About a quarter of a million Victorians will be stood down from their jobs or told to stay home from work, as entire industries across Melbourne are ordered to close to stop the spread of COVID-19. Here’s what it means for your workplace.

About a quarter of a million Victorians will be stood down from their jobs or told to stay home from work, as entire industries across Melbourne are ordered to close to stop the spread of COVID-19.
That’s on top of the 500,000 people who are already working from home, and 250,000 others stood down earlier in the crisis.
Many other businesses will have to operate at reduced capacity and with fewer staff when the restrictions take effect on Thursday.
Here’s how the changes announced by Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews will affect your workplace.
Retail
All retail stores will be required to close, except for:

  • Supermarkets and grocery stores
  • Bottle shops
  • Convenience stores and newsagencies
  • Petrol stations
  • Pharmacies
  • Post offices
  • Hardware, building and garden suppliers retailing for trade
  • Specialist stationery suppliers for business use
  • Disability, health, mobility device and equipment retailers
  • Maternity supply retailers
  • Motor vehicle parts for emergency repairs, only agricultural retailers (drive through only)

Retailers will be able to run delivery services and contactless click-and-collect services for online businesses, with extra rules and regulations.
As an example, Mr Andrews said Bunnings hardware stores could sell to consumers who used contactless collection, but the public wouldn’t be allowed inside.
Hardware, building and garden supply businesses will, however, be able to sell to tradespeople in store.
Mr Andrews yesterday announced that businesses that supply food would be able to continue their work
“I want to assure all Victorians supermarkets, the butcher, the baker, food, beverage, groceries, those types of settings, there will be no impact there,” he said.
For the latest news on the COVID-19 pandemic read our coronavirus live blog.
Meat production
The Victorian Government said it considered the meat production and seafood processing industries to be essential, but high-risk.
They will be allowed to continue across the state, but with the following restrictions:

  • Businesses must reduce their production by a third of peak capacity
  • Workers can only work at a single site, and must wear PPE
  • Supermarkets will be required to reduce their distribution centre workforce by a third of its peak level

Mr Andrews said meatworks businesses would look very different under the new rules.
“Those workers will be essentially dressed as if they are a health worker gloves and gowns, masks and shields,” he said.
“They will be working in one workplace only, they will be temperature checked, they will be tested.”
Mr Andrews said Victorians would still have access to the products they needed, even with producers running stripped-back operations.
“I can’t guarantee that every single product at exactly the volumes you might like to buy will be there, but there will be enough for people to get what they need,” he said.
“And there’ll be more to go around if people buy what they need when they need it, rather than everyone going and buying four trolleys’ worth of groceries and enough chicken or beef to last you until Christmas.
“That is simply not necessary.”
Read more about coronavirus:
Manufacturing
Manufacturers of these products must close:

  • Metallic mineral products
  • Fabricated metal products
  • Furniture
  • Wood products
  • Leather tanning, fur dressing and leather goods
  • Textiles
  • Knitted products
  • Clothing and footwear
  • Domestic appliances

Manufacturing of these products can continue with a ‘COVID safe’ plan:

  • Food and beverages
  • Medical equipment and PPE
  • Petroleum and coal products
  • Basic chemicals
  • Coffins and caskets
  • Aluminium smelting
  • Cement and lime
  • Pharmaceutical goods
  • Sanitary products
  • Telecommunication infrastructure
  • Goods for defence or security industries
  • Residential building supplies
  • Pulp, paper and converted paper products
  • Cleaning products
  • Fertiliser and pesticides
  • Printing and support services
  • Glass and glass products, including lenses
  • Computer and electronic equipment
  • Critical infrastructure public works goods
  • Heavy trucks
  • Specialised machinery and equipment
  • Transport equipment
  • Polyethylene and resins

These operation can continue with skeleton staff, to ensure facilities and equipment are safely maintained and environmental requirements are met:

