Restrictions eased ahead of 90 per cent goal

RESTRICTIONS for the state's fully vaccinated population largely dissipated overnight, as Victoria continued to inch towards the 90 per cent threshold for those aged 12 and over. From 11:59pm yesterday, limits for visitors to homes and venues such as restaurants and retail were removed, with those yet to complete their vaccination dosage locked out for the foreseeable future. Hospitality restrictions will return to being dictated by the venue's liquor licence, while weddings, funerals and religious ceremonies will have no limits placed on them if all attendees are fully vaccinated. Masks will remain mandatory in schools for all employees and students in years three and above, and attendees at retail, health care, aged care, justice facilities and public transport and rideshare providers will be expected to wear masks until at least December 15. The state's travel economy is expected to receive a boost, with no limits placed on travel and accommodation in Victoria, however, restrictions in restaurants and gymnasiums at accommodation providers will still apply for individuals who are not fully vaccinated. Vaccination requirements at essential retail stores such as supermarkets and post offices will not exist, however, hairdressers, libraries and real estate auctions will only be available to those who are fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, involvement in community sport will be permitted for everyone, regardless of vaccination status, but gyms, swimming pools and sporting events will remain inaccessible for those who are not fully vaccinated. Sweeping new changes to the state's isolation expectations also came into effect last night, with those who come into contact with a positive case outside of their home now expected to get tested and isolate until they get a negative result, rather than completing a mandatory seven or 14 day quarantine depending on their vaccination status. Close household contacts will still be expected to complete a full course of isolation, while those who return a positive test will only need to complete a 10 day quarantine, rather than a traditional 14 day period of isolation. The government also outlined plans to no longer publish exposure sites, moving to an alert system through the Service Victoria application to alert residents of potential hotspots. A checklist for cases, contacts, workplaces and schools is available at www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/checklist, while further COVIDSafe settings can be viewed at https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/coronavirus–covidsafe–settings.

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