COVID-19 Restrictions Update for the Victorian Music Industry

Restrictions in metropolitan Melbourne from 11:59pm Thursday 10 June:

• The five reasons to leave home will no longer apply. The existing 10-kilometre limit will be increased to 25 kilometres.
• Face masks will continue to be required indoors and outdoors, except with an exemption.
• Cafes, restaurants and pubs will open – with strict safety measures like density limits, seated service and QR codes in place.
• Retail will open.
• Hairdressing, beauty and personal care can resume, but only for services where masks can be kept on.
• Weddings will be limited to 10 people, and funerals no more than 50. Fifty will also be the limit on religious gatherings.
• Swimming pools, entertainment venues and community facilities will also open subject to density limits.
• If you can work from home, you should.

 

Changes to restrictions in regional Victoria from 11:59pm Thursday 10 June:

• Public outdoor gatherings will be limited to 20 people.
• Capacity limits will increase at restaurants, entertainment venues, community facilities and religious gatherings.
• Indoor sport, including gyms, will reopen with limits on the number of people permitted at any point in time.

 

Public Events

Under the current settings for Victoria, public events scheduled between 11:59pm, 10 June and 11:59pm, 17 June must operate under the Restricted Activity Directions for metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria.

No exemptions will be considered, even for those events previously approved for an exemption under the Public Events Framework. Events may need to be cancelled or postponed unless they are professional sporting events without spectators.

 

QR Codes

In addition, the Victorian Government has announced the intention to move to compulsory QR code check-ins for all workplaces, with some limited exceptions.

DJPR will be consulting with industry on these plans over the coming days and further details will be announced soon.

Under the current restrictions, every customer-facing business must use the free Victorian Government QR Code Service to check in customers, workers and all other visitors. A complete list of sectors where this is mandatory is available here.

Venues can now check in guests who don’t have a smartphone via the Kiosk check-in function. This lets staff enter a customer’s name and contact phone number electronically making it easier for contact tracers to contact people quickly if an outbreak occurs.

Every customer and visitor must check in, no matter how long they are at the premises. Businesses must also ensure that all visitors have checked in.

 

Support for businesses

The Victorian Government has announced it will provide additional support for businesses in greater Melbourne who continue to be affected by necessary health restrictions.

Those businesses that will still be affected by restrictions will share a new injection of $8.4 million.

The Victorian Government has previously announced $492.2 million of support for small and medium-sized businesses and sole traders, including the Business Costs Assistance Program, Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund and Regional Tourism Support Package.

Further information on the $20 million Victorian Events Support Package will also be provided soon, with event organisers, hosts and suppliers to benefit from the program.

Up to 90,000 businesses will benefit from the support packages announced over the past two weeks, with the total support for businesses over this period now beyond $500 million.

 

Other important information for businesses

All Victorians over the age of 40 are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. For more information on how to book your vaccine appointment, visit the Coronavirus website.

Anyone with symptoms should get tested immediately. The list of testing sites includes wait times.

For more information, visit coronavirus.vic.gov.au or call the Business Victoria hotline on 13 22 15.