Victoria's deputy premier has blasted a plan to create a 'schools bubble' to get children back in the classroom - as the state recorded 445 new Covid-19 cases and two deaths from the virus.
Of the new cases, only 129 are linked to the rest of the outbreak - sparking fears infections will continue to rise as Melburnians endure their sixth week of the city's gruelling lockdown.
The two deaths include a man in his 20s and a woman in her 80s.
Deputy Premier James Merlino on Tuesday hit out at a proposal by the Victorian Opposition to turn schools into Covid-safe 'bubbles' where they could play sport, music and go to assemblies.
'There are elements of their so-called plan that fly in the face of public health advice,' he said.
'For goodness sake, we've got secondary schools that have 1,500 to 3,000 students.
Deputy Premier James Merlino on Tuesday hit out at a 'ridiculous' proposal by the Victorian Opposition to confine students to their campuses as part of a 'schools bubble'
The state government is continuing to develop a roadmap out of lockdown, including a plan to return students to classrooms in term four (pictured, a local exercises in Southbank on Monday)
'It's not just the students, it's the teachers, all the staff, and their families, I mean, it's just a ridiculous idea.'
Year 11 and 12 students in Victoria have still yet to find out when they can return to the classroom.
Mr Merlino said the state's back-to-school strategy was 'well-advanced' and officials were working on a plan this week to return to on-site learning.
The state's single-dose vaccination rate has meanwhile reached 67.5 per cent, with one million jabs in arms expected across Victoria by Wednesday.
While the latest tally is a slight drop from Monday's 473 infections - the highest daily total in this outbreak - authorities have warned people to remain vigilant as tearooms in essential workplaces pose the greatest risk of transmission.
Officials have launched a crackdown on construction workers amid concerns the state's Covid crisis has become a pandemic of the young and vaccinated, with alarming new data revealing the regions with the lowest jab numbers.
The latest federal data from September shows Melbourne City Council area has the lowest vaccination rate of any LGA with a first dose rate of 54.2 per cent followed by the Hume region at 55 per cent, according to Covid Live.
Statewide, only about 40 per cent of eligible Victorians are fully vaccinated and around 65 per cent have had their first dose - after 36,615 vaccines were administered in the past 24 hours.
The lagging vaccination rate places Victoria more than three weeks behind NSW in reaching the 70 per cent double dose target, which the