  • Polymer and rubber manufacturing
  • Other basic chemical production manufacturing
  • Primary metal and metal product manufacturing
  • Basic polymer manufacturing

Melbourne is now under stage four restrictions, while the rest of the state will return to stage three restrictions from Thursday.(ABC News)
Construction
Construction sites will have the following restrictions:

  • Any building project of more than three storeys can only have a maximum of 25 per cent of normal employees on site
  • Any building of three storeys or less must have a maximum of five workers, including supervisors, on site
  • Each site must have a COVID safe plan
  • Workers can only work at one site during stage four
  • There must not be blending of shifts

Mr Andrews described the construction sector as the “lifeblood” of Victoria’s economy.
He said many construction projects would be switched to a “pilot light” stage, and major government projects would continue with reduced staff.
“They’re not being turned off completely, they are dramatically reducing the number of people they have working for them and their output for the next six weeks,” he said
Consumers won’t be able to call tradespeople to do jobs at their homes unless it is for an emergency, and Mr Andrews warned it will take longer for homes to be built.
Financial and insurance services
The following can continue to operate:

  • Bank branches
  • Critical banking services to support credit and payment facilities

The following can only operate outside the office:

  • Non-depository financing
  • Financial asset investing
  • Insurance and superannuation funds
  • Auxiliary finance and insurance services

Horse and greyhound racing
Horse and greyhound racing will be allowed, with limits on the people who can attend.
“There’ll be no owners, there’ll be no media, there’ll be only the broadcasters and the direct participants involved in that activity,” Mr Andrews said.
“There are some significant animal welfare issues. If you were to try and turn that industry off and take those animals out of training there are some very significant animal welfare issues there.”
Wholesale trade
The following sites will be closed:

  • Whole trade unrelated to food and medical supplies, except where it is critical to supply a permitted service
  • Motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts wholesaling
  • Furniture, floor coverings and other goods wholesaling
  • Commission-based wholesaling

The following will be allowed with a COVID safe plan:

  • Grocery, liquor, tobacco wholesaling

Retail services
The following will be closed on site:

  • Personal care, including hairdressers
  • Photographic film processing
  • Car washes

The following can continue with a COVID safe plan;

  • Locksmiths
  • Laundry and dry cleaners

Information, media and telecommunications
These businesses will close onsite activities:

  • Book publishing
  • Directory and mailing list publishing
  • Other publishing
  • Software publishing
  • Motion picture and sound recording activities
  • Library and other information services

These workplaces can continue with a COVID safe plan:

  • Telecommunication services
  • Newspaper and magazine publishing
  • Radio and television broadcasting
  • Internet publishing and broadcasting
  • Internet service providers, web search portals and data processing services
  • Screen production
  • Production, broadcast and distribution of supporting services for critical functions such as law enforcement, public safety, medical or other critical industries

Rental hiring and real estate services
These businesses can not continue in the workplace:

  • Rental and hiring services
  • Property operators and real estate services

These businesses can continue with a COVID safe plan:

  • Rental and hiring services where supply is to a permitted service or industry
  • Farm animal and bloodstock leasing

Professional, scientific and technical services
These workplaces must close:

  • Architectural, engineering and technical services
  • Legal and accounting services
  • Advertising
  • Market research and statistical services
  • Management and related consulting
  • Professional photography
  • Computer system design and related services

These workplaces can continue:

  • Those involved in COVID-19 scientific services
  • Hazard monitoring and resilience
  • Biosecurity and public health
  • Medical or other research where Australia has a competitive advantage and which cannot be shutdown
  • Critical scientific facilities

Administration and support services
These services cannot operate in the workplace:

  • Employment services
  • Travel agency and tour group services
  • Office administration services
  • Document preparation services

These businesses can continue:

  • Building and grounds maintenance, cleaning and pest control
  • Call centres providing critical services
  • Employment services that cannot be delivered online

Full details:
What you need to know about coronavirus: