Australia’s Victoria state, the epicentre of the country’s Covid-19 outbreak, said the number of new daily infections was close to a three-month low, buoying hopes that restrictions will be eased sooner than expected.

The Victorian government said 12 people had been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, near a three-month low of 11 cases reported earlier this week.

The two-week average of new infections in state capital Melbourne dropped below 27. If average cases remain below 50 by Sunday, some restrictions may be relaxed, the government has said.