Daniel Andrews has scrapped most Covid restrictions across Victoria in a radical shift in how his state handles the pandemic.
The premier announced almost all the rules introduced in December and January to combat the Omicron wave will be dumped from Friday.
However, masks will stay compulsory indoors for now but Health Minister Martin Foley said he was ‘confident’ about relaxing this later today.
Hospitality indoor density limits capping patrons at one per two square metres will be scrapped and dance floors reopened.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet is expected to announce similar relaxed rules at 12.30pm as the two states try to coordinate their Covid responses.
Premier Daniel Andrews has scrapped most Covid restrictions across Victoria in a radical shift in how his state handles the pandemic
QR code check-ins, including vaccine requirements, will be abolished for shops, schools, and staff at ‘many workplaces’ (pictured, a woman signs in using a QR code in Melbourne)
Mr Andrews said the booster vaccine rate for over-15s was just 12.7 per cent when density rules were introduced on January 6, compared to 52.2 per cent today.
When the dance-floor closure was announced on January 10, 818 Victorians were in hospital with Covid-19, compared to 401 on Thursday.
‘This is exactly what we said we would do,’ the premier said. ‘We would have rules on for not a moment longer than they were needed.’
QR code check-ins, including vaccine requirements, will be abolished for shops, schools, and staff at ‘many workplaces’.
However, they will still be required at hospitality and entertainment venues despite contact tracing not being rigorously conducted.
Mr Andrews said the main reason QR codes would remain in these settings was to keep unvaccinated Victorians from entering.
The premier said that even though health officials weren’t tracking people’s movements at the moment, ‘that doesn’t mean we won’t contact trace in the future’.
‘But, ultimately, it’s just the simplest and easiest thing to do to validate that you are vaccinated and that you are allowed to be at the pub or in the restaurant,’ he said.
‘If it’s a (vaccinated) economy setting (where you) have to be vaccinated, then you continue to check in.’
Key industries like meat processing and supply chains where staff were required to be regularly tested for Covid will no longer have to.
Hospitality indoor density limits capping patrons at one per two square metres will be scrapped and dance floors reopened (pictured, punters in St Kilda)
‘These mandates will be become recommended-only, reflecting declining community transmission,’ Mr Andrews said.
‘Requirements for hospital worker bubbles will also be removed, but health services may still implement them at their discretion.’
International travellers will no longer need an arrivals permit through Service Victoria and unvaccinated passengers only need to do seven days of hotel quarantine.
Mr Foley will also ‘consider’ removing the recommendation for Victorians to work from home, and allowing office workers to remove masks.
Mr Andrews said he hoped Victorians would be back in the office by next Friday, and all public service staff would be working at least three days a week.
The premier announced almost all the rules introduced in December and January to combat the Omicron wave would be dumped from Friday (pictured, pedestrians in Melbourne)
‘We always said these measures wouldn’t be in place for a minute longer than they are needed, and with hospitalisation numbers decreasing and less pressure on our health system, now is a sensible time to make changes,’ Mr Andrews said.
‘We’re grateful to everyone who has been doing the right thing, helping to reduce the impact of this virus on the community, our healthcare system and our economy.’
Mr Foley said abandoning check-in for shops and schools would allow health staff to focus on the highest-risk settings most likely to generate super-spreader events.
However, Mr Andrews warned restrictions could be brought back in if a new variant emerged, which was a significant possibility.
The state government will commit to distributing an extra 24 million rapid antigen tests to schools and early childhood services.
School testing programs will continue for the duration of Term 1 with students urged to self-test twice a week while teachers and staff members at specialist schools are encouraged to test five times a week.
The measure, which will continue for the full 10 weeks of term instead of the first four is hoped to prevent up to 150,000 community infections.
The state government will commit to distributing an extra 24 million rapid antigen tests to schools and early childhood services (pictured, pedestrians in Sydney)
Education Minister James Merlino said the 2022 school year had kicked off ‘safely’ and ‘successfully’ and said with high vaccination rates, purifiers and RATs schools would have the best chance at staying open.
The state will also donate 60,000 extra air purifiers to cover every classroom in government and low fee non-government classrooms.
More to come.
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