Ballarat's tourism, hospitality and accommodation businesses are preparing for a big weekend as COVID restrictions ease allowing visitors from Melbourne to the regions just in time for the Melbourne Cup long weekend.
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Restrictions in Melbourne and regional Victoria will align from 6pm on Friday, with travel limits removed, increased capacity in indoor settings including restaurants, pubs, gyms, hairdressers, entertainment venues, and events such as music festivals able to host up to 5000 people.
But being able to access businesses, including non-essential retail, and events under the "vaccine economy" requires staff and patrons to be double-dose vaccinated.
Masks will no longer be required outdoors, but will remain mandatory indoors. Private gatherings at home will still be limited to 10 people, but 30 will be allowed to gather in public places like parks.
There is a fundamental agreement that we have reached with the Victorian community. We asked you to get vaccinated. You have done that in record time any record numbers. And that means we have to open the place up and we have to have a series of rules, we have to have settings, that are the lightest touch possible, the simplest, the most easily understood, that are as close to normal life as possible.
- Premier Daniel Andrews
The state is predicted to reach 80 per cent double-dose vaccination on Friday, triggering the easing of restrictions.
Regional Victorians will be able to travel to Melbourne, and Melbournians to the regions, opening up reunions for family and friends who have not seen each other for months.
"We know that there is pent up demand for (Melburnians) to visit the regions and we know that Ballarat has a very strong visiting friends and relatives market so I'm sure we're going to see long weekends with people reuniting, which is great to see," said Ballarat Regional Tourism chair Paul Martino.
He said some businesses could experience staff shortage issues and possibly vaccination issues and urged visitors and residents to be kind.
"I think we're confident now that we will find a path forward so that these staff can get back to work and these businesses can regain some of the lost ground," he said.
But the unity of rules across the state means some backward steps in regional Victoria.
"One of the consequences of moving to one set of rules for the whole state, as we indicated we would do, at 80 per cent, is that some things that ... at the moment are open whether you are vaccinated or not in regional Victoria that will not be the case after 6pm this coming Friday," Premier Daniel Andrews said on Sunday.
"The vaccinated economy, because we are unifying and having one set of rules for the whole state, which is a thoroughly good thing, the vaccinated economy will then apply across all settings, where they apply in Melbourne now, and only some in regional Victoria, will be across the board."
Mr Andrews also announced further changes when the state hits 90 per cent fully vaccinated, which is predicted around November 24. When that milestone is reached, caps or density quotients will be removed for all settings and masks will only be mandatory indoors in high-risk settings such as hospitals, aged care and public transport.
There will be no restrictions for indoor and outdoor events provided they follow COVIDSafe rules including vaccination requirements.
Ballarat mayor Daniel Moloney said getting Melburnians back to Ballarat was an important part of the city's recovery. starting this weekend.
"The timing is brilliant in many respects because it will actually encourage a lot of people to get out of Melbourne and stay longer in regional Victoria, both here in Ballarat as well as our neighbouring towns as well," he said.
"We know that in normal times, about 40 per cent of the hospitality trade in central Ballarat is from out of town and predominantly Melbourne, so while 60 per cent of the trade comes from locals, to not have 40 per cent of that trade for such a long period of time this year during six lockdowns has really hurt our local economy and that is seen on the faces of people who own businesses, who have been struggling in hospitality, who work in the art sector and just haven't had the opportunities to work and apply their trades."
In addition to the removal of travel restrictions, from Friday when the state is predicted to reach 80 per cent vaccination:
- Most indoor settings, including restaurants, pubs, gyms and hairdressers will open with no caps subject to a density quotient of one person per four square metres if all staff and patrons are fully vaccinated. Most outdoor settings will remain at the one person per two square metre limit up to 500, where staff and patrons are fully vaccinated.
- These indoor and outdoor settings will also apply to weddings, funerals and religious gatherings if all attendees are fully vaccinated. Caps of 30 people will apply for weddings, funerals and religious gatherings if vaccination status is unknown.
- Entertainment venues will reopen. For indoor seated venues including cinemas and theatres, there will a 75 per cent capacity or one person per four square metres up to 1000 people and for non-seated indoor entertainment venues the density quotient will be the same but with no patron cap.
- Outdoor seated and non-seated entertainment venues including stadiums, zoos and tourism attractions will be open with a one per two square metre limit up to 5000 where staff and patrons are fully vaccinated.
- Events - such as music festivals - will be able to host up to 5000 people, subject to any restrictions related to the venue. The Chief Health Officer may also grant an approval for larger crowds for significant events and venues under the Public Events Framework.
- Masks will remain mandatory indoors but are no longer required outdoors though it is highly recommended masks are worn outdoors if you cannot physically distance, such as busy street or outdoor market.
The news comes as Ballarat recorded seven new COVID cases on Sunday and 1935 new cases were identified across Victoria.
Ballarat Wildlife Park owner Greg Parker said this week's easing of the restriction was "vital" to the park.
"At the moment we are just sliding backwards on our cash reserves," he said. "We really need Melbourne. We are missing out on all our international market which won't come back for a while.
"I think Melburnians will head up in their droves and we need to be a strong destination with Sovereign Hill, the wildlife park, Kryal Castle and all the other attractions of Ballarat playing a key role in drawing people up here."
Red Lion Hotel publican and Australian Hotels Association Victorian president David Canny welcomed the announcement to move forward the easing of restrictions to 6pm on Friday to allow for a full long weekend.
"We are delighted that we can finally see some light. It's important to get regional tourism operating from 6pm Friday with the long weekend and get Melburnians back to the regions," he said.
Mr Canny said the extra work involved in checking qr codes and vaccination status of patrons was a small price to pay for getting back to trade.
"It's a new world and if that's what we need to do to have capacity lifted we are prepared to do that. That's what's important to us, to get the venue capacity lifted and the density quotient removed (at 90 per cent)."
With venues able to take bookings for functions and Christmas parties he said there was much to be positive about looking in to the future.
"This is a start to the recovery phase. We can start to trade our way back. It will take a long time as we are coming from a long way back but it means we can trade ... with vision and confidence we're not going to go backwards."
Mr Andrews said the easing of restrictions at 80 per cent, and further at 90 per cent double dosed was thanks to Victorians getting vaccinated "in record time and record numbers".
"There is a fundamental agreement that we have reached with the Victorian community. We asked you to get vaccinated. You have done that in record time any record numbers. And that means we have to open the place up and we have to have a series of rules, we have to have settings, that are the lightest touch possible, the simplest, the most easily understood, that are as close to normal life as possible," he said.
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And he confirmed that the further easing of restrictions around November 24 would allow for large public events, like the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, to go ahead for fully vaccinated attendees.
"I want to see 80,000 plus people at the Boxing Day Test on day one. That is what I want to see. And we are determined to deliver that. It won't be easy, but we are very very confident that we will be able to deliver that provided Victorians continue to get their second doses, and those who have not yet made up their mind, go and get your first and second dose.
"Every person who is vaccinated in good time gives us more options, gives us more freedom, sees less people in hospital, less pressure on our nurses."
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