Most of metropolitan Melbourne's remaining lockdown rules will be scrapped as of Friday, October 29 at 6pm. That means the border between metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria will come down, and the entire state will be under the same rules. And yes, that means you can go on holiday in regional Victoria from this weekend.
From Friday, October 29, most indoor settings (gyms, hair salons, retail, restaurants etc) can open with no patron caps, provided there is sufficient space for one person per four square metres. Most outdoor settings will allow one person per two square metres, up to 500 people. Those density limits will apply to things like weddings, funerals and events. Only fully vaccinated patrons and fully vaccinated staff can attend these venues.
Indoor seated entertainment venues, like cinemas and theatres, can open to 70 per cent capacity, up to 1,000 fully vaccinated patrons. Indoor non-seated entertainment venues, like the aquarium, have no cap on patron numbers, provided there is space for one patron per four square metres.
Outdoor entertainment venues, such as zoos and amusement parks, can allow one person per two square metres, up to 5,000 patrons. Festivals can allow up to 5,000 patrons, depending on size, and the chief health officer will issue specific dispensation for certain events to be able to have more people.
Masks will be mandatory indoors, except when eating and drinking, but they will not be required outdoors.
Premier Dan Andrews emphasised that only fully vaccinated people would be permitted in any hospitality, entertainment, beauty or retail venue. "Two doses, or you're not getting in. Two doses, or you're not going to work in those settings," he said.
These rules will apply across Victoria until 90 per cent of Victorians have been fully vaccinated, which is expected to happen on or around November 24. From that time, density limits will be scrapped entirely, and masks will only be required in high-risk settings. "I want to see 80,000-plus people at the Boxing Day Test. We are very confident we will be able to deliver that," said Andrews.
He said the two rules that would remain indefinitely would be: masks in some settings, and the economy only being open to people who had been vaccinated. "These are the rules that will be with us all throughout 2022," said Andrews.