Victorians will no longer have to wear face masks in cafes, pubs, restaurants, bars and open public spaces from Monday onwards, however masks will continue to be strongly encouraged.
In other situations, nothing’s changed and face masks will still remain mandatory. That includes on public transport, in taxis and in shops.
“Everyone must carry a mask, unless you have a medical exemption,” Premier Dan Andrews told reporters.
“Everyone must carry a mask, for example, for when they go to Chadstone Shopping Centre or are out and about or they find themselves in a crowd or a group of people where the distance cannot be maintained.”
The idea of different rules for different spaces hinges on the fact that a mask is no longer necessary wherever it’s possible to keep 1.5 metres apart and you have registered your details at the venue with a QR code.
That’s why hospitality venues – with their strict social distancing regulations and mandatory QR code registration – will be more relaxed when it comes to wearing masks.
For pretty much everything else, wearing a mask is still mandatory.
“They must be worn in indoor shopping centres and supermarkets and department stores, for instance, Kmart or Myer, IKEA, Bunnings, JB Hi-Fi, just to give you a few examples,” Andrews said.
Hospo venues will also have the cap on the amount of patrons allowed inside lifted. From Monday, there’ll be no limit to how many people can visit a cafe, restaurant, pub or bar, so long as there’s only one person per two square metres.
For tiny spaces like small bars and hole-in-the-wall coffee shops, there’ll be no density restriction at all, as long as there are fewer than 25 people inside.
In other restrictions changing, Victorians will now also be able to have up to 30 mates over at their place.
However Andrews stressed that this means 30 people per day, not 30 people per gathering.
“30 across the day, not 30 for lunch and 30 for dinner,” he added.
Public gathering limits such as at the beach or park will also be upped to 100 people.
All of this means hanging with mates will become a fair bit easier just in time for the end of the year.
“Victoria, enjoy your summer,” Andrews said.
“You’ve earned it.”
