On 16 August, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced that following a string of ‘mystery cases’ of COVID-19 across Melbourne, along with non-compliance with lockdown restrictions, Metropolitan Victoria will remain in a tougher Lockdown Six until 2 September. 

Less than a week later, at 1pm on 21 August, Regional Victoria joined Melbourne in lockdown due to an increase in community transmissions and ‘mystery cases’ in Regional areas. 

 “This is not where we wanted to be as a community. It’s not a decision we wanted to make after Victorians have sacrificed so much, but we have no other option. Cases need to be lower and vaccination rates need to be higher,” said the Victorian Premier. 

With 25 per cent of active cases of COVID-19 being transmitted by children under nine years of age, as part of the announcements over the weekend, childcare centers and kindergartens will be closed except to children of at least one authorised worker. The latest set of restrictions are the toughest set of lockdown restrictions set for Victoria since curfew was last announced on 2 August in 2020. 

“These restrictions are hard work for every Victorian. Everyone wants this pandemic to be over, but the rules are in place for a reason – we know they work and if we follow them together, we’ll be able to lift them sooner,” said the Victorian Premier. 

Chief Executive of the Victorian Chamber, Paul Guerra, confirmed the latest lockdown was a disappointing day for Victorian businesses. “The COVID-19 wrecking ball continues with the news that Lockdown Six will be extended and strengthened including the introduction of a curfew. Victorians have done it so tough: so many businesses, jobs and livelihoods have been lost while we’ve endured months of lockdowns.  

This is tough on everyone and we all know someone who is dealing with stress and mental health issues. The increase of mental health issues in our youth is very concerning and it’s hitting across the board. It’s a tough period for working parents and we urge every business owner and manager to extend support, flexibility and kindness to all staff and most importantly those who are needing to look after children at home due to school and childcare closures.” 

Grants and financial support 

On 19 August, the State and Federal Governments jointly announced an $807 million support package targeted toward small and medium-sized Metropolitan Victorian businesses, including: 

• $625 million in additional payments through the Business Costs Assistance Program  
• $110 million added to the Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund 2021  
• $72 million added to the Small Business COVID Hardship Fund 
• COVID-19 Disaster Payment extension for Metropolitan Victorian workers to 2 September 

With Regional Victoria also going into lockdown, a $146.6 million package of automatic cash grants - jointly funded by the Commonwealth and Victorian Governments – was announced including:  

• $100.9 million allocation to the Business Costs Assistance Program 
• $34.5 million toward the Licensed Hospitality Venue Fund 
• $11.2 million for the Alpine Resorts Winter Support Program 

Metropolitan Victoria curfew 

Following advice from Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton, Metropolian Victorians will be required to adhere to a 9pm-5am curfew (including weekends). During curfew hours, all people who are not authorised workers are required to be at home.  

The curfew only applies to Melbourne, not Regional Victoria.

The ‘five reasons to leave home’ are not reasons to leave home during curfew. 

Authorised Worker permits 

All Victorians who cannot work from home will be required to carry a worker permit while at their permitted workplace, and on the way to work. Tertiary students will also be required to carry a permit who are on the Authorised Provider list. 

Coming into effect from 11:59pm on 17 August, on-the-spot fines of up to $1,817 for individuals and up to $10,904 for businesses will be issued for anyone who breaches the requirements. 

Employers that require their staff to attend a work site must issue a worker permit to their employees – this is the employer’s responsibility. Advice on how to access the authorised worker permit is provided on the Victorian Government’s coronavirus website. 

Worker permits will also be required to provide evidence to allow access to childcare facilities. 

Sector restrictions 

The construction industry will also be impacted by the latest strengthening of restrictions, as large construction sites will be reduced to 25 per cent of capacity. Operating as it did under ‘Stage Four’ restrictions in 2020, staffing reductions will in place for all construction sites except for critical infrastructure and emergency repairs. 

Smaller construction sites will be reduced to five workers per site. 

Masks and exercise 

Masks are no longer allowed to be removed for the purpose of consuming alcohol outside. 

With such a large portion of children transmitting the virus, Victoria’s public health team are also strongly recommending that primary school aged children, when they are not at home, also wear a mask as an extra precaution. 

Restrictions on exercise have also been toughened as outdoor skate parks, playgrounds, exercise equipment are closed to the public. Already restricted to within five kilometers to home, exercise is restricted to taking place with one other person, along with dependents if they can’t be left at home. 

Help and support    

For more information about what requirements are in place and what resources are available for your business, visit the Victorian Chamber’s COVID-19 resources page here.    

As always, the most up-to-date information about restrictions is available on the Victoria Government’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) website. For information about how restrictions affect your business, visit the Business Victoria website.   

If you, as an employer or an employer’s representative feel unsure about what COVIDSafe plans your organisation has in place or would like help in putting a plan in place, please do not hesitate to contact the Victorian Chamber’s Health, Safety and Wellbeing (HSW) team on 03 8662 5196.   

Members can also call our Workplace Relations Advice Line on 03 8662 5222 to discuss their employment obligations and any issues that arise.