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Coronavirus: Limits apply, but they’re free at last

More than 1.4 million regional Victorians­ will be released from stay-at-home coronavirus restrictions from 11.59pm on Wednesday.

Ruby Holroyd, left, and Emily Portinari at the Wah Wah Gee restaurant on Geelong’s pier, which can open to sitting customers when restrictions lift. Picture: Aaron Francis
Ruby Holroyd, left, and Emily Portinari at the Wah Wah Gee restaurant on Geelong’s pier, which can open to sitting customers when restrictions lift. Picture: Aaron Francis

More than 1.4 million regional Victorians­ will be released from stay-at-home coronavirus restrictions from 11.59pm on Wednesday, with hospitality businesses able to open to up to 10 eat-in patrons, after the threshold set under the Andrews government’s roadmap was reached.

The news comes after more than six weeks of restrictions, during­ which regional Victorians were only permitted to leave their homes for work, exercise, essential shopping and medical care, despite­ some regional local government areas never having recorded­ a case of coronavirus, and others having been free of the virus for months.

The comparative freedom for regional Victorians came with a bolstering of police monitoring of the border between metropolitan Melbourne and the rest of the state, as Melburnians face at least another 5½ weeks of stay-at-home restrictions and a curfew.

The announcement, described as “massive” by Premier Daniel Andrews, came as Victoria recorded its first coronavirus fatality-free day since July 13, with 42 new cases in the 24 hours to Tuesday.

Under the government’s reopening roadmap, regional Victoria needed to have a 14-day daily average of fewer than five cases, with no cases with an unknown source in the past fortnight.

As of Tuesday, Victoria’s 14-day daily average was 3.6 cases, with the last case with an unknown source recorded on September 1.

Melbourne is still a long way off reaching the threshold and unable to reopen to the same extent until at least October 26 under the roadmap, with a 14-day daily average of 52.9 on Tuesday, and 82 cases with an unknown source in the past fortnight.

“I am absolutely delighted to be able to announce that regional Victoria, from 11.59pm tomorrow night, will be able to take the third step in our safe and steady road map to COVID normal,” Mr Andrews­ said, describing Tuesday as a “hopeful” day.

“It’s a massive thing. It is such good news, I am so, so pleased and proud of every single regional Victorian who has stayed the course, followed the rules, got tested.’’

On Geelong’s Cunningham Pier, the Wah Wah Gee restaurant has been running a takeaway business during lockdown, in the regional­ city southwest of Melbourne.

Front-of-house manager Ruby Holland says the new restrictions allowing 10 people per room in up to two rooms inside, and up to 50 outdoors, would be a bonus, but so would any easing of restrictions.

Patrons indoors must adhere to density limits of one person per 4sq m, while there may not be more than one person per 2sq m in open-air settings.

“I think the limit on rooms is hard but we’re not complaining, we’re lucky to have this space,” Ms Holland said. She said the restaurant would take “anything positive”, with many staff having to be let go or given fewer hours.

Hayley Roy on the Geelong foreshore with her three-year-olds Delilah and Reggie. Picture: Aaron Francis
Hayley Roy on the Geelong foreshore with her three-year-olds Delilah and Reggie. Picture: Aaron Francis

Menu supervisor Emily Portin­ari hails from Canada, which she said was stricter at first but then had more cases. “We’re laughing at them now,” she said.

Ineligible for the JobKeeper payment, Ms Portinari is looking forward to picking up more shifts.

“I could take my super out but that‘s the only thing I could do,” she said. “I got lucky that I’m still getting hours.”

Greater Geelong had four active­ cases of coronavirus on Tuesday — down from a peak of 180 on August 11.

Nearby Colac-Otway had the most active cases of any regional local government area, with 22, thanks to clusters linked to local business Bulla Dairy and a childcare centre.

Both of those occurred after a Colac resident contracted the virus while being treated for another condition at a Melbourne hospital and brought the virus back to the town, which had already recovered from a first wave of infections linked to its abattoir.

The total number of cases in regiona­l Victoria on Tuesday was 42, down from 47 on Monday.

Regional Victoria’s relaxation of restrictions also includes the expansion­ of gatherings to up to 10 people outside, with up to five visit­ors from another household allowed in the home.

School students will undertake a staggered return to the classroom when term four begins on October 5, while retail will be expanded­ to include personal services such as beauty and tattooing where a mask can be worn, and outdoor auctions will be permitted with a limit of 10 people.

Tourist accommodation will reopen for regional Victorians to holiday within regional Victoria.

Geelong resident Hayley Roy said she was looking forward to Thursday, when her three-year-old twins Reggie and Delilah could start socialising with friends and return to a routine of activities.

“Initially (lockdown) was quite hard and now we‘re in a bad routin­e of sleeping in,” she said.

Seeing the grandparents again, regular playdates and trips to the pool would be part of the new routine­.

“They can’t wait to go back to swimming,” Ms Roy said.

Thursday will also allow her to reopen her beauty salon — she said bookings started flooding in as soon as Mr Andrews announced the easing of restrictions.

“You can make coffee at home but you can’t do your own eyelashes,” Ms Roy said.

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Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/coronavirus-limits-apply-but-theyre-free-at-last/news-story/c1bf6dc699f5120aac6323eb5da70be4