Restrictions Lifting In Victoria On 18 November 2021
Restrictions are lifting across the state – here is what fully vaccinated Victorians can do from 11:59pm…
Nearly 90% of eligible Victorians have received full COVID-19 vaccination. The government is now reopening many areas for the vaccinated community starting at 11:59pm on 18 November 2021.
It’s an exciting and hopeful time for people across the state. Especially for those who have spent the better part of the last two years in and out of lockdowns. We’re excited to see how this positively impacts our clients and community. We hope business is booming in the lead up to Christmas and the New Year!
Key changes across Victoria:
- Fully vaccinated people have no limits or caps on home visits and gatherings in cafes and restaurants.
- People will no longer need a mask in all indoor spaces. They will remain mandatory in some high risk environments, including the following:
- Primary school staff and visitors for students in Years Three to Six.
- For workers serving the public at hospitality venues.
- Workers and customers at indoor retail spaces.
- Visitors and workers in hospitals and care facilities.
- People using public transport, taxis and ride-share services and on planes.
- Corrections, meat, poultry and seafood processing workplaces.
Indoor and outdoor events
- Indoor and outdoor events with less than 30,000 fully vaccinated attendees will be able to proceed with no special approval required.
- Authorities will enforce mask requirements, density limits, and caps at weddings, funerals, places of worship, and other settings if organisers don’t check the vaccination status of attendees.
- Outdoor events with 30,000+ will need to publish a COVID-Safe Plan.
- Indoor venues that can hold 30,000+ will need to get one-off approval of their COVID-Safe Plan.
- Fully vaccinated people exposed to a positive COVID case outside their home no longer need to automatically self-quarantine.
- This will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to avoid impact of superspreader events.
- This means businesses won’t be required to complete mandatory deep cleaning, and the Departmental ‘clearance’ process.
- Workers exposed at work, and children who are exposed at school or early childhood centres, will need to show a negative PCR test result to return to work or school – with recommended RAT testing thereafter.
- COVID-Safe Plans are still required for Victorian businesses
- Exposure sites won’t be listed online, contacts will be notified by the Health Department.
- Household contacts who have had more than four hours of contact with a case inside a household, accommodation or care setting must isolate for seven days if fully vaccinated or 14 days if not fully vaccinated. A PCR test required on day 0 and for release.
- Authorities will consider children under 12 as fully vaccinated if everyone else in their household over the age of 12 is.
- People who have COVID-19 will need to isolate for 10 days, instead of 14 days.
Restrictions for non-vaccinated individuals:
- If organisers don’t check the vaccination status of attendees (meaning unvaccinated individuals may attend), they must apply mask requirements, density limits, and caps at weddings, funerals, places of worship, and similar settings.
- Non-essential retail across Victoria will operate as part of the vaccinated economy and will only open to fully vaccinated Victorians, children under 12 years and two months, or those with a valid exemption.
Click here to read the Premier’s press release announcing these changes.
