The first changes to Victoria's vaccination measures will take effect from 6pm on Friday, 29 October. That means Melburnians are able to leave the city for the first time in months – just in time for the Melbourne Cup, which many people spend as if they were growing up weekends. The invisible border around Melbourne will be lifted and Victorians will be free to travel anywhere within the state.
There is no need to wear a mask outdoors
In outdoor environments where social distancing is possible, mask wearing will no longer be mandatory. But it is still needed indoors.
However, health authorities strongly recommend that Victorians continue to wear masks when they are unable to maintain physical distancing outdoors, for example on busy streets or in markets. Masks must be worn indoors.
Victoria continues to implement the "vaccine economy", which mandates statewide vaccinations for workers and receptions.
To access most venues, customers will need to provide proof of vaccination or a valid exemption. Children under the age of 16 do not have to show proof of vaccination.
Allow more social gatherings but still recommend working from home
Private gatherings will still be limited to 10 people, including family members, until the 90 percent vaccination target is reached, but as many as 30 people, including family, can gather outdoors starting next weekend.
This is good news for the struggling restaurant industry, with pubs, restaurants and cafes providing seating for more people indoors.
There can be one fully vaccinated customer for every four square meters indoors (4 in the "density quotient") and one fully vaccinated customer for every two square metres outdoors (2 in the "density quotient"), up to a maximum of 500 people.
Depending on the density quotient, weddings, funerals and religious ceremonies will serve the fully vaccinated both indoors and outdoors.
If vaccination status is unknown, a ceiling of 30 people will apply to weddings, funerals and religious gatherings.
For indoor seating venues such as cinemas and theaters, a capacity limit of 75% is imposed, with a maximum of one person per four square meters, with a maximum of 1,000 people. For indoor entertainment venues without seats, the same applies to the density quotient of one person per four square meters, but there is no upper limit.
Outdoor seated and non-seated entertainment venues, including stadiums, zoos and tourist attractions, will have a limit of 5,000 people and will be limited by the density quotient – both staff and visitors will be fully vaccinated.
Events such as music festivals can accommodate up to 5,000 participants, subject to any restrictions related to the venue.
Chief health officers can also approve major events and venues to host larger groups of people, based on the public event framework.
However, authorities urged Victorians to continue working from home if possible. But as long as they are fully vaccinated, they can go to the office site.
Retail stores, gyms and entertainment venues are finally reopening
Starting at 6 p.m. on Friday, most indoor venues, gyms and barbershops will be open with no upper limit, but subject to density quotient limits and full vaccinations for all staff and customers.
Victorians can also go to in-store for one-on-one treatments/physiotherapy, and indoor retail is finally reopening.
Schools and nurseries remain open
The school's arrangement is the same as the original roadmap, starting Friday, October 29, where face-to-face instruction will resume at all grade levels with security measures in place.
Early childhood education and nurseries for children are open.
All students return to school and additional security measures are in place. Fully vaccinated Victorians can also return to school for face-to-face adult education.
Vaccination rates reached 90 per cent, restoring pre-pandemic life
The next milestone in the roadmap will be when Victoria's two-shot vaccination target of 90 per cent for people aged 12 and over is expected to be achieved as early as Wednesday 24 November.
At that time, the wearing of masks will only be mandatory in high-risk settings, such as hospitals, aged care, public transportation, and judicial and correctional facilities.
But Andrews said that after entering 2022, there are still two rules: "in some environments require wearing a mask" and "must be given two doses of vaccine" will be retained.
Once the 90% vaccination target is reached, the number of people gathering at home and outdoors will be unlimited, meaning large social gatherings will start all over again. Anyone who is fully vaccinated can resume on-site work.
Retail, F&B and entertainment will also be further opened, with venues able to operate at maximum capacity, provided they meet vaccination requirements and COVID-19 measures.
However, as the "vaccine economy" is applied statewide, all non-essential retail workers and their customers will also need to be vaccinated.
But unvaccinated people can still go to basic stores like supermarkets and pharmacies.
As long as the COVID-19 regulations, including vaccination requirements, are followed, indoor and outdoor activities will be unrestricted.
Activities with large numbers of children may not be able to operate at full capacity because children still do not have access to vaccines.
There will be some caps on the number of people for religious ceremonies, weddings and funerals where vaccination status is unknown.
Important national venues hosting major events will need to submit their COVID-19 prevention plans every time and seek government approval.
Australia will consider prioritizing exchanges with Japan and South Korea
Victoria is stepping up its unsealing, and Australia's national border has gradually begun to be put on the agenda.
According to Australia's Daily Mail, Tourism Minister Dan Tehan confirmed that the federal government is discussing opening up borders with Indonesia. At the same time, Australia will also consider prioritizing the opening of quarantine-free exchanges with Japan and South Korea.
Australia will reopen its borders from 1 November, allowing citizens and PR to travel abroad. At the same time, travellers who have received two doses of the vaccine are not required to quarantine when entering NSW and Victoria.
Tehan said the negotiations between Australia and Indonesia were more than halfway through and he believed the two countries would resume communication in 2022.
"The Indonesian government wants to see Australians visit Bali, which is also a popular holiday destination for Australians. Tourism is an important part of Bali's economy, so we will continue our discussions. ”
Qantas has previously announced early flights from Sydney to Singapore, Bangkok, Phuket, Johannesburg and Fiji, and will start flying from Melbourne to London and Singapore on 23 November.
Fiji will open its borders from 1 December, and thousands of Australians booked holidays last week. Virgin Australia also today announced a ticket promotion with one-way flights to Bali as low as $300.