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Melbourne will have its lockdown measures eased as of Thursday night, with the Victorian Government today announcing that with the state had recorded just one new case of COVID-19 in the previous 24 hours.

However, Melburnians must stay within 25 kilometres of home, meaning travelling for the Queen’s Birthday long weekend is not allowed while aquatic, entertainment and fitness facilities will remain closed in the metropolitan area.

With the two-week lockdown to be eased as of 11.59pm on Thursday, new measures in regional Victoria will see brothels allowed to reopen under similar conditions to those that apply for gyms, aquatic facilities and entertainment venues.

The measure allowing facilities in regional Victoria to operate again applies the “density quotient of one person per 4sqm” for the following venue/activities:

Indoor physical recreation and sport (includes aquatic and fitness facilities):
• Maximum venue capacity 150, including no more than 50 indoors
• Maximum group size: 10 people indoors, 20 outdoors

Indoor play centres, indoor skateparks, indoor trampolining centres:
• Maximum venue capacity 150, including no more than 50 indoors.
• Maximum group size: 10 people 

Fixed seated entertainment
Open up to 50% of seated capacity up to a maximum of 75 people per venue (indoor) and 150 people per venue (outdoor).

Amusement parks
Open to a maximum of 100 people per venue, including up to 50 people indoors

Retail betting venues
Open to a maximum of 150 people, no more than 75 indoors

Sex on premises, brothels and sexually explicit venues
Open to a maximum of 100 people per venue, no more than 50 people indoors.

Outdoor physical recreation & sport:
• Maximum venue capacity 150 people, including no more than 50 indoors
• No venue limit if 100m distance can be maintained between groups (e.g. golf)
• Maximum group size: 20 people

Community sport in regional Victoria is also open for all ages, training and competition.

In Melbourne, most of these activities will remain closed, the exceptions being training for community sport, outdoor play areas and skateparks, fixed seated entertainment areas (up to up to 25% of seated capacity indoors and a maximum of 100 people outdoors - both up to a maximum of 50 people per venue) and retail betting venues to a maximum of 50 people.

Explaining the moves, Victoria’s acting Premier James Merlino urged Victorians to “stay COVIDSafe (and to get) tested if you have any symptoms”.

Commenting on the easing in regional Victoria he added “indoor sport, including gyms, will also be able to reopen with careful limits on the number of people permitted at any point in time.”

Explaining the plight of many Victorian gym owners and fitness facility franchisees through the state’s multiple lockdowns, Ballarat-based gym owner Mel Tempest today wrote “one million gym users, 40,000 plus unemployed (and) 2000 plus fitness facilities closed.

“Many will not re-open (and) many business owners will suffer long term mental health issues.”

Click here to view restrictions that will apply from 11.59pm on Thursday.

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