It’s happening!!!!
From 6pm Friday density quotients of one person per two square metres in place at hospitality and entertainment venues will be removed. Indoor dancefloors at these venues can also re-open.
I cannot believe it.
QR code check-in requirements will also be scrapped at retail venues, schools and workplaces. Don’t delete the app though, you’ll still need it to show you vaccination status at hospitality and entertainment venues.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews indicated on Sunday the state would soon end the requirement to use QR-code check-ins were “under very active review” because there was “no contact tracing” anymore.
Andrews announced the changes in a statement on Thursday morning, responding to calls from music venue owners and industry leaders earlier this week.
He had been under pressure to lift the density limits after the hypocrisy of the rule had been called out.
People in the industry said it was unfair that major events were allowed to go ahead with thousands of attendees, and other businesses like gyms could trade at full capacity.
The announcement made no mention of masks.
Mask mandates are expected to be eased in a staggered process, to start with the removal of requirements for masks in office settings after calls from business leaders desperate to get workers back in the office.
But Andrews has not yet set a date for the announcement or when the mandate could be rolled back.
Minister for Health Martin Foley assured Victorians these measures were “safe and sensible”.
“These … balance the need to support our health system with the benefits of easing restrictions across a range of settings.”
“Changes to QR code requirements will still support our focus on the highest-risk settings most likely to generate super-spreader events – and we will keep reviewing the system over time in line with the epidemiological situation.”
Cases in Victoria have remained steady in the high thousands this month and experts said the Omicron wave had peaked.
We thank everyone who got vaccinated and tested yesterday.
Our thoughts are with those in hospital, and the families of people who have lost their lives.
More data soon: https://t.co/eUcG50Y3T0#COVID19Vic #COVID19VicData pic.twitter.com/yGZincHB9g
— VicGovDH (@VicGovDH) February 16, 2022
More than 53 per cent of eligible Victorians have received three doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
