Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says more office workers will be able to return to workplaces and people can have more visitors to their homes from tomorrow.
For the 37th consecutive day, Victoria has recorded no new cases of coronavirus.
There were 8,377 test results received on Saturday.
Private sector companies will be allowed to move up to 50 per cent of employees back into their offices from January 11. They are currently at 25 per cent.
Public sector workers have continued to work from home to make room for the private sector.
From January 11, the Victorian public sector will move to 25 per cent of staff in their offices and, on February 8, to 50 per cent.
Mr Andrews said all of those targets were subject to public health advice at the time.
From Monday, Victorian households will be able to have up to 30 visitors to their homes per day.
"That's not 30 for lunch and 30 for dinner. That's across the day," he said.
"I'm sure that will be very warmly welcomed."
Up to 100 people from any number of households are allowed to gather outdoors.
The cap on the numbers of people attending weddings, funerals and religious gatherings will go. Instead a two-square-metre rule will apply.
Dance floors at weddings can only have a maximum of 50 people with one person per four square metres.
The same rules apply for nightclubs.
A wedding or service in the home is treated like any other gathering with a limit of 30 people.
Masks still required in supermarkets, shopping centres
Masks must be carried by everyone at all times and they must be worn in indoor shopping centres and supermarkets and department stores, the Premier said.
"For instance Kmart, Myer, Ikea, Bunnings, JB HiFi just to give you a few examples, and indoor markets, such as the Prahran market," he said.
"Large, big crowds, people you don't know, not everybody has QR coded in. So there's a need or a requirement to wear a mask in those settings."
Masks are also required in taxis and rideshare vehicles and on public transport.
Caps on the numbers of people in restaurants and cafes will be replaced by density limits — one person per two-square-metres for both indoor and outdoors.
Density limits will be scrapped for businesses with fewer than 25 patrons.
Premier Daniel Andrews's full statement:
2020 has seen us embrace a new vocabulary.
We've become experts on "Reff rates" and "roadmaps" — on following the rules and sticking to restrictions.
Week after week, change and change — we adapted, and readapted. But we did it, because it meant keeping our state safe.
Until we have a vaccine — and even then, until we have a widely distributed vaccine — some aspects of these rules and restrictions must continue to be part of our reality.
At the same time, and because of the efforts of every Victorian, we're able to end this year with far fewer limits on what we can and can't do.
Our new "COVIDSafe Summer" will be in place until at least the end of January, giving Victorians a bit more certainty about what the next couple of months will look like.
These are the restrictions that will see us through the summer months — and living as normally as we can until we get a greater sense of what the rest of 2021 will look like.
Under the changes, and from tonight at 11:59pm, masks will only be required in a limited number of places: on public transport, in rideshare vehicles and taxis, in some retail settings including indoor shopping centres, supermarkets, department stores and indoor markets.
While masks are no longer mandated in most circumstances, the evidence is clear wearing a face covering makes a real difference in slowing the spread of the virus - so masks continue to be recommended indoors or outdoors when distancing can't be maintained.
As has been previously announced, Victorians will be able to host up to 30 people in their home. Outdoor gatherings in public places — the beach, the park — can increase to 100.
Density limits in our pubs, restaurants and cafes will shift to 1 person per 2 square metres for both indoors and outdoors with no other cap. The use of electronic record keeping — a QR code — will be mandatory.
And for small operations, there'll be no density limits if the patron number is under 25.
For retail and beauty services, businesses will be able to move to 1 person per 2 square metres — if they also introduce electronic record keeping. For businesses where that's just not possible, the existing density limits will continue to apply.
The cap for funerals and weddings will also be removed, subject to a new density limit of 1 person per 2 square metres. For those who want to dance on their special day — or maybe even the Nutbush — dancefloors will be able to host up to 50 people, with a density of 1 person per 4 square metres.
The same rules will apply to nightclubs. But remember, the health advice still stands: no hugs, no handshakes and if you're feeling sick, you need to get tested and stay home.
The same new density limits will apply for community facilities, like our libraries, RSLs, and community halls.
In gyms, the density limit will move to 1 per 4 square metres — with exercise classes limited to 50 indoors and 100 outdoors.
And more relaxed restrictions for our entertainment venues will see more Victorians enjoying everything that makes us the cultural capital of Australia.
For those sick of only seeing their colleagues in a square on the screen, we'll be able to move to a 50 per cent return for office workers by 11 January, after considering the public health advice at the time. For the Victorian public service, up to 25 per cent will be able to return to the office from 11 January, moving up to 50 per cent on 8 February.
Details of further changes will be made available online.
As always, this won't be everything for everyone. But these are the careful steps we can take as we continue to protect our state and everything we've built.
Victoria, enjoy your summer.
You've earned it
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiXWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIwLTEyLTA2L2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzLXJlc3RyaWN0aW9ucy1lYXNlZC1hZ2Fpbi12aWN0b3JpYS8xMjk1NDMxNtIBJ2h0dHBzOi8vYW1wLmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvYXJ0aWNsZS8xMjk1NDMxNg?oc=5
2020-12-05 23:53:00Z
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