Victoria - Covid 19 restrictions changed
- Written by Daniel Andrews
Zero.
The last time Victoria had zero cases was 9 June, 139 days ago.
Even more incredibly, it’s zero cases off the back of a huge testing drive.
Over the course of this weekend, we asked Victorians living in our northern suburbs to get tested. They did just that.
In 24 hours, we have been able to process an additional 14,024 tests – 3196 of them from these communities. This morning we’ve processed an extra 1157.
And not a single new case has been found.
I want to thank everyone who did the right thing by their community and our state in getting tested. I also want to thank the nurses, lab technicians, collectors, couriers – everyone who has been working around the clock to process these tests.
Because of that effort, we’ve been able to get the results faster than we thought. These results give us confidence – confidence that even if we do identify positive cases in any further tests – we are firmly on top of this virus.
It’s why today I can confirm what we’ve long waited for: Melbourne will move out of lockdown and into the Third Step. Before we get to the bit that almost everyone will be waiting for, an ask:
As we take these steady steps towards reopening, the message remains the same: please, stay safe. And if you have symptoms, you must get tested.
Under the Third Step, and from 11:59pm on Tuesday, Melbourne will move from “stay home” to “stay safe”, with no more restrictions on the reasons to leave home.
The 25-kilometre limit though, will remain in place. I know it’s frustrating, but this is about making sure that even as we ease restrictions, we’re limiting the virus’s ability to travel.
It’s why the border between regional Victoria and Melbourne will also remain in place – for just a bit longer.
Under the Third Step, Melbourne’s cafes, restaurants and pubs can reopen. Outdoors with a limit of up to 50, indoors up to 20. Density limits, record keeping and COVIDSafe Plans also apply.
Remaining retail will also open. Beauty and personal care services can resume. And for those businesses who need to get ready for their reopening – staff will be able to attend onsite straight away.
Outdoor contact sport for those aged 18 and under will also begin again – so too can non-contact sport for adults. PT, fitness and dance classes can also be held outdoors with up to ten people, and the number of people at outdoor pools can increase to 50, subject to density limits.
Libraries and community venues will be able to open for outdoor events. Outdoor entertainment venues can also begin hosting visitors.
And faith communities will be able to meet for outdoor religious ceremonies with up to 20 people, in addition to those required for the service. Indoor services can be held with up to 10.
Weddings will increase to ten people, and funerals up to 20.
Workplaces will no longer need to be on the permitted work list to open and the ability to work will change to “if you can work from home you must work from home”.
While the boundary is in place, work permits will still be required for workers from Melbourne travelling into regional Victoria – and vice versa.
I know the thing many people are missing is having people over to visit – but as we’ve seen, this virus is at its most dangerous when we’re indoors and relaxed and comfortable.
It’s why we’re going to take the next 24 hours to understand how we might be able to make this work – safely – and I’ll have more to say about this tomorrow.
From 8 November, and if we can continue driving case numbers down, the 25km limit will come off and Melbourne will be able to meet regional Victoria at the same level.
That means the same eased restrictions that apply to regional Victoria will also apply to Melbourne. The capacity of pubs and restaurants will increase, with up to 40 inside and 70 outside.
Religious gatherings will expand with up 20 people and a faith leader indoors, and 50 outside. Gyms and indoor fitness will be able to reopen – with some strict safety precautions in place. And because Melburnians will have well and truly earnt a holiday, accommodation will also reopen. The border between the city and the rest of our state will also fall away.
I know personally – deeply – just how much this will mean for thousands of Victorians who haven’t been able to see loved ones for far too long.
It will mean families are whole again. Our state is whole again.
I understand there'll be questions, “what about X?” or “when can I do Y?”. And I promise, we’ll also have an update on 8 November on the timelines and thresholds for taking the Last Step.
We want to reach COVID Normal by Christmas and right now, we’re on track to do that.
It’s why we’ve got to keep going – all of us. Understanding that even though restrictions may ease, our personal responsibility in all this doesn’t.
We have come so far and given so much.
Getting here – and staying here – relies on the efforts of every Victorian.
Keep going.
METRO MELBOURNE
Summary of the Third Step and further easing of restrictions
Note: Cleaning, signage and record keeping requirements and other COVIDSafe requirements continue to apply for many venues and facilities. A density quotient applies to all indoor venues and spaces, except for workplaces that are not accessible to the public, private residences, and areas of accommodation facilities that are for the exclusive use of a single group.
Newly announced items in purple
Category THIRD STEP MELBOURNE 11:59pm Tuesday 27 October
METROPOLITAN MELBOURNE CHANGES FURTHER EASING (TO ALIGN WITH REGIONAL VICTORIA)
11:59pm Sunday 8 November
Reasons to leave your home
- Stay safe: no restrictions on reasons to leave the house, must remain within 25km of home (with exceptions, including care for childminding, end of life, resting place, real estate.)
