Coronavirus in Australia: exit roadmap from Melbourne blockade

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has released a new roadmap outside of stage 4 coronavirus restrictions, and the news is disappointing for Melbourne residents.

At a press conference on Sunday afternoon, Andrews revealed that the current strict lockdown on Covid-19, which was due to end in mid-September, would now be extended for a further fifteen days on the Melbourne metro.

It means that Melbourne residents will only be allowed to leave their home to buy food and essential goods or services, to provide care, for compassionate reasons or to seek medical treatment, to exercise or to work for two more weeks.

However, there are some changes to the two-week extension of stage 4, which will run from Sunday, September 13 to September 28, followed by a number of different stages with new rules.

Here is everything you need to know.

STEP ONE

Starting at 11:59 p.m. on September 13, Melbourne will enter the “First Step towards Covid Normal.”

Starting next Sunday, the curfew will be relaxed by one hour “in recognition that the days are getting longer,” which means that the new curfew will be in effect from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. 00 hours.

Residents must stay within 5 km of their home, except for permitted reasons, such as work or education, if they cannot be done at home.

When it comes to exercise or recreation, two people or a household can meet outdoors for up to two hours, increasing from the previous hour.

A “one person bubble” will also be introduced, which will allow for a nominated visitor if a person lives alone or a single parent with all children under 18 years of age.

“Social bubbles” have been allowed to accommodate those who live alone in “direct response to comments” received by the government.

In the first step, kindergartens and schools will be closed, except for the children of authorized workers.

The purchase of essential items will be restricted to one person per household, once a day, while restaurants and cafes will be open only for take-out and home delivery.

The playgrounds will also reopen under this stage.

SECOND STEP

Beginning September 28, provided thresholds are met and pending public health advice, public gatherings will increase to five people from two households.

A staged return to on-site learning for schools and students will begin in the fourth quarter.

All VCE and VCAL students, in Melbourne and the Victoria region, will attend on-site for the General Achievement Test and other essential assessments starting October 5.

Daycare centers will also be reopened, as well as “more workplaces”, with around 101,000 workers currently unable to attend work and able to return in a number of different industries.

Outdoor pools and outdoor training for two with a personal trainer, as well as outdoor religious gatherings with a religious leader will be allowed.

STEP THREE

Starting October 26, again depending on the success of the measures so far, the dreaded curfew will end.

That means there will be no restrictions on leaving home regarding reasons or distance traveled.

Public gatherings will increase to 10 people outdoors, and Melburnians will be able to receive visitors at home, with up to five visitors from another designated home.

“Like the singles bubble, there will be a household bubble,” Andrews said, adding that there would be more announcements about children in years three to ten.

Shops and hairdressers will be reopened and hospitality will resume, albeit with “predominantly outdoor seating.

There will be a phased comeback of outdoor non-contact adult sports.

LAST STEP

The final step, which begins Nov. 23 for the entire state, will allow gatherings of up to 50 people outdoors.

Up to 20 visitors will be allowed to a home and “all retail stores will be open.”

The hospitality will enjoy a relaxation of restrictions, with indoor groups with a limit of 20 people with seated service.

Real estate properties will be opened with a series of security measures, and there will be greater relaxation of restrictions on sport.

Weddings and funerals will return to normal.

Once the state returns to “Covid normal” after completing those “constant steps”, “most of the restrictions will be removed subject to different security conditions and a gradual return to work in place for those who have been Working at home”. “