Victoria will ease its mask rules from 11:59pm this Friday, with masks no longer needed in most indoor settings.
The Victorian Government have finally flagged an end date to masks in most setting including at workplaces, just days after density limits vanished, QR code check-ins changes and dancefloors returned.
What you need to know
- Victoria will ease its mask rules from 11:59pm this Friday, with masks no longer needed in most indoor settings.
- Masks will only be required in some settings including public transport, hospitals and primary schools.
- The recommendation for people to work or study from home is being removed.
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around Melbourne here.
From 11:59pm on Friday, February 25, masks will only be required indoors in certain circumstances, including public transport, rideshare, planes, and for workers in hospitality and retail. The mask rule still applies to workers at justice and correctional facilities, people working or visiting hospitals, and indoor areas at care facilities, and workers in the court system.
Plus, masks should still be worn in special circumstances, such as if you have COVID-19 or are a close contact and you’re leaving home
Primary school students from grade 3 upwards will also still be required to wear a mask in the classroom, and the mask rule will still apply to people working indoors at an event with more than 30,000 people.
While not mandatory, masks are ‘recommended’ for other workers serving or facing members of the public, such as if you are at reception, meeting guests or serving customers.
From 11.59pm on Friday, the public health recommendation for Victorians to work and study at home will also be removed, allowing more people to return to offices and universities.
Health Minister Martin Foley also confirmed the remaining restrictions on elective surgery will lift on February 28. Public hospitals will be able to resume all surgery, with capacity to be based on an individual assessment of staff availability and COVID-19 demands. Private hospitals will be able to resume up to 100 per cent of pre-COVID activity.
Meanwhile, Victoria has recorded 14 further COVID-19 deaths. There are 345 people in hospital with the virus, including 48 in intensive care and eight on ventilators. The state recorded 6,786 new cases, of which 1,744 were detected via PCR tests and 5,042 from rapid antigen tests. There are now 47,464 active cases in the community and 55.9 per cent of Victorian adults have received a third dose of a vaccine.
Read the announcement here.