- Intrastate travel: no change.
o Restrictions on travel between metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria will remain in place until metropolitan Melbourne aligns with regional Victoria on 8 November
- Face coverings: no change
- Stay safe: no restrictions on reasons to leave the house • 25km travel restriction removed
- Intrastate travel: allowed
- Face coverings: no change
Gatherings of people • Home: to be advised
- Public places: up to 10 people may gather outdoors from any
number of households, or more than 10 if all from the same
household (children under 12 months of age not included in the
limit)
- Home: to be advised • Public places: no change
Category THIRD STEP MELBOURNE 11:59pm Tuesday 27 October
METROPOLITAN MELBOURNE CHANGES FURTHER EASING (TO ALIGN WITH REGIONAL VICTORIA)
11:59pm Sunday 8 November
Indoor sport and recreation
- Indoor sport and recreation: not allowed
- Indoor fitness and dance classes: Open only for recording and broadcast permitted only with minimum number of people required to conduct the recording/streaming, up to 5 people:
o only one person at a time may be exempted from wearing a face covering under the strenuous physical exercise exemption. e.g. the trainer leading the broadcast
o shared equipment may be used if cleaned between each user and comply with density and other requirements
- Indoor swimming pools: Open for one-on-one hydrotherapy sessions with a health professional, carer or support person. No group sessions. Exceptions for private pools and professional sport
- Indoor Physical Recreation:
o Non-contact physical recreation for those aged 18 years and under (e.g. dance classes) maximum of 20 people
o Non-contact physical recreation means that the activity can be done with a distance of 1.5m
o Spectators limited to one parent, guardian or carer only, where the child requires parental supervision
- Indoor Community Sport:
o Non-contact sport for those aged 18 years and under
o Non-contact sport means a sport capable of being done with a distance of 1.5m, including recreational classes
o Spectators limited to one parent, guardian or carer only, where the child requires parental supervision
- Indoor (non-contact) fitness, including indoor gyms to resume with:
o density quotient of 1 per 8 sqm and patron cap of 10 per space (max 10 per group/class), cap of 20 per venue
o Controls such as recommendation to wear face masks, limits on shared equipment, time between groups and requirement for a COVID Safe marshal on site.
- Indoor pools (including swimming classes): open subject to pool maximum of 20 patrons or density quotient (1 person per 4m2)
Category THIRD STEP MELBOURNE 11:59pm Tuesday 27 October
METROPOLITAN MELBOURNE CHANGES FURTHER EASING (TO ALIGN WITH REGIONAL VICTORIA)
11:59pm Sunday 8 November
Outdoor sport and recreation including pools
- Outdoor physical recreation and personal training: o A household or up to 10 people in any group (trainer is additional to group)
- Outdoor fitness or dance classes:
o Open for outdoor classes, up to 10 people, trainer not included in cap
o Shared equipment may be used if cleaned between each user and comply with density and other requirements
- Community sport:
o Outdoor contact sport allowed for people 18 and under: - Limited to minimum number of people to play and facilitate the activity (e.g. soccer may be played with two teams of eleven players and the necessary coaching personnel and umpires) - One spectator per child permissible for supervision purposes
o Outdoor non-contact sport: allowed for adults and people 18 and under
- Limited to minimum number of people to play and facilitate the activity (e.g. cricket may be played with two teams of eleven players and the necessary coaching personnel and umpires) - Non-contact means participants must be able to maintain distance of 1.5m
- Outdoor communal gym equipment: Open, no change
- Outdoor swimming pools (including swimming lessons): Limited to the density quotient of the pool itself or 50 per pool, whichever is smaller, other than for the following exceptions
o Exclusive use by a single school at any one time for education purposes
o Exclusive use for community sport
- Publicly accessible playgrounds: open, no change • Playcentres: closed, no change
- Skateparks: outdoor open, indoor closed
- Trampolining centres: outdoor open, indoor closed
- Outdoor physical recreation and personal training: no change • Outdoor fitness or dance classes: no change
- Community sport: no change
- Outdoor communal gym equipment: no change • Outdoor swimming pools: no change
- Publicly accessible playgrounds: no change
- Playcentres: no change
- Skateparks: no change
- Trampolining centres: Indoor open for 18 and under with same requirements as indoor physical recreation
Category THIRD STEP MELBOURNE 11:59pm Tuesday 27 October
METROPOLITAN MELBOURNE CHANGES FURTHER EASING (TO ALIGN WITH REGIONAL VICTORIA)
11:59pm Sunday 8 November
Community facilities
- Libraries and toy libraries: open to facilitate collection and return of books/toys or home delivery, plus:
