8th November 2011
More COVID-19 restrictions will ease in Victoria after the state recorded nine straight days without any new infections.
From 11.59pm Sunday restrictions will be eased in Melbourne and regional Victoria. These are the new rules:
- Melbourne’s 25km radius rule will be removed
- Melbourne’s “ring of steel” separating the city from regional Victoria will be scrapped
- Gyms and fitness studios in Melbourne will open with a maximum of 20 people per venue, with ten people per space.
- Restaurants, hotels, cafes and bars will move to an indoor maximum of 40 with 10 people per space, and an outdoor maximum of 70 people with one person every two square metres
- For faith gatherings, there will be an outdoor maximum of 50 people plus one faith leader, indoors there will be a maximum of 20 people, plus one faith leader
- Funerals will move indoors, with a maximum 20 mourners, and outdoors with a maximum of 50.
- Indoor pools can host up to 20 people and 50 for outdoor pools.
- Indoor skate parks, indoor trampoline centres, libraries, toy libraries and community venues, play centres and galleries, cinemas, museums, all 20 per venue all 20 per space, depending on the sector.
A second phase of opening up will follow at 11.59pm on November 22, when the following rules will come into force in Melbourne and regional Victoria:
- Private gatherings of 10 visitors to a home
- Public gatherings of 50 allowed
- Indoor maximum of 100 people in hospitality venues, with the density of 1- foursquare metres and an outdoor limit of 200 people
- Sport, physical recreation, gyms will go to 100 people in groups of 20, indoor sport 100 people – in groups of 20.
- Large sporting venues will be at 25 per cent of their overall capacity. Outdoor physical recreation at 500 people, groups of 50.
- Faith gatherings can have 100 indoors and they will be grouped in 20s and outdoors, 500 people, grouped in 50s.
- Weddings will go to 100 but only still 10 people in a private residence if the wedding is held at a private home.
- Funerals, 100 people, again 10 people if the service was held privately.
- Cinemas will go to 100 indoors – grouped in 20s
