Retail, hospitality return as CV-19 restrictions ease

We’re opening up!

 Under the Third Step of COVID-19 Restrictions announced by the Premier at Monday afternoon’s Press Conference, Metropolitan Melbourne will move from "stay home" to "stay safe", with no more restrictions on the reasons to leave home.

 Retail and hospitality are both set to open again from Wednesday, and a 'dark opening' is permitted immediately for businesses that need to prepare their venues.

 The key impacts for our small business community include the following measures, which kick in from 11:59pm, Tuesday October 27:

• Cafés, pubs, restaurants and retail can reopen. Indoors, there will be a maximum of 20 people, seated, with 10 people per space. Outdoors, a maximum of 50 people with one person per two square metres

• Beauty, personal services and tattooing, provided you can wear a mask, will reopen

• Personal training, fitness and dance classes can be held outdoors with up to ten people, and the number of people at outdoor pools can increase to 50 depending on density quotients

• Workplaces will no longer need to be on the permitted work list to open and the ability to work will change to “if you can work from home you must work from home”

• Outdoor entertainment venues can also begin hosting visitors

• Workers in certain low risk outdoor work are permitted to return to on-site work, such as outdoor non-essential home maintenance or repairs, external car washing, mobile pet grooming, letterboxing and solar power installers permitted

• Outdoor community sport for under 18 and outdoor non contact sport for adults can recommence

• Weddings will increase to a maximum of 10 people. Funerals will increase to a maximum of 20 mourners

• Religious gatherings will be allowed indoors with a maximum of 10 people plus a faith leader. Outdoors there will be a maximum of 20 people plus one faith leader

• The 25 kilometre travel limit remains in place and the regional metropolitan border remains in place

• The four reasons to leave home will be removed.

Then, from 11:59pm on Sunday November 8, and if case numbers remain down:

• The 25 kilometre travel limit will be removed 

• The metropolitan Melbourne regional border will be removed

• Gyms and fitness studios can open, with a maximum of 20 people per space, one person per 8 square metres

• Restaurants, hotels, cafes and bars will move to an indoor maximum of 40 with 10 people per space, an outdoor maximum of 70 people with one person every 2 square metres

• Accommodation can reopen

• Faith gatherings will allow a maximum of 50 people, plus one faith leader, outdoors; indoors will be 20 people maximum plus one faith leader

• Funerals numbers will increase to 20 mourners indoors and 50 mourners outdoors

• Indoor community sport, non-contact sport for under-18 and sports capable of 1.5-metre social distancing can operate

• Indoor pools will open for up to 20 people.

Stay in touch with the latest COVID-19 information at the DHHS website.

Dean Shannon
Digital Communications Officer