COVID Australia: Premier Dan Andrews reveals Victoria’s roadmap out of lockdown

Premier Daniel Andrews has finally unveiled his roadmap out of lockdown as Victoria records 507 new cases of Covid-19 and one death on Sunday. 

Victorians will finally be released from lockdown on October 26 to coincide with when the state hits 70 per cent double vaccination. 

There will no longer be any restrictions on leaving home, the 9pm-5am curfew will be scrapped and the travel distance extended to 25km.  

Students in Year 12 will return to on-site learning as early as the first week of October with all students to return to classrooms at least part time. 

Ten fully vaccinated residents will be allowed to gather outdoors in groups of ten, with pubs, clubs and restaurants to open for 50 double-dosed people outdoors. 

Weddings and funerals will resume with a cap on 50 vaccinated guests with hairdressing and personal care services to restart for five vaccinated people.  

Mr Andrews promised Christmas Day would be as normal as possible with 30 visitors to be allowed inside homes once 80 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated.  

80 per cent single dose (September 26) 

Victorians can enjoy outdoor recreation like tennis, basketball and golf from as early as next week with the government to ease restrictions on outdoor activities. 

Accessing facilities must be contactless. 

Personal training will resume for up to five fully vaccinated people outdoors and the travel limit will be extended from 10km to 15km.  

In regional Victoria, masks do not have to be worn while attending hair salons and other personal care services and Year 12 students can return to on-site learning. 

Healthcare workers will be required to have had one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine by October 15, with other industry’s to receive dates for a mandated jab. 

Lockdown ends at 70 per cent fully-vaccinated (October 26)

More freedoms will be returned once 70 per cent of Victoria’s population is double vaccinated with lockdown to be lifted and the 9pm-5am curfew scrapped. 

The travel limit for Melbourne residents will be extended to 25km. 

Ten fully vaccinated people can gather outdoors with community sport training to return for the minimum required to hold training. 

Pubs, clubs and restaurants will reopen for 50 double-dosed patrons for outdoor service only. Weddings and funerals will restart with the same restrictions.  

All school children will be allowed to return for on-site learning for a few days a week with childcare to open for children of fully vaccinated parents. 

Hairdressing and personal care services will be permitted to reopen for five fully vaccinated customers. 

In regional Victoria community sport can resume indoors with 30 fully vaccinated people allowed to sit inside pubs, clubs and restaurants. 

All school children in regional areas will return for on-site learning at least part time. 

Religious services, funerals and weddings will be permitted for 30 fully vaccinated guests indoors and 100 outdoors.   

80 per cent fully vaccinated (October 5)

Once the population hits 80 per cent double vaccination regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne will abide by the same rules. 

Up to ten people including dependents will be allowed inside homes with masks only to be required while indoors. 

Pubs, restaurants and cafes can open for seated service only, with a cap of 150 fully vaccinated people inside and 500 outdoors.  

Indoor dining will also be capped at 150 people while 30 people will be permitted to gather outside. 

Gyms will reopen to the fully vaccinated with indoor community sport to be permitted for the minimum number required. 

Victorians will still be asked to work from home if possible but will be allowed to travel to work if they are fully-vaccinated. 

Hair salons, beauty and personal care services will be available to the double-jabbed and all retail stores can reopen. 

Early childcare education will reopen with all school children to return to school with additional safety measures in place. 

On-site adult education will resume for those who are fully vaccinated. 

Weddings, funerals and religious services will return for 150 double-dosed people indoors and 500 outdoors. 

 

Health officials spent Saturday night with senior ministers finalising the roadmap, the Sunday Herald Sun reported.  

Once the 80 per cent target is reached, the state will open up even more, with community sport, indoor dining and regional travel all on the cards. 

But the delayed easing of many restrictions until a third stage could result in some major summer events only being open to the double jabbed.

The Boxing Day Test against England, if allowed to go ahead, will almost certainly be restricted to fully vaccinated spectators. 

Art galleries, museums and government events would also require attendees to be fully inoculated.  

Victoria recorded 507 new Covid-19 cases and one death on Sunday as the state’s Delta outbreak continues to spiral out of control.  

There are currently 204 Victorians hospitalised with Covid-19 with 55 in ICU, 38 of those requiring a ventilator.

The state administered 43,441 vaccine doses on Saturday with 43.5 per cent of eligible Victorians fully vaccinated and 71.2 per cent single-dosed. 

From Sunday night, Geelong, Surf Coast and Mitchell shire surrounds will re-enter lockdown due to positive cases that have emerged in the areas. 

How many infections were linked to the outbreak wasn’t revealed, showing contact tracers are even more overwhelmed than usual. 

One minister told the Sunday Herald Sun the government had ‘no choice’ but to take a cautious approach since case numbers were so high.

‘You have got to manage your numbers in hospital and ICU,’ the minister said.

Mr Andrews said on Friday Victoria’s roadmap would outline how life will look for Victorians for the rest of the year. 

‘It won’t answer every question and it won’t necessarily provide every single rule change for months and months and months,’ he said.

‘It’ll be a meaningful document and it’ll give people a really clear sense of what we’re working towards.’

Paul Guerra, Victorian Chamber of Commerce chief executive, said a roadmap that did not grant the same freedoms at 70 per cent as NSW would be a ‘massive blow’ to workers and businesses.

He also expressed concern that the Andrews government would resist opening up even at 80 per cent, and renege on its commitments to open up.

‘Some operators are fearful that 90 will be the new 80 and that the government won’t fulfil their promise of returning to normal at 80 per cent,’ Mr Guerra said. 

Melbourne has been battling its Delta outbreak since July after residents were thrown back into lockdown on July 15.

Restrictions began to ease on July 27 but another lockdown was announced on August 5 as Covid cases began to climb.

Since then cases have continued to jump with the state recording another 535 new Covid-19 infections on Saturday – the highest number in the latest outbreak. 

Melbourne has spent 228 days in lockdown since since march 2020, and is set to notch up a grim world record for the most days spent under stay-at-home laws when it passes Buenos Aires on September 23. 

Despite case numbers climbing, up to 1,000 protesters took to the streets of Melbourne demanding an end to lockdown.

The protests turned ugly with six police officers ending up in hospital and 235 people were arrested.

Pharmacies across Victoria are poised to receive thousands of Moderna doses on Monday, as the state ramps up efforts to vaccinate more residents. 

More than 300,000 Moderna vaccines will be delivered to 721 pharmacies across the state with more doses expected to arrive in October and November. 

Footy fans have been encouraged to wear the colours of their favourite team to vaccination appointments this weekend, coinciding with the AFL season finale. 

The clash between the Melbourne Demons and Western Bulldogs was held at Perth’s Optus Stadium on Saturday night, once again moved away from the MCG.