Victoria to scrap the majority of remaining Covid restrictions

Victorians can expect eased restrictions ahead of the ANZAC Day long weekend. On April 20, health minister Martin Foley announced that the state government would change rules around close contact isolation, mask rules, vaccines mandates and large-scale events from 11.59pm Friday, April 22.

The changes come after modeling indicated Victoria had passed the peak of the latest Omicron surge. "We know that there will be a long plateauing and tail to this BA.2 Omicron sub-variant wave," said Foley. "But what we know is that we've passed the peak and we are able to look to this group of sensible measures being able to take us into a still-challenging winter."

From April 23, close contacts will no longer be required to quarantine, provided they test negative on five RATs over the course of seven days. They will also be required to wear a mask and avoid sensitive settings during this period. People who have had Covid-19 will be exempt from testing or quarantine for 12 weeks.

Victorians will not need to be double-vaxxed or show proof of vaccination before entering venues – and check-ins via the Services Victoria app will also end.

Masks will no longer be required in primary schools, early childhood or retail settings or at events – however, you'll still need to wear one on public transport, in taxis and rideshare services, and in airports. Large-scale events (of 30,000 people or more) can go ahead without approval from health authorities.

“We now have more than two-thirds of our community who are eligible triple-dosed, and in some cases, particularly our most vulnerable, older Victorians, those figures are up to 80 and 90 per cent plus for triple doses,” Foley said. “We’re pretty confident that continued high rates of vaccination have gotten us this far and will get us safely through the winter."

Currently, just over 67 per cent of eligible adults in Victoria have had three doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, and 94.5 per cent of Victorians over 12 years of age have had two doses.

For the latest information on Covid-19 restrictions, check out the Victorian government website.

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