LOCALS can celebrate the relaxation of more COVID-19 restrictions as of 11.59pm this Friday, when the State Government makes changes to the pandemic orders, including removing booster mandates for selected industries.

As part of Victoria’s ongoing management of the COVID-19 pandemic, health minister, Martin Foley has made “modest and sensible” changes to the pandemic orders, allowing Victorians more freedom as we adapt to living with COVID-19.

The acting chief health officer has provided advice that while some key measures can be safely lifted, others should remain until the end of winter.

From Friday night, people who test positive to COVID-19 will be required to isolate for seven days from the day they took their test, however, they will be able to leave home to drive a household member directly to or from education or work without leaving their vehicle.

COVID-19 positive people will also be able to leave home to get medical care, a COVID-19 test, or in an emergency, including harm.

While masks must still be worn on public transport, taxis, ride shares, and planes, under the new rules they will no longer be required at airports.

Masks must also still be worn in sensitive settings such as hospitals and care facilities.

With winter in full swing, those who work alongside vulnerable people such as residential aged care, disability care, healthcare, and custodial and emergency services, including police, must still have three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

However, government imposed third dose mandates in education, food distribution, meat and seafood processing, and quarantine accommodation sectors will be lifted.

In line with other jurisdictions around Australia, vaccination policies in Victoria will be the responsibility of individual workplaces.

With almost 95 per cent of Victorians aged 12 and over having had at least two jabs of a COVID-19 vaccine, the rules requiring general workers to work from home, unless they are double-vaccinated will be lifted.

While the general mandate will end on Friday, employers will still be able to set their own workplace conditions regarding vaccination status.

The changes will also see visitor caps removed from care facilities such as residential aged care and disability services, meaning residents can see any number of people as long as they test negative on a rapid antigen test (RAT) that day.

In circumstances where a RAT is unavailable, a person can only be present in care facilities for limited reasons such as end-of-life visits, with centres able to introduce their own visitor rules to respond to local risks.

The update to the pandemic orders was made by the government after consulting with the acting chief health officer.

Health minister, Martin Foley said it was an appropriate time to further ease restrictions in a way that would keep the people safe during winter, while also allowing the community more freedom. 

“These orders mean we can keep in place sensible settings to reduce case numbers and hospitalisations through winter, when the risk of transmission is highest, while allowing Victorians to live safely with COVID-19,” he said.

“Modest changes to our public health measures will keep Victorians protected as we continue to safely lift mandates and support businesses and individuals to begin to manage their own COVID-19 risk.”