquiry report due.
* November 23 - If there are no new cases for 14 days in Melbourne the city will move to the 'last step'. That includes all retail shops opening, public gatherings of up to 50 people allowed outdoors, and up to 20 visitors at a time allowed into a home.
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AUSTRALIAN CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS
* There were 16 new cases in Australia - 11 in Victoria, four in NSW and one in Queensland. Victoria announced an additional two deaths.
* The national death toll is 851: Victoria 763, NSW 55, Tasmania 13, WA 9, Queensland 6, SA 4, ACT 3. (Two Queensland residents who died in NSW have been included in the official tolls of both states).
GLOBAL CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS
* Cases: at least 31,032,045
* Deaths: at least 960,729
Data current as of 1715 AEST September 21, taking in federal government and state/territory government updates, Worldometer and Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre.
Australian Associated Press