FACE mask requirements and work from home orders will significantly ease from 11.59pm on Friday.
The public health recommendation for Victorians to work or study from home will be removed, while masks will no longer be needed in most indoor settings.
Masks will only be required when using public transport, taxis, on planes, and indoors at an airport; for people working or visiting hospitals, and indoor areas at care facilities; for workers in hospitality, retail and the court system; for workers at justice and correctional facilities; for students in year three or above at primary school, and workers at early childhood centres and primary schools (masks can be removed in secondary school); for people working indoors at an event with more than 30,000 people attending; and in special circumstances, such as if you have COVID-19 or are a close contact and you’re leaving home
Following a further assessment of hospitalisation rates and workforce pressures, the remaining restrictions on elective surgery will lift on Monday, 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.
Several temporary exceptions and deadline extensions for workers required to receive three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for workers have also been declared.
The third dose deadline for workers in education facilities who were fully vaccinated on or before October 25, 2021 will be extended by a month, provided that workers have a booking within that time.
Fully vaccinated workers who aren’t yet eligible for a third dose will have a third dose deadline of three months and two weeks from when they had their second dose.
Workers whose temporary medical exemption (e.g., because they had COVID-19) has expired will have a new third dose deadline of two weeks following the expiry of the medical exemption
