Vic lockdown to end at midnight

VICTORIA’S lockdown will end as planned at midnight tonight, Premier Daniel Andrews announced this morning.

But while the five-day “circuit-breaker” will end on schedule at 11.59pm tonight, coronavirus settings in the state will not yet return to where they were a week ago, with rules around mask wearing and home visits set to stay.

Under the new restrictions, the four reasons to leave home and 5km limit will no longer apply after 11.59pm tonight, and schools and retail and hospitality businesses can reopen on Thursday morning.

However, masks will remain mandatory in all public settings when social distancing is not possible.

Visitors to homes will be limited to five people, down from the 20 allowed before the lockdown, and visitors to hospitals and aged care restricted to one household per day, while up to 20 people, from any number of households, can gather in public. 

Limits on weddings and funerals will fall away, with density limits based on the size of the venue.

Sport and recreation activities can also resume, with density quotas in place, as can entertainment and public events.

Making the announcement this morning, Mr Andrews stressed that “this is not over”, adding that he would not rule out further lockdowns. 

“I can provide no guarantees because I’m not prepared to pretend to the Victorian community that this is over,” he said.

“We will not hesitate to make the tough decisions.”

“I of course acknowledge the very difficult circumstances that many have raised but there is simply no alternative but to follow the health advice provided.”

The changes come after Victoria recorded zero new COVID-19 cases overnight, off nearly 40,000 tests.

There are 25 active cases in the state.