By Amanda Curatore

Yesterday, Premier Daniel Andrews announced that Melbourne will now be subject to the same coronavirus restrictions as the rest of Victoria as of 11:59 PM Sunday 8 November 2020.

What do you need to know?

Effective from 11:59 PM 8 November 2020, the ‘ring of steel’ will be removed, allowing people to travel between Melbourne and regional Victoria. Melbourne’s 25-kilometre travel limit will no longer exist, and interstate travel is now also permitted.

Businesses re-opening 

  • Gyms and indoor fitness centres will re-open with up to 20 people and subject to strict density limits;
  • Indoor entertainment venues such as cinemas, music and concert halls, auditoriums, galleries and museums will re-open for a maximum of 20 people per space (e.g. each screening room or gallery space). In addition, performance times including movie screenings will be staggered to avoid people congregating in shared spaces;
  • Crown Casino will re-open with 10 separate rooms, with a maximum of 10 people per room for electronic machines and gaming tables only;
  • Hospitality can now host a maximum of 40 people indoors and a maximum of 70 people outdoors;

Gatherings and events

  • Indoor community sports for under-18s can start again;
  • Indoor skate parks, trampoline centres and play centres can welcome back children subject to density rules in place;
  • People of faith will now be able to gather up to a maximum of 20 people and one faith leader indoors and a maximum of 50 people and one faith leader outdoors; and
  • Funerals will increase to 20 mourners indoors or 50 mourners outdoors.

Home visits

  • Each day a household can receive up to two different adult visitors (either together, or separately, from different households) and dependents of the visitors are excluded from the visitor cap.

Coming up on 22 November 2020

Andrews announced that the next step out of lockdown will come into effect on 22 November 2020 with most of the changes applying to gatherings and indoor venues including:

  • The limit on visitors to a home will increase to 10 people and the limit on outdoor public gatherings will increase to 50 people;
  • Weddings and funerals will be able to host up to 100 people (however if held at home privately, attendance will be limited to 10 people);
  • The limit at indoor venues such as cinemas and libraries will increase to 100 people;
  • Gyms and indoor sports venues will also be allowed to host up to 100 people in groups of 20;
  • Hospitality will increase to 100 people indoors and 200 people outdoors; and
  • Large sporting venues will be able to return to 25 per cent of capacity.

Measures still in place

  • Wearing face masks in public remains mandatory;
  • Individuals who can work from home must continue working from home;
  • Outdoor public gatherings remain limited to 10 people; and
  • Weddings can only continue to host 10 people (whether indoors or outdoors), not including the couple, the celebrant and one photographer.

If your business has a coronavirus-related query, please contact the HR Assured team.

Amanda Curatore is a qualified Senior Workplace Relations Consultant at FCB Group and HR Assured. Amanda is highly experienced in providing workplace relations advice and assistance to clients in a wide range of matters including employment contracts, modern award interpretation, managing performance, bullying and harassment, terminations and managing risk.