Under the changes, all restaurants and cafes can welcome up to 300 patrons for seated service indoors, and up to 100 outdoors.
Smaller venues will be able to host up to 25 people before they apply the density quota.Credit:Darrian Traynor
Venues without seated service can also have up to 300 people indoors and 1000 outdoors.
Venues smaller than 600 square metres must abide by a density quota of one person per two square metres with up to 150 patrons, provided that a COVID-19 check-in marshall is present at the venue.
“We did want to provide as much certainty as we can today for the easing of restrictions, particularly as the next couple of weeks will be school holidays,” Mr Merlino said on Wednesday.
“We are taking some big steps forward so we can spend more time together with the people we love.”
Restrictions are set to ease further on Thursday night.Credit:Getty Images
Community sporting venues will also be allowed to have up to 300 people in indoor space and 1000 outdoors.
And people in hospitals and care facilities can have two visitors at a time, or up to five per day, although some individual facilities may have their own rules.
The changes come as the state prepares for school holidays – which begin on June 26 – and after Victoria recorded no new coronavirus cases on Wednesday.
One case was recorded in hotel quarantine. More than 28,200 test results were processed in the past 24 hours and more than 17,200 people received their vaccine doses.
“We are taking some big steps forward so we can spend more time together with the people we love.”
Acting Premier James Merlino
Victoria had a total of 51 active coronavirus cases as of Tuesday, and the state’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said 24 of those were local cases.
NSW records 16 new cases
Meanwhile, in NSW, extra COVID-19 restrictions are being imposed for residents following an increase in local cases.
On Wednesday, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said 16 new cases of COVID-19 had emerged.
Ten cases of COVID-19 were detected in the NSW community in the 24 hours to 8pm on Tuesday. A further 13 were discovered after 8pm. However, of the original 10 cases, just three were not previously reported in the media.
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Eight of the 13 new cases discovered after 8pm on Tuesday attended the same birthday party, Ms Berejikilan said.
“Clearly this is an evolving situation,” she said.
“Given what has occurred the NSW government will be taking action today to limit the spread of what is a very contagious [strain of] COVID.”
Victorian border slammed shut to parts of Sydney
The announcement will come after Victoria slammed its border shut to large parts of Sydney at 1am on Wednesday.
The state’s authorities declared seven NSW local government areas as “red zones”: the City of Sydney, Waverley, Woollahra, Bayside, Canada Bay, the Inner West, and Randwick.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Wednesday..Credit:Nick Moir
Non-Victorian residents who have been in a red zone are barred from entering Victoria unless they obtain an exemption.
Victoria’s Health Department said anyone arriving into the state from those local government areas without a valid travel permit will be fined and have to stay in hotel quarantine.
On Wednesday, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk also announced that her state will shut its border to seven local government areas in NSW.
“We’ll be easing even more restrictions across Queensland, and we cannot afford to have this Delta variant out in our community,” she said.
New Zealand pauses travel bubble with NSW
New Zealand’s quarantine-free travel bubble with NSW is being paused over concerns about the state’s growing outbreak.
An Australian travelled from Sydney to Wellington over the weekend before returning to Australia on Monday and testing positive to COVID-19, according to the NZ health officials.
Health authorities say an Australian man flew from Wellington to Sydney on Monday while infectious.Credit:iStock
“This is the first time an Australian traveller has brought COVID-19 to NZ and since gone home,” NZ’s Ministry of Health said in a statement.
“Based on the time of their symptom onset and CT [cycle threshold] score it is most likely they contracted the virus in Sydney prior to their visit to New Zealand. Genome sequencing is under way in Australia to see if the case is linked to the current outbreak in Sydney.”
As a result, travel between NSW and New Zealand has been paused for the next few days.
NZ authorities say they have so far identified four close contacts of the Australian traveller. All are isolating as further contact tracing gets under way.
With Paul Sakkal and Broede Carmody
‘Big steps forward’: Restrictions in Melbourne eased for gatherings, weddings and funerals - Brisbane Times
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