Victoria has recorded 827 new coronavirus cases and 19 deaths, the highest number of fatalities recorded since 27 October this year.

Active COVID-19 cases now at 9,420. There are 303 people in hospital, 44 in intensive care and 23 on a ventilator while 53 people in ICU have been cleared of the virus. The new cases were confirmed from 48,427 COVID-19 test results processed across Victoria on Monday.

There were 5,464 people who rolled up their sleeves to receive a vaccination, and the number of people vaccinated are currently 89 per cent of the population over the age of 12 years. The goal was for Victoria to reach its 90 per cent vaccination milestone last Thursday, however it is running a few days late.

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South Australia is opening its border to Victoria for the first time in months, allowing vaccinated people from Victoria, NSW and the ACT enter the state. To visit South Australia, vaccinated travellers need to apply for an entry permit, however unvaccinated travellers cannot enter the state without a medical exemption or approved exemption for another reason such as a funeral or end-of-life visit.

The deadline is approaching for authorised workers across Victoria to be fully vaccinated so that they can keep attending their workplaces. In order to work they need to show proof of a second dose by this Friday, unless there is a valid medical exemption preventing them from being vaccinated.

The state’s residential aged care workers and construction workers are already required to be double-dosed.

The global pandemic has changed the way in which people work, with Infrastructure Victoria calculating that one-third of workers would work from home two to three days a week by 2036. The state’s population has already spread out around Melbourne and regional cities, with Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong being among the most popular destinations for tree changers.

A trend coined as the Great Resignation has begun in the United States, and there has been research into whether “exhausted” Aussies could follow suit though the trend has been delayed because of extended lockdowns. Employment Hero, a people management data platform,  suggests that 48 per cent of Australian workers are considering finding a new job in the next 12 months as the number of jobs available on the market is growing post-lockdown last April when an estimated 780,000 people lost their jobs (90 per cent in the first week of April).

Australian research shows that companies will need to “sell career development” to attract workers as an exhausted workforce is ready to quit.

Behavioural scientist Aaron McEwan, Gartner global research and advisory firm, said “global pandemics often prompt long-lasting change.”