Coronavirus: Golf, fishing and footy now back in play in Victoria

Golf, fishing, AFL footy training and home visists will resume in Victoria from 11:59pm on Tuesday.

‘We have to recognise this is far from over’: Daniel Andrews. Picture: Getty Images

Golf, fishing and AFL footy training will resume and Victorians will be able to visit each other’s homes in groups of up to five from 11.59pm on Tuesday after the government finally moved to relax COVID-19 restrictions.

Victoria was the last state to detail easing restrictions following national cabinet’s unveiling of a three-stage plan on Friday.

Despite the delay, Victorians will be seeing more of their loved ones sooner than some of their ­interstate counterparts.

NSW will allow only two adult visitors to homes until Friday, when five will be permitted, while the five-person rule does not begin in Tasmania until May 18.

The states with fewer COVID-19 cases — Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and both territories — have already permitted indoor gatherings of five or more.

The new Victorian rules, which will be in place until 11.59pm on May 31, include groups of up to 10 being able to participate in outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, playing golf, going for a walk or kicking a football.

The rules governing the numbers of guests at weddings, funerals and religious ceremonies will change in line with national cabinet’s recommendations.

Premier Daniel Andrews has decided to go it alone on cafes and restaurants, saying more patrons may be able to return sooner if his government persists with a ban on dining-in for the next three weeks.

In most other states, groups of up to 10 have been permitted at indoor venues.

“My thinking here is that if we wait those three weeks, when we move to go beyond just takeaway for cafes and restaurants, we might not stick with a number of 10, we might be able to go higher than that,” Mr Andrews said.

“I won’t speculate on what that number is, but I think the feedback from many, many businesses is that at just 10 patrons it’s really hard to be viable.”

Mr Andrews said while it would become legal on Tuesday to have friends over for dinner, it was “not an invitation to have a dinner party at every house, every night”.

“We have to recognise this is far from over. This is an opportunity for a first step that is safe, cautious and appropriate, and that’s what’s most important,” he said.

Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien said Mr Andrews should have let restaurants decide whether it was “viable” to open with only 10 eat-in patrons rather than making the decision for them.

“If a small restaurant or a small cafe thinks they can make it work with 10 patrons, observing social distancing, why not give them that opportunity?” Mr O’Brien said.

Victoria had another seven corona­virus cases on Monday, bringing the state total to 1494, just over 100 of which are active.

One of the latest cases is related to an outbreak at Cedar Meats in Melbourne’s west, with the total number of abattoir-linked cases now 77. Four of the latest cases were returned travellers and two cases are being investigated.