By Renee Wood
The State Government has announced playgrounds will reopen from 11.59pm Thursday 2 September, providing a slice of relief for families and children as lockdown 6 continues to be enforced.
However, it’s not the slippery slide as you may know it, with rules to be in place.
A QR code checking in system will be needed and only children under 12 are allowed with one parent or carer. Adults also must not remove their masks to eat or drink.
Child care arrangements will also ease after midnight tomorrow to support in home care like babysitters. This is an expansion to include school aged children but only if both parents are authorised workers.
Premier Daniel Andrews said all other restrictions will remain until September 23rd when 70 per cent of Victorians have received one dose of the Covid-19 Vaccine.
“If we can all play our part in getting vaccinated, if we can reach our 70 per cent first dose on or about the 23rd of September, then there are some changes that we can make to these rules,” he said.
More restrictions will be eased once the first dose target is reached with the Premier detailing a ‘short’ roadmap out of some rules.
These include:
– expanding the five kilometre rule to ten for shopping and exercise
– four hours of exercise allowed daily
– outdoor gym equipment and skateparks open
– outdoor personal training with two people and one trainer
– childminding for school aged children
– private inspections for real estates in unoccupied properties
– and construction sites will increase to 50 per cent capacity if 90 per cent of their workforce have at least one vaccine dose.
The Premier said other things could also be added to the eased restrictions if inline with health advice.
“We will look at a range of other things in the intervening three weeks, we will look at other outdoor rec activities that can be done safely.
“I don’t have a list, we’re going to work through those things carefully, and if there are other things we can add to that list for the 23rd of September we will.
“But also I want to be really strict with people that it’s not like two weeks after that, there’s going to be a whole lot of other things that can be added on and two weeks after that another list of things that can be eased.”
It’s believed more restrictions will be eased once the state reaches an 80 per cent one dose target, as the Premier and Chief Health Officer urging everyone to book in for a vaccine.
“So we have to move as fast as we can to get the highest possible vaccinate, which will change how transmission occurs and we’ll see us plateauing with our case numbers,” Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said.
Year 12 students will also now be prioritised for a vaccine to ensure they can reach the GAT exam set for October 5.
“From the seventh of September until the 17th of September, schools will reach out to families and students and inform them of the detailed plan to have them vaccinated, in state hubs, no cost to them, they’ll get priority access,” Mr Andrews said.
“It will be a localized arrangement and it will be best delivered by schools, and the schools will contact students about how that will work for their year 12 group, and indeed year elevens who are sitting exams as part of a year 12 subject.”
A relaxing of restrictions for regional areas is also expected over the coming days.
