Government-imposed third dose mandates for employees in education, food distribution, meat and seafood processing and quarantine accommodation sectors will be lifted.
However, workers who interact with vulnerable people will still require three COVID-19 vaccine doses, including residential aged care, disability care, healthcare, and custodial and emergency services.
Masks will no longer be required at airports, but must still be worn in sensitive settings such as hospitals and care facilities, and on public transport, taxis, ride shares and planes.
Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said the “modest changes” would assist in reducing case numbers and hospitalisations through winter when risk of transmission was highest.
Aligning with other jurisdictions around Australia, vaccination policies will be at the discretion of individual workplaces — employers will still be able to set their own workplace conditions.
Rules for general workers to work from home unless they have received two COVID-19 vaccines will also be scrapped.
Positive cases must still isolate for the seven days from when they tested but can now leave home to drive a household member directly to or from education or work; however, they must not leave their vehicle.
Victorians who test positive can also leave home to get medical care, a COVID-19 test or in cases of an emergency — this includes the risk of harm.
Visitor caps to care facilities — including residential aged care and disability — are to be removed.
Residents will be able to see any number of people as long as they test negative on a rapid antigen test that day.
If a test is unavailable, a person can only visit for limited reasons, such as end-of-life visits; centres can introduce their own visitor rules to respond to local risk.
Victoria’s seven-day COVID-19 case average has dropped since spiking in mid-May at more 12,000; as of June 16, the seven-day average was 5972.
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