The Victorian government is finalising a significant easing of public health restrictions that will wind back most rules and spur economic activity before an expected resurgence of COVID-19 cases in winter.
Victorian officials will this week announce what Premier Daniel Andrews said were “really important” changes towards normalising the spread of the virus.
An easing of rules and a voucher program are being planned to revitalise the CBD.Credit:Chris Hopkins
The Premier made the comments on the same day he shifted his stance backing third vaccine dose mandates, arguing the requirement could be too difficult to enforce because of the Morrison government’s decision to allow travellers with two doses to enter Australia quarantine-free.
The state government is in talks with business groups about allowing office workers to remove their masks at desks and scrapping the recommendation to work from home in the hope of regenerating the CBD and sectors that rely on its vibrancy. Density limits for hospitality businesses and the prohibition on dance floors are also being reviewed.
Two sources not authorised to speak publicly said Victoria would likely lift restrictions in line with NSW, which will encourage workers to return to offices and remove the indoor mask mandate on March 1. Health officials have gained the confidence to ease rules after a feared spike in cases caused by the reopening of schools did not eventuate, the sources said.
The move to energise the city centre will be complemented by a new round of vouchers to be announced next week. Melbourne lord mayor Sally Capp has lobbied for a return of the Melbourne Money program and the state government scheme would likely subsidise restaurant and accommodation spending.
Andrews government officials were tight-lipped on the move because new legislation governing pandemic rules disallows them from foreshadowing rule changes.
However, two sources not authorised to speak publicly drew attention to the NSW changes on March 1, and another said Victorian officials had discussed with stakeholders the possibility of relaxing vaccine mandates in some settings, though it is unclear if this change is likely.
Mr Andrews said earlier this month he hoped international arrivals would need to be tripled-dosed to enter Victoria. He had also indicated locals should have a third vaccine to enter retail or hospitality venues. The federal government has since announced that two doses will suffice for tourists when the international border opens next week, leading to a shift in the Premier’s position.
“The Commonwealth is going to open the borders and allow hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people, who may not be third dosed, into our state,” he said on Wednesday.
“You’ve got so many different systems operating at once that it doesn’t really work ... saying to someone you can’t go to the pub unless you’ve got three jabs ... but the person sitting there having a steak and chips from another country has only got two. It gets hard to justify.”
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation said last week Australians aged 16 and over would be considered “overdue” for a booster six months after receiving their second dose. The Premier suggested the Morrison government had ignored the expert panel’s advice on the importance of additional jabs to top-up dwindling immunity.
“[The Commonwealth] perhaps may have done [it] differently; there is ATAGI advice there. They don’t necessarily seem to be following that, but that’s a matter for them. I can’t change that, but there comes a point where things become kind of impractical.”
Victoria recorded 18 COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday, while the number of people in hospital with the virus dropped from 441 to 397, less than 70 of whom were in an intensive care unit.
All elective surgery in both private and public hospitals will resume by the end of the month. Presently, only the most urgent types of elective surgeries are being conducted at public hospitals after health officials cut the number of procedures to free up space to manage COVID-19 patients during the Omicron wave.
The weeks-long reduction in surgery bloated the already-clogged surgery waiting list and Mr Andrews said staff may need to work overtime and on weekends to make up for lost time.
“I don’t think it’s unreasonable that we might at some point around the national cabinet table have a bit of a discussion about how we might share some of those costs with only one purpose, to get as many people their surgery as fast as possible,” he said.
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy has spent weeks campaigning on the government’s management of the health system and pledged to halve the elective surgery waiting list in his first term of government should he win the November election.
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2022-02-16 08:43:09Z
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