Victorian hospitality businesses are finally able to operate without capacity limits for fully vaccinated people thanks to the Victorian Government’s announcement of the state population hitting 90 per cent fully vaccinated from Wednesday 11.59pm.
“In the lead up to the busy Christmas trading season, [yesterday’s] announcement that density and capacity limits have been scrapped is the best early Christmas present possible,” says Restaurant & Catering Australia CEO Wes Lambert.
“This has been a remarkable feat by the people of Victoria and we’re so proud of the thousands of venues around Victoria who have shown such resilience during this incredibly trying time.”
With news of restrictions lifting for fully vaccinate people, the Victorian Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Paul Guerra is urging Victorians to open their wallets.
“Get to the shops, get to the office, get to an event. Get to the theatre; get to a café; get to a restaurant. Get to your holiday location. It’s time to get going,” says Paul.
Masks will remain mandatory in retail settings for at least another month.
Unless health services see a significant jump in hospitalisations, workers for hospitality will also no longer need to wear masks after 15 December – in line with New South Wales settings.
“The next step will be removing masks from all retail and hospitality settings for staff, but we aren’t far from this goal,” says Paul.