All the Covid-19 rule changes in Victoria as lockdown extended for greater Melbourne

Victoria will yet again be divided by two different sets of Covid-19 restrictions with new changes to the rules taking effect tonight.

Victoria will yet again be divided by two different sets of Covid-19 restrictions with new changes to the rules taking effect from 11.59pm on Thursday night.

Acting Premier James Merlino confirmed the changes after Victoria recorded another three new local infections on Thursday – including one already announced on Wednesday.

A seven day snap lockdown will be extended by another seven days for greater Melbourne, with health authorities saying it was “too early to say” if the harsh measure could be eased earlier.

Regional Victoria were granted more freedoms, with the lockdown scrapped.

From 11.59pm on Thursday these are the changes which apply to Melburnians:

• There are still only five reasons to leave home: Shopping for supplies, authorised work and study, care and care giving, exercise and getting vaccinated.
• People will be able to travel a little bit further for exercise and shopping with an expanded 10km radius.
• Students in years 11 and 12 will return to face-to-face learning, and that includes students in other year levels who are undertaking a Unit 3/4VCE subject.
• Outdoor jobs will be added to the authorised list for approved work – landscaping, painting, installing solar panels or letterboxing.
• Mask-wearing rules remain in place.

Victorian Acting Premier James Merlino announces an extension to lockdown for greater Melbourne. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Andrew Henshaw

There has also been a raft of changes announced for those living in regional Victoria:

• The five reasons to leave home are removed.
• No limit on the distance you can travel from home.
• You can only travel to Melbourne for a permitted reason and you must follow Melbourne restrictions once you are there.
• Outdoor gathering limits can occur with up to 10 people – infants under 12 months are not included in that cap.
• Food and hospitality will be open for seated service only, with a cap of 50 people per venue, subject to density requirements of one per 4 square metres.
• Retail can open and personal services such as beauty and tattooing can resume for services where masks can remain on.
• Religious gatherings and ceremonies are permitted for 50 people plus one faith leader indoors or outdoors.
• Gathering limits for weddings will be 10 people and for funerals, 50 mourners.
• Junior outdoor community sport will return and adults will be able to resume training outdoors.
• Outdoor pools, including swimming classes can operate with a limit of 50 people with a density quota of one per 4 square metres.
• Libraries and toy libraries can open with a cap of 50 people subject to density requirements.
• Outdoor entertainment venues – seated and unseated – will have a patron cap of 50 people or 50 per cent of the venue‘s seating capacity (whichever is lower).

There are 69 active cases of Covid-19 across Victoria. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Ian Currie

Mr Merlino said he wanted to be able to ease restrictions in time for the long Queen’s Birthday weekend but it was too soon to make that call.

“The public health advice is that we need to have a period of time, a further period of time where we have different settings between regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne,” he said.

“Unfortunately, that cuts across the period of the long weekend and that is why I will have more to say about what support we will provide for regional tourism and accommodation.

“I know it is an inconvenience for people, I know people have made plans, but the advice from public health is that we just need to keep metro and regional separate for a bit further.”

There are 69 active cases of coronavirus across the state and more than 370 exposure sites.