Michaela Meade
Victorians will be given minor freedoms from September 23 as part of the state’s roadmap out of lockdown.
Premier Daniel Andrews has also announced a slight reprieve for parents, with playgrounds to reopen from 11.59pm tomorrow, however strict rules will be in place.
Children under 12 will be allowed at playgrounds, with only one parent or carer, and adults should not remove their masks to eat or drink.
Playgrounds will have QR codes for checking in.
In-home care, such as babysitters, will be expanded to schools aged children if both parents are authorised workers.
Mr Andrews said once the state has reached the target of 70 per cent vaccinated with at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, health officials will look at easing restrictions “a little further”.
That target is estimated to be reached around Thursday, September 23.
The changes from that date will be:
– Five-kilometre limit will be expanded to 10 kilometres for shopping and exercise;
– Extend time to exercise from two hours to three hours;
– Outdoor communal gym equipment, skateparks, outdoor personal training can reopen;
– Childminding for school-aged children is allowed;
– Real estate private inspections permitted, with rules; and
– Construction sites can increase to 50 per cent capacity where 90 per cent of a workforce have received at least one vaccine dose.
“We are in for a difficult time, a challenging time, over the coming weeks,” Mr Andrews said.
“We will not see these case numbers go down… the question is how many, and how fast.
“What we must do is suppress case numbers.
“What we’ve given over the past four weeks has prevented us from around 6,000 cases… and 600 people in hospital.
“We can, all of us, manage the growth in these numbers.
“It will be hard, it will not be easy.”
All restrictions on movement and behaviours remain in place.
The five reasons to leave your home are still shopping for food and supplies, authorised work and study, care and caregiving, exercise, and getting vaccinated.
Other restrictions including mask wearing in and outdoors are the same.
The state recorded 120 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 today, with 64 linked to known outbreaks, as well as two deaths, including a woman in her 60s from Hume who died at home yesterday.
