VICTORIA will return to its previous COVIDSafe settings from tonight, allowing for more visitors in the home, reduced mask wearing and increasing the number of workers heading back to the office.
The move to further ease restrictions follows a reduced exposure risk and low community transmission.
From 11.59pm tonight, masks will be only be required on public transport, in rideshare vehicles and taxis, in sensitive settings such as aged care facilities – and in some larger retail settings including indoor shopping centres, supermarkets, department stores and indoor markets.
While masks are no longer mandated in most circumstances, masks continue to be recommended indoors or outdoors when distancing can’t be maintained.
Victorians will be able to host up to 30 people in their home per day. Outdoor gatherings in public places will increase to 100 people.
The planned increase for office workers to return to work will go ahead at 75 per cent across both public and private sectors from 11.59pm tonight.
Density limits in pubs, restaurants and cafes will remain at one person per 2sq metres for both indoors and outdoors with no other cap, as long as electronic record keeping – a QR code – is used.
For small operations, there will be no density limits if the patron number is under 25 and they will still be required to keep records.
For beauty services, businesses remain at one person per 2sq metres – if they also introduce electronic record keeping. For businesses where that’s not possible, density limits of one person per 4 sq metres will apply.
Retail businesses also remain at one person per 2sq metres and electronic record keeping is recommended where practical.
Funerals and weddings are subject to a density limit of one person per 2sq metres. The same rules will apply to nightclubs and our community facilities, like our libraries, RSLs, and community halls.
In gyms, the density limit remains one per 4sq metres – with exercise classes limited to 50 indoors and 100 outdoors.
New South Wales residents had restrictions eased today, allowing up to 50 visitors at home, 30 people allowed to dance at weddings, with rotation on and off the dance floor, increased class limits for gyms to 50 people subject to the 4sqm rule, number of performers singing indoors increased to 30 subject to physical distancing requirements and singing by congregants allowed in places of worship if masks are worn and subject to one person per 4sqm.
