Cars line up outside a drive-through Covid-19 testing facility at the Melbourne Showgrounds on May 25. Photo / Getty Images
Restrictions in Melbourne will be eased from tomorrow night despite a cluster at a city townhouse complex continuing to grow.
Acting Victoria Premier James Merlino said the 25km travel limit for Melburnians would be dropped from 11.59pm tomorrow.
"We know that since the pandemic started, distance has been one of the hardest things to live with, distance from our neighbours, workplaces, places we love and people we love," he said.
"We know it has been for a reason, keeping our distance.
"We have kept ourselves and others safe. Victoria is at its best when we are all together."
Public gatherings in Melbourne will be allowed with up to 20 people, and up to two visitors are permitted in people's homes.
Businesses are also allowed to reopen, including gyms and indoor entertainment venues.
Hospitality venues can host up to 25 people before applying a density quota.
Masks are no longer required outdoors, however they are still required indoors, on public transport and in workplaces.
Community sport is also back.
Melburnians are still encouraged to work from home but office workers will be able to return up to 50 per cent capacity.
To protect regional Victoria's covid-free status, any Melburnians hoping to head to the snow this winter will need to get a negative coronavirus test within 72 hours of their trip.
Restrictions will also be eased further in regional Victoria.
Public gatherings will increase to 50 people, restaurants and cafes can have up to 300 people for seated service, religious ceremonies are capped at 300, funerals capped at 100 people and weddings can have 50 guests.
The AFL game in Geelong on Friday will also be allowed to have a crowd of 7000 people.
Merlino said it was likely officials would front the media next week to further ease restrictions.
"It is no exaggeration to say the most important thing that people can do is get tested. As soon as you even have the mildest symptoms, get tested," he said.
"As we head into winter, this gets more and more important.
"Don't assume that a sore throat or a cough is just the symptoms of a cold.
Victorians were ordered into their fourth lockdown last month after the highly infectious Delta variant rapidly spread across the state.
Regional Victorians were freed from their stay-at-home directions earlier this month, but restrictions for Melburnians were increased due to continuing clusters of coronavirus.
Those clusters appear to be under control this week, despite a low-rise townhouse complex being put into lockdown after a handful of cases were detected there.
Victoria recorded five new cases today — two from the townhouse complex that were found yesterday, and three more linked to current outbreaks.
Victoria's chief health officer Professor Brett Sutton said earlier this week that an easing of restrictions hinged on high testing numbers.
"It is not over yet and certainly we want that high level of testing to be able to give that assurance about any other cases that might be out there," he said.
Health Minister Martin Foley echoed Sutton's words.
"We still would like to see those numbers higher," he said.
"Those numbers give our public health team the intelligence and information as to where this virus is circulating in our community."
Victoria technically reported zero new cases of coronavirus yesterday, however two new cases were announced in the early afternoon, part of the five listed in today's numbers.
This came after the outbreak at an apartment complex in Southbank, central Melbourne, where an aged care worker inadvertently gave coronavirus to three other residents in the building.
The Southbank complex is now a Tier 1 exposure site – meaning anyone who has been to the complex between June 2 and June 14 must get tested immediately and quarantine for 14 days from the last time they were at the site.
All residents inside the Kings Park Apartment Complex are in isolation.
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