Rolling coverage: Melbourne office return to go ahead as mask rules eased

Victoria’s stalled return to work plans will resume from Monday, with Premier Daniel Andrews also announcing changes to office mask rules.

Masks are still mandatory indoors in Melbourne. Picture: David Crosling.

Victoria’s return to work plans will resume from Monday while mask rules will also be eased.

Victoria’s return to work plans will resume from Monday while mask rules will also be eased.

Plans to allow 50 per cent capacity in private office buildings and 25 per cent of public servant offices had been put back a week after concerns about fresh outbreaks in late December.

But Premier Daniel Andrews on Thursday said no evidence of local transmission across Victoria meant the plans could go ahead from next week.

A further increase in these capacity limits is hoped for late February but will be subject to ongoing public health advice.

Premier Daniel Andrews announces changes to office rules on Thursday. Picture: Getty

“While many Victorians will be happy to see this easing of restrictions it’s vital that workplaces maintain and enforce their COVIDSafe plans to protect staff and the broader community,” Mr Andrews said.

Mask rules will also return to what they were pre-Christmas from 11.59pm on Sunday.

Masks will now only be mandatory on all domestic flights, at airports, in hospitals, on public transport, in ride shares or taxis, in commercial passenger vehicles, at supermarkets and other large indoor retail locations, including shopping centres.

They will not be mandatory in offices, however the government said it was recommended that Victorians carry a mask whenever they left home and wear a mask in all other situations if physical distancing was not possible.

Deputy chief health officer Allen Cheng said mask wearing would continue to offer “some level of protection” as the risk of community transmission remains.

“It’s a small price to pay to allow people to return back to the offices and move around in the community,” he said.

Deputy chief health officer Allen Cheng says masks continue to offer “some level of protection”. Picture: NewsWire

Dr Cheng also hinted that mask rules may be eased further once authorities were confident there was no transmission in the community.

Victoria recorded no new cases of coronavirus on Thursday as more than 16,000 people were tested in the past 24 hours.

There are 29 active cases of COVID-19 across the state.

Nationwide, NSW and Qld have recorded no new cases of local transmission.

NEARLY 20 VICTORIANS AT UK COVID RISK

A number of Victorians in hotel quarantine in Queensland are being contacted and retested for the UK coronavirus strain after returning to Victoria since December 30.

Mr Andrews said as a result of the COVID-19 fears plaguing Queensland, he said 18 people who quarantined in Brisbane’s Hotel Grand Chancellor and then returned to Victoria since December 30 will be followed up.

“We are contacting them. We are testing them. Some of them will need to isolate. Some will simply need to get a negative test,” he said on Thursday.

“There’s a specific window where we believe there is some chance that because of the infections that have already been recorded in hotel quarantine, between staff and residents, and it is that UK strain, without any other link … circumstances are very much based on each person’s travel movements and when they were in hotel quarantine.”

Mr Andrews said he would provide further updates on the health status of the 18 people once all of them had been contacted.

“There’s a lot of work, our contact tracing team worked throughout the night last night,” he said.

“We will continue to support and advise those people and can I say, as well, to check they are compliant with whatever requests we make of them.”

The Premier described the situation in Queensland as “serious”.

“We’re taking it very seriously,” he said. “To have 18 people who could be infected with the novel strain, that highly infectious strain out of the UK is of concern to us.

“That’s why we have settings for the Brisbane red zones as determined by national cabinet and as announced by the Prime Minister last Friday, but those 18 people are being followed up.”

Some Melburnians are choosing to wear masks outdoors. Picture: David Crosling/NCA NewsWire.

QLD, NSW RED ZONES TO REMAIN

Brisbane City and surrounding LGAs, and Greater Sydney, Wollongong and the Blue Mountains will remain red zones until further notice.

Mr Andrews said Victoria simply cannot take the risk in lifting the classification, particularly with the transmission of the UK strain in Queensland’s hotel quarantine system.

Mr Andrews also said work was going on to reduce the total number of red zones to include local government areas of the highest concern.

“If conditions in Sydney are favourable for us to reduce our focus to a smaller geographical footprint and therefore, a smaller number of people, we will absolutely do that. That is becoming more important given the return to school.

The Grand Prix has been postponed until November. Picture: Peter Parks/AFP.

GRAND PRIX CREWS COULD AVOID NOVEMBER HOTEL QUARANTINE

Rescheduling the Australian Grand Prix until November could mean Formula One teams avoid 14 days of hotel quarantine, Major Events Minister Martin Pakula has flagged.

The Melbourne leg of the Formula One season was meant to be held from March 18 to 21 but this week it was ­announced the event will now run from November 18 to 21.

The date change was ­decided after teams were ­reluctant to go through the mandatory two-week quarantine process required for international travellers.

The 2020 Grand Prix was cancelled. Picture: Scott Barbour/AAP.

After lengthy talks, the state government and Formula One management agreed an altered timetable would be the best solution to keep the race in Melbourne. It will now be the third-last event in the racing season, with a tight window to move teams from Brazil on November 7 to Australia while also protecting against coronavirus outbreaks.

Mr Pakula said the rollout of a coronavirus vaccine could mean significant changes to travel restrictions.

“The vaccine rollout has started in Europe and America and will be starting in Australia in February,” he said.

“We expect that to gather pace throughout 2021.

“No one should automatically assuming that the National Cabinet position on quarantining in January will be the same in November.”

Mr Pakula said he was hopeful global travel would start to re-emerge as more people got vaccinated.

Australian Grand Prix chief executive Andrew Westacott said officials would now work to bed down details about how the track at Albert Park would be managed between ­November and March 2022, when the event may return.

Mr Westacott said officials would also work to find the best process of handling teams travelling from Brazil to Melbourne.