Changes to Victorian lockdown rules announced on Saturday

Premier Daniel Andrews has announced unexpected changes to the lockdown rules in Victoria, flagging that some areas could “essentially be open” in days.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced two key changes to lockdown rules in Melbourne.

The first is that contactless pet grooming will be allowed in the “second step” of the roadmap to recovery from September 28.

“It must be a venue; it cannot be a mobile pet grooming business,” he said.

Owners will be able to drop their pets off for grooming and pick them up afterwards without risk, he told reporters Saturday morning.

The second major change is that beauty services will join hairdressers in reopening in the “third step” of the plan to ease restrictions.

Before Saturday, beauty and personal services were among the last businesses allowed to reopen.

But now beauty and personal services, and hairdressers, will be allowed to open from October 26.

However, the change only applies to services where a mask can be worn.

“This means that facials, face tattoos, face piercings cannot occur,” he said. “But other services will be able to open.

“There’s been many in the beauty and personal care sector who have been working with us … and I want to thank them.”

Meanwhile, regional Victoria is on track to “significantly” open up over the next few days ahead of the rest of the state.

Mr Andrews said regional Victoria would beat Melbourne at easing out of lockdown, with changes to be made in a matter of days.

He said Melbourne should look to regional Victoria for inspiration, with only 58 cases now active outside of the metro area.

“There’s nothing certain, but regional Victoria remains on track to be open, to take not one but two steps, by, say, the middle of next week,” he said.

“Regional Victoria is so close. Just a few days, and they will potentially be able to take not just one, but two of those steps, and they will be, essentially, open.

“That is proof positive to every single Victorian that we can drive these numbers down, we can open up.

“I want to congratulate and thank every single regional Victorian on the part they’re playing in that.

“It’s the product of enormous sacrifice and hard work, that each and every Victorian that is following the work and playing their part.

“It makes you proud.”

He said new case in the town of Echuca flagged recently was a false positive.

“We’re very pleased about that.”