Human Interest

Seeking to crack down on the high rate of community transmission in Victoria, Premier Daniel Andrews has imposed an unprecedented set of new rules. This is what you need to know.

Life is about to look very different for all Victorians.
Premier Daniel Andrews and Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton have introduced a stricter set of rules designed to rein in coronavirus infections, which have been spreading disastrously over the past month.
Key changes:

  • If you live in metropolitan Melbourne you will be required to stay home unless you need to leave for four reasons
  • These reasons are shopping for food and supplies, care and caregiving, exercise within 5 kilometres of your home, and study and work, if you cant do it from home
  • You must also wear a mask when you leave home for one of the four reasons
  • Mitchell Shire will move to stage three restrictions
  • Trains and trams will continue to operate but with limited capacity
  • Uber and taxi operators will be limited
  • An 8:00pm to 5:00am curfew will be in place from 6:00pm Sunday, August 2 for six weeks

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What are the new restrictions?
The new “stay at home restrictions” will apply to 31 metropolitan local government areas.
There will only be four reasons residents can leave their home: to buy goods or services, for medical care or compassionate reasons, to exercise, or for work or education if necessary.
Shopping for food and necessary supplies will only be allowed within 5 kilometres of your home, or at the nearest available supermarket, and it will be limited to one person per household, once per day.
Exercise will also be limited to within 5 kilometres of a resident’s home. They will continue to be allowed to exercise with only one other person, and it will be limited to once per day for a maximum of one hour.
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Residents will not be allowed to have visitors in their home. They can be in public with up to two people maximum, including a member of their household.
Couples that live more than 5 kilometres apart will still be allowed to visit each other.
Weddings will be banned except on compassionate grounds.
Organised sport, such as golf and fishing will not be allowed.
What is the new curfew?
A curfew will apply from 8:00 pm to 5:00am each night, with exceptions for work or medical care and caregiving.
Exemptions include visiting a person who you are in an intimate personal relationship, including outside metropolitan Melbourne.
You will not be able to leave metropolitan Melbourne for exercise.
You may only leave metropolitan Melbourne for shopping for food and essential supplies if within 5km.
Childcare centres will also face restricted operation under Mr Andrews’ new rules.(AAP: Daniel Pockett)
Where do the new restrictions apply?
The areas moving to stage four “stay at home” restrictions are 31 metropolitan Melbourne local government areas.
They are: Banyule, Hume, Moreland, Bayside, Kingston, Mornington Peninsula, Boroondara, Knox, Nillumbik, Brimbank, Manningham, Port Phillip, Cardinia, Maribyrnong, Stonnington, Casey, Maroondah, Whitehorse, Darebin, Melbourne, Whittlesea, Frankston, Melton, Wyndham, Glen Eira, Monash, Yarra, Greater Dandenong, Moonee Valley, Yarra Ranges, Hobsons Bay.
The restrictions that apply to the area where you live follow you if you leave that area, unless the area you are entering has tighter restrictions, in which case you must observe those.
Mitchell Shire remains on stage three restrictions.
What time will they come into force?
The curfew will be implemented at 6:00 pm on Sunday, 2 August and continue for six weeks to 11:59pm on Sunday, 13 September.
Stage four restrictions will be implemented some time mid-week.
There will be more details around the way the latest restrictions will be enforced on Monday, 3 August.
Which businesses will be affected?
Cafes and restaurants will only be allowed to do contactless takeaway trade.(AAP: James Ross)
Employees will not be allowed to work at their business location if it is reasonably practicable for them to work from home.
Restaurants and cafes will only be able to operate in a takeaway and delivery capacity.
Pubs, bars, clubs and nightclubs will be closed. Bottle shops will move to takeaway only.
Food courts will be closed, as well as beauty and personal care services, apart from hairdressers.
Saunas and bathhouses will be closed.
Markets stalls will be able to operate but only to provide takeaway food and drink.
Markets and shopping centres will be open, subject to density quotient, but people can only visit for necessary goods and services.
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How will schools be impacted?
School students, including those in year 11 and 12, will return to remote learning. The exception will be vulnerable children and children of permitted workers. Specialist schools will be open for vulnerable children and children of permitted workers from Wednesday, 5 August.
Childcare and kinder will be closed, except for vulnerable children and children of permitted workers from 11:59pm, Wednesday 5 August.
Higher education and TAFE will be remote learning and training only.
Restrictions will be brought in on transport
Overnight train services will be restricted. Trains and trams will continue to operate but with limited capacity.
Uber and taxi operators will be limited, with mandatory masks and mandatory back seat, but more detail will be revealed on Monday 3 August.
Weddings will be cancelled, funerals unchanged
Funerals will be allowed and remain unchanged but weddings will not go ahead unless there’s a compassionate reason.
“We’ll be as generous as we can be, but again, those matters need to wait,” Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said.
“There are so many different things that have to wait because they pose an unreasonable risk.
Regional Victoria to move to stage three restrictions
From midnight next Wednesday, restaurants, cafes, bars, gyms will close in regional Victoria.
Mr Andrews said this was important to prevent a situation where the virus transmission was driven down in metropolitan Melbourne but continued to grow in regional parts of the state.
Businesses will operate under stage three restrictions. This will include supermarkets, butchers, grocers operating as normal.
There will be reduced total output: This means fewer people working fewer shifts, less contact and seeding from workplaces into families.
Businesses will close unless staff can work from home.
Restaurants will operate at takeaway capacity.
What you need to know about coronavirus: