'Victoria is unified again'
The Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews, has held a press conference on Sunday, November 8 providing a further update on easing of coronavirus restrictions as Victoria reports a ninth-straight day of zero new coronavirus cases and no deaths, regarding Victoria’s efforts as internationally significant.
“Can I say how impressive is that Victorians have built something that is something, not only unique in our country, but it is of international significance,” Andrews said on Sunday.
“To have gone from more than 700 cases a day to nine days of zero cases in a row is a particularly impressive thing and something every single Victorians should be proud of.”
Uniting Victoria for the first time in months, Andrews has set Melburnians free under new restriction announcements in Victoria with the ‘ring of steel’ lifted and the state of disaster not to be renewed from Sunday.
- The 25 kilometre travel limit will be removed
- The border around regional Victoria border, the “ring of steel” will be removed
- Overnight accommodation will be open with some restrictions: one single household plus two other adults from other households and their children. “Essentially it’s your household and a limited number of others in line with home visits where two adults from different households path their dependents can visit as well,” Daniel Andrews said.
- Venues will increase to 40 people inside and 70 outside
- Faith gatherings will increase to 50 outdoors and 20 inside
- Funerals, up to 20 indoors and 50 outdoors.
- Care facility visits, one household per day or two hours
- Time limits on partners visiting maternity wards will go, but individual wards may have their own rules in place
- Gyms and physical recreation will be allowed 20 per venue, 10 per space.
- Indoor noncontact sport for under18s, a limit of 20.
- Indoor pools will allow 20 people.
- 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.
- Gaming machines, 10 people per venue.
- The casino will be able to have 10 people per room with a maximum of 10 separate rooms being used, for electronic gaming machines and tables.
Andrews has also revealed the following rules will remain the same:
- Face masks will still be compulsory
- People must still work from home if they are able
- Public gatherings the 10 person limit remains in place.
- Weddings also retains a 10 person limit for indoor or outdoor weddings.
In more good news for the state, Andrews has revealed a number of significant easing of restrictions to come into place at 11.59pm on November 22, with Victoria been on track to reach the Last Step in our roadmap towards reopening.
- Private gatherings will be 10 visitors to your home
- Public gatherings will be 50 people, hospitality venues, the indoor go to 100 with the density of one-per four square metres and the outdoor go to 200 with a density requirement of one person per two square metres,
- Gyms will go to 100 people in groups of 20,
- Indoor sport 100 people in groups of 20.
- Large sporting venues, 25 per cent of their overall capacity.
- Outdoor physical recreation, 500 people, groups of 50.
- Indoor pools, 50 people.
- Accommodation, a cap of 10 from any number of families will apply to those hotel motel places we may go and stay.
- In terms of faith, indoors, 100 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 and theatres will go to 100, grouped in 20s, one person per density of four square metres.
- The same applies for libraries, and other community venues, 100 people overall in groups of 20 people.
- Gaming machines, one person per four square metres
- Care facilities will allow visits of five people from two households, no time limits, children will be allowed and excursions will also be allowed where people were leaving a care facility.
- For beauty industry, masks can be removed for facials
- Real estate, indoors, 20 with a density of one person per four square metres. Outdoors auctions will have 50 people.
“Of course, in getting there – we’ll continue to rely on the advice of our public health experts. And we’ll continue to rely on the efforts of every Victorian,” Andrews said.
“By now everyone knows the drill when it comes to keeping safe – so I won’t waste words. But I will say this: We have worked so hard. We have given up so much. And together, we’ve come so far. We’ve got to protect it.
“So, let’s stay safe, stay open – and keep going.”
You can read the Premier’s statement here.
Photo via urlaubstracker.de
