Premier Daniel Andrews has again said regional Victoria is on the right track to taking not one, but two steps towards reopening in the coming week.
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No new cases have been reported in regional Victoria overnight to Saturday, and the rolling 14-day average of daily new cases is 4.3.
What will the move to new restrictions mean for regional Victorians?
The second step
The second step of the government's 'roadmap to reopening' will come into force in regional Victoria at 11.59pm on Sunday, September 13.
There will still be only four reasons for leaving home - for work or education, care or caregiving, shopping for essentials, and exercise.
But up to five people from a maximum of two households will be allowed to meet outdoors for exercise and recreation.
Single adults who live alone will be able to choose one person to join their 'social bubble'.
This nominated person will be allowed to visit the single person at home and vice versa, so long as the nominated person also lives alone or any other adults of the household are out at the time.
Outdoor playgrounds and outdoor pools can open.
From term 4, there will be staged return to onsite learning in schools.
Weddings will be allowed with the couple, the celebrant and two witnesses.
Funerals will be capped at 10 people, not including those required to conduct the funeral.
Travel within Victoria will not be permitted.
The third step
This will occur when the 14-day rolling daily new cases average sits below five, and there have been no new cases of unknown origin for two weeks.
Under the third step, there will be no restrictions on the reasons for leaving home.
Up to 10 people will be allowed to gather outside in public.
Households will be permitted to form a 'household bubble' with one nominated household, which will mean that up to five members from either household can visit the other at any one time.
Dine-in services can resume at restaurants and cafes, but this will predominantly be outdoor seated service, with groups capped at 10 and density limits.
In this step, beauty and personal services will now be permitted to open, as per Premier Daniel Andrews' announcement on Sunday.
They will only be allowed to provide services when the customer is able to keep their mask on the entire time (this would prohibit such services as facials).
Under-18s sport, both contact and non-contact, will be allowed, but adults will be permitted to play only non-contact sports.
Outdoor skate parks will reopen, and outdoor fitness will be permitted for groups of up to 10 people.
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Up to 10 people will be allowed at weddings and up to 20 people at funerals.
Up to 10 people, plus the faith leader, will be permitted to gather for religious gatherings outdoors.
Under this step, travel within regional Victoria can resume. People will not be allowed to travel to areas with higher restrictions; that is, metropolitan Melbourne.
Outdoor events and entertainment will also be allowed to proceed, subject to pre-approved plans.
Private real estate inspections can resume under this step and auctions will be permitted outdoors, with gathering limits.
When will we move beyond step three?
At the current time, Victoria will not move to the last step until at least November 23.
That will only happen so long as no new cases are recorded across the whole of Victoria for 14 days.
There will still be restrictions under this step, until Victoria reaches what the government has termed 'COVID normal'.