Melbourne’s lockdown will end five days earlier than anticipated – and with a greater easing of restrictions than planned – as Victoria races to its 70% fully vaccinated target.
The state’s premier, Daniel Andrews, made the announcement on Sunday and said Victorians could celebrate the imminent end of their sixth lockdown.
“As of 11.59pm Thursday there will be no lockdown, no restrictions on leaving home and no curfew,” Andrews told reporters in Melbourne.
Victoria reported 1,838 new local Covid-19 cases and seven deaths on Sunday.
Under the state’s roadmap, the city’s current lockdown – which has run for 73 days – was due to end on 26 October, the initial date when 70% of those aged over 16 were expected to be doubled-dosed.
However, Victoria will reach that milestone by Thursday because of soaring second-dose rates. The state was expected to reach 90% of first doses by Monday or Tuesday, the premier said.
From Friday, there will be no restrictions on people leaving their home or a curfew, and no travel limit within metropolitan Melbourne. People in the city still won’t be able to visit regional Victoria, however.
Ten visitors, including dependents, will be able to visit a home each day. Outdoor gatherings will increase to 15 people. Up to 20 fully vaccinated people will be allowed inside at hospitality venues with 50 outside, subject to density limits.
The scrapping of travel limits and allowing home visits along with indoor dining and drinking were all changes to the original reopening roadmap.
All school students in Melbourne will return to classrooms at least part-time from Friday while regional students will return to school-based learning full-time.
Andrews said Burnet Institute modelling showed that while case numbers were slightly higher than expected, people were not falling as ill, meaning there had been less of an impact on hospitals and restrictions could be eased further.
Andrews and the chief health officer, Prof Brett Sutton, said last week that they were open to taking the first step out of lockdown earlier, in line with reaching vaccination coverage goals.
Restrictions will ease further when 80% of the eligible population has received both vaccine doses. That was originally projected for 5 November, but now likely earlier.
“Today is a day where every Victorian should be proud,” Andrews said on Sunday. “It is absolutely amazing to be this closely aligned to New South Wales. To be only just a couple of weeks behind NSW, when we know and understand just how much extra vaccine went there, is a credit to every single Victorian.”
The latest data shows 88% of Victoria’s over-16 population have had one vaccine dose and 65% both doses.
Bring forward the haircut and tell Mum you'll be round for dinner.
— Dan Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP) October 17, 2021
Lockdown will end at 11.59pm on Thursday.
5 million Victorians have had a first dose, and we're well ahead of where we thought we'd be - meaning we can make the changes we promised in the Roadmap, and go further pic.twitter.com/17qohsFX6A
While he made no firm announcement about international travel, Andrews flagged he expected Victoria would soon have similar measures in place to the significantly eased restrictions announced in NSW last week. NSW from 1 November won’t require people arriving from overseas to do any quarantine if they are fully vaccinated.
The Victorian premier said he wanted to discuss the matter further in national cabinet but that given other states had indicated they would not be opening up, he expected Victoria and NSW to be “closely aligned” when it came to the international border.
Andrews said this did not mean a $200m quarantine facility being built in Mickleham, in Melbourne’s outer north, would be a white elephant. He said it would still have a role to play in this pandemic – and any future pandemics – and could be used as emergency accommodation following natural disasters such as bushfires.
Andrews flagged further announcements would be made before the state hit the 80% vaccination target early next month. The premier said he expected a “very busy summer full of events, large and small, [in the] city, suburbs and regions”.
The news comes a day after a Covid-positive teenager with other health conditions became the youngest victim of Victoria’s third wave.
Meanwhile, police squashed another would-be anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine protest in Melbourne on Saturday. Officers significantly outnumbered the would-be demonstrators, several of whom were arrested as they attempted to gather at Princes Park in Carlton North.