Victoria’s 80 per cent freedoms to be unlocked this Friday as travel restrictions dropped
Victorian residents will officially enjoy more freedoms from 6pm this Friday as the state is on track to trigger the 80 per cent milestone in its reopening roadmap.
From 6pm this Friday October 29, Regional Victoria and Metropolitan Melbourne will be reunited as movement restrictions between the two will be scrapped.
Most indoor settings, including restaurants, pubs, gyms and hairdressers will open with capacity subject to a limit of one person for every four square metres, if all staff and patrons are fully vaccinated.
Most outdoor settings will remain at one person per two square metres limit up to 500, where staff and patrons are fully vaccinated.
Premier Daniel Andrews has further revealed Victoria is expected to have 90 per cent of Victorians aged 12 and over to be fully vaccinated by November 24.
“That is about as protected as we are ever going to be,” he said.
Mr Andrews said the huge milestone would bring about the “massive change” that all capacity restrictions would disappear from the state.
“I want to see 80,000 plus people at the Boxing Day Test on day one. That’s what I want to see. And we are determined to deliver that,” he said.
“There will be no density quotients anywhere.”
Mr Andrews said masks would still be needed for some inside settings including transport, prisons, hospitals aged care, while only fully vaccinated people would be allowed into venues.
“That vaccinated economy is here to stay.”
As of today, Mr Andrews said 91.2 per cent of eligible Victorians aged 16 had received a first dose while 73.7 per cent were fully vaccinated
Victoria has recorded 1,935 new cases of coronavirus and 11 additional deaths overnight as residents await more changes to the state’s reopening roadmap.
There are currently almost 25,000 active cases in Victoria, with 787 in hospital, including 146 in intensive care and 93 on a ventilator.
Of the 11 deaths in the past 24 hours, one was aged in their 50s, one in their 60s, four in their 70s, three in their 80s, and two in their 90s.
However Health Minister Martin Foley has warned Victoria that “it’s not over”.
“It’s so important that people continue to get tested during the course of this continued opening up because the reality is there continue to be more cases than ever in our community,” he said.
According to the Australian Retailers Association, COVID-19 restrictions have led to losses of $55 million a day in Victoria.
The state has just celebrated its first weekend out of lockdown with cafes, restaurants and shops reopening to the fully vaccinated.
Not all were happy however, with dozens of protesters lining a Melbourne dining strip yesterday afternoon to demonstrate against rules banning unvaccinated people from entering venues and shops.
Many failed to wear masks as they sat on picnic blankets on the Acland Street footpath.
Police monitored the stunt however no arrests were made.
Victoria recorded 1750 new COVID-19 cases yesterday and nine more deaths.
