A very special good morning to you and the Good News: Victoria Premier Dan Andrews has just revealed the state’s roadmap out of lockdown and that we might be able to have 30 visitors in the home by Christmas.
That’s right, once 70% and 80% of Victorians over 16 are fully vaccinated, you can expect a range of restrictions to lift and for life to get back to normal. The plan was finalised last night by the cabinet, Andrews, Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley, and Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton, and comes after the premier announced that fully vaccinated Victorians can have a picnic outdoors.
Let’s get into it.
First, once Victoria reaches 80% single doses, we can exercise outside with mates
When 80% of the state’s over 16 year old population receives their first dose, which is looking to be “on or about” September 26th, people in Melbourne will be able to go outside for outdoor activities which include sport and socialising with mates outdoors.
You’ll also be able to exercise in groups of up to five fully vaccinated people while in regional Victoria, masks can be removed at hairdressers or beauty and personal care services.
According to the Victorian roadmap, at 70%, expect no more curfews, lockdowns, a 25km travel limit, small outdoor gigs, etc
From the 26th of October, once 70% of the Victorian population over 16 have received both doses of the vaccine, the following will take effect:
- No more curfews or restrictions on leaving your home. (!!!)
- If you’re in Melbourne, you’ll be able to travel up to 25km outside your home.
- Early childcare will be open for children of fully vaccinated parents.
- General retail stores will open for outdoor services only, including click and collect and delivery.
- Hairdressers will reopen for fully vaccinated people and with a cap on five people indoors at once.
- Seated pubs, outdoor-only restaurants, and entertainment venues (read: gigs) will reopen for fully vaccinated people, capped at 50 people.
- For churches and funerals, up to 50 people can attend an outdoor service if fully vaccinated and only 20 can attend if unvaccinated. For weddings, up to 50 people can attend an outdoor service if fully vaxxed but only ten can if not.
- Outdoor footy is back but for training only, no competition. Minimum numbers are required and changing rooms for community sport will remain closed.
- Outdoor-only swimming pools, tours, community facilities, amusement parks, and creative studios will reopen for the fully vaccinated.
- Outdoor auctions will reopen for fully vaccinated people, capped at 50.
- If you’ve been missing them, zoos will reopen at a 25% capacity for fully vaccinated people.
- Reduced quarantine requirements for vaxxed residents returning from interstate.
- There will be an easing of restrictions for care facility visitors.
School students will also return to class at varying degrees:
- Years 7, 11 and 12 kids will be able to return to school five days a week while the remaining students will return on a two days per week basis.
- Years 3, 4, 8 and 9 will go back on Tuesday and Wednesday.
- Years 5,6 and 10 will go back on Thursday and Friday.
Once we hit 80% fully vaccinated in Victoria, expect indoor pubs, the option to go back into the office, up to ten visitors, and more
Once Victoria reaches 80% fully vaccinated, which Victorian government documents suggest will be from November 5th, the following will happen:
- You’ll be able to work in the office again if you’re fully vaccinated, although the government would prefer if you worked from home if you can.
- Up to ten people can gather in your home.
- Public gatherings will extend to 30 outdoors for you and your fully vaccinated mates.
- Gyms, Karaoke, nightclubs, tours, tours transport, indoor pubs and seated restaurants are back, baby! They’ll all reopen for fully-vaxxed legends and with a cap to 150 indoors and 500 outdoors.
- Speaking of, small seated food and drink venues can have up to 25 people. Food courts can reopen but only for takeaway.
- All retail will reopen with a four-square metre per person rule. Face masks will still be required indoors only.
- Outdoor stadiums will reopen for the fully vaccinated and with less than 25% or 5000 per venue capacity. The same applies to outdoor seated entertainment, while non-seated entertainment can have up to 50% capacity.
- Hairdressing and beauty and personal care services can have 150 fully vaccinated people indoors (!!!).
- University and other tertiary education students will be able to go back for on-site learning if fully vaccinated and for on-site for hands-on, skills-based education.
- On-site learning for all school years will resume with safety measures in place. Early childcare will fully reopen.
- Intrastate travel will reopen (!!!). Hotels will reopen in line with private gathering limits.
- Depending on the discussions from National Cabinet, quarantine arrangements will be revised for interstate travel and international travel arrivals.
- Church services can have up to 150 people indoors, 500 outdoors but only 20 unvaccinated. Funerals and weddings have the same limits except only 10 unvaccinated.
If things reopen too quickly, numbers could peak in December. But, in some good news, you could have up to 30 visitors in your home by Christmas.
The modeling says that there could be a peak in cases if the state opens up too fast and that if so, the worst will likely be towards the end of December.
Around December 15th, we could see an estimated 4500 cases a day, hospital admissions could peak at around 3150 and there may be around 2,200 deaths in January.
But, and there’s a big but, if over 80% of Victorians aged over 12 years old are fully vaccinated by the 25th of December, you’ll be able to have a proper normal Christmas. That’s right, if things continue, up to 30 people will be able to visit the home on Christmas Day.
A normal Christmas and New Year’s Eve? In 2021? Guys, gals, and non-binary pals, I’m legitimately crying right now.
#Breaking: Victoria has released a roadmap illustrating what restrictions will look like from now until December @SkyNewsAust #springst pic.twitter.com/LjpTIaFVwv
— Julia Bradley (@_juliabradley) September 19, 2021
More info on what this December will look like will be announced in the coming weeks but it sounds hopeful!
Other important bits of info from Victoria’s Roadmap: mandatory vaccinations for authorised workers
Dan Andrews is looking into mandatory vaccinations in the workplace. A decision will be made in the coming weeks and will likely first apply to people working in childcare and teaching.
All adult Aussies (yep, even those of us under 40) are currently able to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Click here to see which clinics are offering it, and talk to a doctor for more info.
The best vaccine is the first one you can get, and that’ll be our ticket out of this mess.
