KONTAN.CO.ID - MELBOURNE. Australia's Victoria state eased COVID-19 restrictions on Sunday after the country's pandemic hotspot recorded 37 days without any new coronavirus infections, moving toward a "COVID-safe" holiday season. From midnight on Sunday, up to 100 people will be able to attend public gatherings such as weddings, with density rules of one person per two square metres remaining in place, while 50% of office workers will be able to return to workplaces by Jan. 11, up from 25% now, the state's premier said. "Today we can take some big steps, not to normal, but to a COVID-safe summer (but) we all need to remain vigilant and we all need to play our part," Premier Daniel Andrews told a news conference.
Masks will remain mandatory at indoor venues and on public and ride-share transport, he said. Read Also: Indonesia's social minister named suspect after bribery raid Public health concerns eased after two travellers who returned from Germany, bypassing quarantine in Sydney to travel straight to Melbourne, returned negative COVID-19 tests. All passengers on the Saturday afternoon domestic flight between the two cities and some airport staff must remain in self-quarantine until the results from a second test arrive on Monday, a health official said.
