Key points
- Masks will be removed in airport terminals from 11.59pm Friday, June 24.
- People with COVID-19 will be able to drive household members to work or school.
- Visitor caps to residential aged care and disability facilities will be lifted.
Mask mandates will be removed in Victorian airport terminals and people who have COVID-19 will be able to drive children to school in a change to the state’s pandemic orders from next Saturday.
Visitor caps at residential aged care and disability facilities will be lifted, with residents able to see any number of visitors as long as they test negative on a rapid antigen test.
Masks will no longer be needed within Victorian airport terminals from 11.59pm on June 24.Credit:Paul Jeffers
Those who are COVID-positive will still be expected to isolate for seven days, but can drive someone in their household to school or work as long as they do not leave the vehicle.
The suite of changes come into effect at 11.59pm on Friday, June 24.
The Andrews government is also removing the third vaccine dose mandate across education, quarantine accommodation, food distribution, and meat and seafood processing sectors, with vaccination policies now the responsibility of individual workplaces.
Rules requiring general employees to work from home unless they are double-vaccinated will be lifted.
But workers who interact with vulnerable people – such as those in emergency service jobs, healthcare, aged care or disability services – are still required to have three COVID-19 vaccine doses.
Masks will still be required on domestic flights and public transport, in rideshare vehicles, hospitals, and care facilities in Victoria.
The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) revised the need for masks to be worn in airport terminals earlier this week.
“The AHPPC notes that all states and territories have relaxed mask mandates in most settings within the community and considers that it is no longer proportionate to mandate mask use in airport terminals,” the committee said on Tuesday.
Health Minister Mark Butler the AHPPC was actively weighing up mask-wearing on flights and would give advice on the issue in the future.
Health Minister Martin Foley said that “sensible” settings would be kept in place to reduce cases and hospitalisations across winter when the risk of transmission is highest.
“Modest changes to our public health measures will keep Victorians protected as we continue to safely lift mandates and support businesses and individuals to begin to manage their own COVID-19 risk,” he said in a statement.
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