{"id":35843,"date":"2020-11-12T08:09:59","date_gmt":"2020-11-11T22:09:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/?p=35843"},"modified":"2020-11-12T14:43:46","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T04:43:46","slug":"ring-of-steel-lifted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/bellarinetimes\/news\/ring-of-steel-lifted\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cRing of steel\u201d lifted and looser restrictions coming"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Melbourne and regional Victoria\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

However, the face masks rules have not changed.<\/p>\n

Melbourne\u2019s 25km-from-home metropolitan travel limit was scrapped as of 11.59pm Sunday, as was the \u201cring of steel\u201d, which prevented people from visiting regional areas.<\/p>\n

Travel freedom is set to expand again when the NSW border reopens to Victorians in less than a fortnight; on November 23.<\/p>\n

Premier Daniel Andrews\u2019 announcement on Sunday coincided with the state\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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).<\/p>\n

The other changes include:<\/p>\n