o Outdoor activities permitted for up to 10 people plus the people required to conduct the activity
- Community venues: closed except for:
o hosting an essential public support service (10 people); hosting an essential support group (10 people); hosting a wedding (10 people) or funeral (20 people); or providing an exclusive venue for a single school at any one time for educational purposes; and
o activities in an outdoor space, subject to the public gathering limits (10 people), plus the person required to conduct the activity
- Libraries and toy libraries: Gathering limit of 20 people maximum indoors, with no more than 10 in a space, subject to density quotient
- Community venues: no change
Childcare facilities • Childcare facilities: open
- In-home child minding: allowed for all children
Hospitality • Preparation for opening (staff can enter the premises to prepare for opening but must not serve customers): customer-facing
facilities including hospitality, retail and entertainment that
are reopening may return to work following announcement (26
October)
- Food and drink facilities: open for seated indoor and outdoor
service (both food and/or drink):
o Maximum 10 people per group, seated 1.5m from other groups
- For indoor space: open with a cap of 10 persons per indoor space,
with a maximum of 20 patrons per venue indoors, subject to
density requirements (1 per 4m2)
- For outdoor space: Open with cap of 50 patrons per venue
outdoors subject to density requirements (1 per 2m2)
o Live music permitted outdoors only with band included in
venue limit, members must be at least two metres apart, wear a
face mask (except limited exemptions). Other requirements apply
- Hospitality in arenas/racetracks: hospitality venues in other
sectors such as sports arenas are subject to the same restrictions
as other hospitality if open to the public
- Childcare facilities: no change
- In-home child minding: no change
- Food and drink facilities: open for seated indoor and outdoor service (both food and/or drink): No change to most restrictions
- Hospitality:
o Indoor: group and space limit of 10 and seated service, cap of 40 patrons subject to density quotient
o Outdoor: Increasing to a patron cap of 70 patrons per venue outdoors subject to the outdoor density quotient
- Live music no change
Category THIRD STEP MELBOURNE 11:59pm Tuesday 27 October
Hospitality • Food courts: open
o Indoor seating: a maximum of two people per table, venue
limited to the lesser of 25 per cent of a venue’s fixed seating
capacity or a density quotient of one person per eight square
metres. This would be subject to regular cleaning and taking of
names
o Outdoor space: Outdoor areas with a maximum of 50 diners
per area, group limit of 10, each area separated by 10 metres from
the next. Maximum of 4 areas (200 people)
Study • Adult education: learn from home if you can • School: on-site learning for all year levels
- Grade 6 & Year 12 Graduations:
o permitted if within the existing grade cohort
(e.g whole grade six cohort, not individual classes)
o students and staff only (no parents). Can be broadcast for
parents
o COVIDSafe requirements
METROPOLITAN MELBOURNE CHANGES FURTHER EASING (TO ALIGN WITH REGIONAL VICTORIA)
11:59pm Sunday 8 November
- Food courts: open
- Adult education: no change
- School: no change
Shopping, retail and personal services
- Preparation for opening – staff can enter the premises to prepare for opening: customer-facing facilities including hospitality, retail and entertainment may return from 26 October
- Hairdressing, beauty and personal care services: open with requirement that only services where the client can wear a face covering are permitted (e.g. manicures, pedicures, body waxing, tattooing)
- Market stalls: open
- Auction houses: open
- Other retail: open
- Hairdressing, beauty and personal care services: no change • Market stalls: no change
- Auction houses: no change
- Other retail: no change
Category THIRD STEP MELBOURNE 11:59pm Tuesday 27 October
Entertainment • Preparation for opening – staff can enter the premises to prepare for opening: customer-facing facilities including hospitality, retail
and entertainment may return from 26 October
- Indoor venues: Theatre, cinema, auditorium, gallery, museum,
arena, stadium, open for broadcast only
- Non-seated outdoor spaces, excluding events:
o outdoor spaces open with density quotient; indoor spaces
closed
o requirement for COVIDSafe Plan and venues with 500 or more
capacity at one time must publish their COVID Safe Plan online
prior to opening
- Seated outdoor spaces with fixed or allocated seated spaces/
zones:
- Outdoor spaces open:
o Maximum 10 people per group, groups must be 1.5m apart
from each other and seated
o If fixed seating: patron cap of 50 people or 25% of the venue’s
fixed seat capacity, whichever is lower
o If no fixed seating but allocated seated spaces/zones: density
quotient and maximum of 50 patrons at the venue
- Drive-in cinemas: outdoor space open, no seating outside vehicles
permitted
- Arenas and stadiums: can operate for exclusive use by a single
school at any one time for education purposes, for professional
sport or broadcast
- Retail betting venue:
o If wholly contained within a licensed premise: open, subject to
licensed venue and retail restrictions
o If not wholly contained within a licensed premise: open subject
to retail restrictions
- Arcade, amusement park, escape room, casino, gaming machine
area, bingo centre, brothels, sex on premises venues: no change
METROPOLITAN MELBOURNE CHANGES FURTHER EASING (TO ALIGN WITH REGIONAL VICTORIA)
11:59pm Sunday 8 November
- Indoor venues: no change
- Outdoor entertainment venues: no change
- Seated outdoor spaces: no change
- Drive-in cinemas: no change
- Arenas and stadiums: no change
- Retail betting venue: no change
- Arcade, amusement park, escape room, casino, gaming machine area, bingo centre, brothels, sex on premises venues: no change
- Electronic gaming can return when Melbourne aligns with regional Victoria on 8 November 2020
- Venues may open gaming rooms to 25% of indoor hospitality patron cap – i.e. 10 of the max 40 subject to density quotient
Category THIRD STEP MELBOURNE 11:59pm Tuesday 27 October
METROPOLITAN MELBOURNE CHANGES FURTHER EASING (TO ALIGN WITH REGIONAL VICTORIA)
11:59pm Sunday 8 November
Ceremonies and religious gatherings
- Indoor religious gatherings: Allowed for up to 10 people, plus one faith leader
o Strict requirements to be contained in a COVIDSafe Plan
o Can only have one gathering at a time whether indoor or outdoor
- Outdoor religious gatherings and ceremonies: up to 20 people, plus 1 faith leader, proximate to a place of worship
o Can only have one gathering at a time whether indoor or outdoor
- Private worship: allowed for a household, and two adults and any of their children or dependents, plus a faith leader
- Weddings: up to 10 people, including couple and two witnesses, celebrant and one photographer excluded from cap
- Funerals: up to 20 people, people to conduct funeral and infants under 12 months not included in cap
- Indoor religious gatherings: Allowed for up to 20 people, plus one faith leader
o Strict requirements to be contained in a COVIDSafe Plan
o Can only have one gathering at a time whether indoor or outdoor
- Outdoor religious gatherings and ceremonies: up to 50 people, plus 1 faith leader, proximate to a place of worship
o Can only have one gathering at a time whether indoor or outdoor
- Private worship: no change
- Weddings: no change
- Funerals:
o Indoors: no change
o Outdoors only: up to 50 people, infants under 12 months and people to conduct funeral not included in cap
Real estate services • Real estate inspections: allowed in accordance with record keeping requirements and density quotients, up to a maximum of
10 people from two households excluding the real estate agent
- Real estate auctions: can be conducted outdoors and in
accordance with up to 10 members of the public, plus the minimum
number of people required to conduct the auction and the owners
and/or residents of the property
- Real estate inspections: increase limit to 10 people from any number of households, subject to density quotient and COVIDSafe requirements
Category THIRD STEP MELBOURNE 11:59pm Tuesday 27 October
METROPOLITAN MELBOURNE CHANGES FURTHER EASING (TO ALIGN WITH REGIONAL VICTORIA)
11:59pm Sunday 8 November
Accommodation • Accommodation: no change • Accommodation: open, but each group booking is restricted to: o Only members of a single household; OR
o Only intimate partners; OR
o Only members of a single household and two adults and any of
their dependent children or dependents
- Members of separately booked groups do not share bedrooms at
the facility.
Tourism (tours and transport)
- Indoor spaces: closed
- Outdoor spaces: open, but each group restricted to up 10 people, plus the minimum number of people required to conduct the tour
- Tour transport: permitted in open air vehicles, for groups of up to 10 people, plus the minimum number of people required to conduct the tour
- Outdoor spaces: tour vehicles that supports the primary outdoor offering of the tourism facility, for trips of up to 30 minutes
- Smaller vehicles: private gathering limit of a household plus 2 people and their dependents
- Larger vehicles: up to 10 people, infants under 12 months not included in cap
Industry • Work: work from home if you can
- COVIDSafe Plan: no change
- Poultry processing facilities: no change
- Abattoirs and meat processing facilities: no change
- Seafood processing facilities: no change
- Manufacturing, wholesale, medical, pharmaceutical and PPE
supply: 100% workforce capacity. Other additional obligations
remain in place
- Construction: 100% workforce capacity. Site visit limit on specialist
contractors removed. Other additional obligations remain in place
- Work: no change.
- COVIDSafe Plan: no change
- Poultry processing facilities: no change
- Abattoirs and meat processing facilities: no change • Seafood processing facilities: no change
- Manufacturing, wholesale, medical, pharmaceutical and PPE supply: no change
- Construction: no change
