Accountants Melbourne MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australia’s coronavirus hotspot Victoria recorded a single-digit rise in new cases for the first time in three months on Monday and lifted some of the state’s tough restrictions, as it aims for near-normal conditions by Christmas. Australia’s second-most populous state reported just five new cases and three deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours after daily cases had topped 700 in early August. That pushed a key indicator, the rolling 14-day average, to 20.9 cases, tracking ahead of state government expectations. “That is a very, very significant set of numbers. We are well ahead of schedule,” Premier Daniel Andrews told a daily press conference, anticipating a move to “COVID normal”, where most restrictions are lifted. However, he urged people to continue to follow strict social distancing rules, despite the rigours of an eight-week lockdown so far to curb the second-wave outbreak. “If people don’t do the right thing in the final fe...