Sarah Oliver
Fully vaccinated Melton and Moorabool residents are getting ready for more freedoms as restrictions ease at11.59pm tonight.
Victoria is due to hit it’s 90 per cent double vaccination rate in the coming days, making the state one of the most vaccinated in the world.
Despite not having reached that milestone yet, the government has made a decision to ease restrictions tonight.
Premier Daniel Andrews said: “The milestone we’re about to hit is brilliant, allowing Victoria to return to something like the normal life we remember – businesses open, the city thriving and families getting back to doing the things they love together.”
There will be no more density limits at venues, including cafes and restaurants and dance floors will open back up again.
Residents can have as many people as they’d in their homes, with no more limits on gatherings at private residences.
Masks will only be required in some settings, including retail, primary schools, public transport, rideshares, healthcare and aged care facilities.
Unless Victoria’s health services see a significant jump in hospitalisations, customers for retail will no longer need to wear masks after December 15, which is in line with NSW settings.
There will still be mask requirements, density limits and caps in place for weddings, funerals, places of worship and other settings if the vaccination status of attendees is not being checked.
Self-quarantine obligations will be reduced across the board for COVID-19 cases and fully-vaccinated contacts.
From tonight, the vast majority of people who come into contact with a confirmed positive case outside their home won’t have to self-quarantine.
These contacts will be required to get a standard COVID test and isolate until they get a negative result.
Health minister Martin Foley said: “By focusing on high-risk settings, cases and contacts – and safely removing rules that could sweep hundreds of thousands of people into long quarantine at any one time – Victoria is charting a path for the rest of Australia for how to live with COVID-19 as a manageable endemic when cases inevitably increase nationwide.”
