“Ring of steel” lifted and looser restrictions coming

PEOPLE from Melbourne are visiting the Geelong region for the first time in months with the lifting of COVID-19 travel restrictions within Victoria.

Melbourne and regional Victoria’s restrictions are now aligned under the Third Step on the coronavirus roadmap and will ease significantly further under the Last Step, which will come into effect across the state in under two weeks.

However, the face masks rules have not changed.

Melbourne’s 25km-from-home metropolitan travel limit was scrapped as of 11.59pm Sunday, as was the “ring of steel”, which prevented people from visiting regional areas.

Travel freedom is set to expand again when the NSW border reopens to Victorians in less than a fortnight; on November 23.

Premier Daniel Andrews’ announcement on Sunday coincided with the state’s ninth straight day without a new COVID-19 case. As of today (Thursday, November 11), Victoria has recorded 13 days of zero new cases and zero deaths.

Several other restrictions were also eased across Victoria on Monday, including the opening of playcentres, community venues, cinemas, music halls, concert halls and auditoriums, galleries and museums.

The Last Step, to come into effect at 11.59pm on November 22, will allow up to 10 people at a time to visit a household, and up to 50 people to gather outdoors from any number of households (infants under 12 months do not count).

The other changes include:

• Hospitality venues will be able to hold up to 100 people indoors and up to 200 people outdoors as long as they meet density requirements of 1 per 4sqm
• Sporting venues will be able to hold up to 25 per cent of their capacity
• Groups of up to 10 people can share accommodation
• Religious services will be able to hold 100 people indoors and 500 outdoors
• Funerals and weddings will be able to have up to 100 people, and will be allowed at a private residence subject to the 10-person limit
• Masks can be removed for the person receiving the service of procedure if necessary, such as facial waxing, facials, beard trimmings and piercings around the mouth, nose and cheeks.

Mr Andrews did not announce any changes to the rules about wearing face masks on Sunday.

“Again, the time will come when we can make changes but not for today,” he said.

“I will not speculate when that will be. Masks are, I know, not a pleasant experience, particularly as the weather gets warmer, but they are low cost and high benefit.

“They’re an insurance policy, the extra bit of insurance to make sure we’re doing everything we can to stop someone who has got it from inadvertently giving it to others.”

For the latest updates, head to dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus.

– WITH AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS