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New 25km bubble as Premier reveals lockdown rules for Victoria
By Ashleigh McMillan
No limit on time outdoors, a new 25-kilometre travel bubble and outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people from two households are among the new lockdown rules for Victoria.
Premier Daniel Andrews said that from 11.59pm on Sunday there would not be any time limit on leaving the home and the five-kilometre limit on travel for Melburnians would expand to 25 kilometres.
Outdoor gatherings would be allowed with up to 10 people from two households and skate parks, golf and tennis would be permitted.
Hairdressers would also be allowed to reopen, subject to some restrictions.
Outdoor real estate auctions would be allowed with a maximum of 10 people and commercial real estate inspections can occur.
"I know some people will reasonably ask why it's limited to two households - and not five or 10. But by limiting the number of households, we're limiting any potential spread of the virus," he said.
All allied health professionals already operating would be able to resume face-to-face care.
Outdoor pools can host 30 swimmers. Indoor pools can open up for one-on-one hydrotherapy with a health professional.
However, Mr Andrews hammered home that Melburnians cannot have their usual AFL grand final parties.
The Premier warned that as "significant as the day is", people should not break the rules and host parties or barbecues on Saturday against the rules.
"You cannot have friends over into your home. You cannot pretend that it is over because we all desperately want it to be," he said.
"I know that many people would normally spend time with family and friends to celebrate that day ... it is a big part of who we are."
"As important as it is, in a cultural sense, in a very passionate way, for every single football fan across our state, it is not worth risking all that we have done, all that we have built, all that we can do in just a few days' time by having gatherings that are unsafe."
Next big step in fortnight
People in Melbourne will be able to visit other people’s homes and retail and hospitality will reopen in part from November 2.
Mr Andrews said that from 11.59pm on November 1, including the new measure which will allow a maximum of two people plus dependent children able to visit another home once a day.
The ‘four reasons to leave home’ would also be removed from November 2.
"Not a bubble, not an exclusive arrangement, but essentially one family, two adults and children, to your home, once a day. No more often than that," Mr Andrews said.
A maximum of 20 people inside and 50 people outside, depending on space limits, will be allowed at cafes and restaurants from this date. Retail, beauty and personal services will also reopen.
From this date, contact sport for under 18 -year-olds and non-contact for adults will recommence. A maximum of 20 people will be allowed for outdoor religious gatherings.
A maximum of 10 people will be allowed at weddings. A maximum of 20 mourners at funerals.
Outdoor seated entertainment venues will be able to host a maximum of 50 people or 25 per cent of the venue's fixed seat capacity.
Mr Andrews said if the case numbers remain low over the new week, "further announcements that what is slated for the first of November can be brought forward".
"I hasten to add it will not be on (next) Sunday with immediate effect Sunday night. There will be a couple of days to make sure venues are, for example, COVID-safe," he said.
Further easing for Regional Victoria
Regional Victorians would also get some greater freedoms, he said.
Hospitality businesses outside Melbourne would be allowed to host up to 40 customers indoors and up to 70 people outdoors from 11.59pm on Sunday.
Regional libraries and toy libraries will be able to reopen for a maximum of 20 people indoors while outdoor religious gatherings would be allowed with a limit of 20 people. Religious gatherings of up to 50 people would be allowed in two weeks.
"Not so long ago we had 725 cases and there was simply no way we could have a debate, a perfectly legitimate debate about how to open, went to open, how to do that," Mr Andrews said.
"But Victorians, in every community, from every background, every circumstance, have stayed the course and we just have a little longer to go, just a little longer to go in order to see off the second wave, defeat the second wave, and then to find the normal and to begin the process of rebuilding."
The benchmarks for Victoria’s next steps have changed, with case numbers no longer needing to be under an average of five per day over two weeks to move to the next step.
Premier Daniel Andrews said that "modelling gets very challenging" when case numbers get low.
He said the number of tests completed each day, the number of mystery cases and the ‘story’ that sits behind each new case will determine if the state can roll back more restrictions from November 2.
"As the numbers have gotten very low, you do have to make that difficult judgment, could this be as good as it is going to get? And then make a proportionate decision," he said.
Two new cases
Victoria recorded two new cases of coronavirus and no news deaths on Sunday.
Melbourne's rolling 14-day average of case numbers has dropped to 7.5, a reduction of 0.6 from Saturday. Regional Victoria's two-week case average remains at 0.5.
The current tally for mystery cases recorded between October 2 and October 5 is 15.
There is a new mystery case of COVID-19 in Melbourne’s north-east.
The new case is connected to postcode 3081, which takes in Melbourne, Heidelberg West, Heidelberg Heights and Bellfield.
Another mystery case was revealed on Saturday in the 3128 postcode, within the Box Hill area. Metropolitan Melbourne has had 15 mystery cases - COVID-19 cases without a clear source - between October 2 to October 15.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said this meant that there was "at least another unidentified individual" in the 3081 postcode, or even chains of transmission in the city’s north-east.
"The interviews are indicating that people have not been to those high risk sites that are listed on the (Health Department) website," he said.
"It again points to the importance of wearing masks for all of those outdoor activities that you are involved in, whether it is food shopping or other essential business outside of your home, including meeting others with the new limits from midnight tonight."
Health Minister Greg Hunt said on Saturday that Victoria had met the public health benchmarks needed to open up to the same extent as NSW, and "hospitality, movement and family reunions among others" should be allowed.