Esther Lauaki
1011covid
By Esther Lauaki
Brimbank residents awoke this week to more freedoms as the state government took another big step towards covid normal following nine straight days of zero new cases.
With just four known active cases remaining in the state, the government announced a raft of changes to coronavirus restrictions including the removal of the 25-kilometre limit on travel from home for Melburnians, the reopening of cinemas and galleries and a slight relaxation of restrictions on household visitors.
Regional Victoria’s “ring of steel” was scrapped on Monday with a new push for tourism to hard-hit areas.
Premier Daniel Andrews announced on Sunday that the state would be “whole again”.
“Nothing about this year has been easy,”Mr Andrews said.
“But the hardest thing of all has been missing the people we love most.
“Collectively, we’ve missed the big moments and the small.
“You can still only have a maximum of two people to visit per day. Going forward though, those two people don’t need to be from the same household, and they’ll be able to come at different times.
“It’s really important that people stick within these rules.”
Additional changes include restaurants, pubs, and cafes able to host up to 40 customers indoors and 70 outdoors.
Wearing masks remains mandatory. Gyms and indoor sports facilities can open with up to 20 visitors – subject to density limits, indoor sport for children can recommence.
Indoor religious ceremonies, including funerals, will be increased to a 20-person limit, there will be 50 allowed outside. There is no change for weddings.
Overnight accommodation will reopen with limits on those who can stay. Cinemas, galleries, museums, and music halls can open with a limit of 20 people per space.
Mr Andrews also announced more easing of restrictions that would come into effect from November 22.
Private gatherings would increase to 10 people, hospitality venues will be able to have 100 people indoors and 200 people outside while cinemas, gyms and galleries will also be allowed to have more people inside.
He said the easing of restrictions represented a safe pathway out of lockdown.
“There has been a lot of pain and hurt and there is a need for healing, for investment, for all sorts of repair. The most important thing of all that all of us has to do is to stay the course on this, to be as stubborn as the virus.”
