Ballarat residents are now enjoying greater freedoms with COVID-19 restrictions being eased further.
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The changes were introduced at 11.59pm on Thursday.
Melbourne's heavy lockdown is lifted but a 25km travel bubble remains, meaning metro residents cannot head into the regions for the Queen's Birthday long weekend.
Given there has not been a case in regional Victoria throughout the latest outbreak that now sits at 83, rules will be significantly more relaxed.
Regional Victorian rules
The following changes have been made to the current restrictions in regional Victoria.
- Visitors to your home are restricted to two adults per day, plus dependents
- People at public gatherings are limited to 20 people
- 150 people are allowed at a hospitality venue for seated service, but only 75 indoors
- Religious ceremonies are capped at 150 people, 75 indoors
- Funerals can have 75 people, weddings can have 20 people
- Gyms can reopen
- Offices capped at 50 per cent for wok
- Community sport, including indoor sport, can resume for all ages
- Mask rules remain the same; must be worn indoors
Metropolitan Melbourne rules
Most of the same settings currently in place in regional Victoria will now exist for at least a week in Melbourne, but the 10km travel limit now sits at 25km.
Travel into regional Victoria has been banned.
Masks must be worn indoors and outdoors.
The following rules now apply to Melbourne:
- you can leave home for any reason (but must stay within 25km and not venture into regional Victoria)
- travel within regional Victoria is not allowed
- all schools to reopen to face-to-face learning
- outdoor gatherings can have 10 people
- hospitality is open for seated service only, with only 50 people allowed and density quotient of 1 person per 4 square metres
- retail can reopen where masks can be worn
- religious services open to 50 people
- weddings resume with 10 people, funerals resume with 50
- junior sport resumes, adult sport resume training. Indoor sport is not allowed
- outdoor pools and libraries open to 50 people
- offices will be capped at 50 per cent
See the full list of changes here.
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