Victoria to ease masks on workplaces as employees urged to return on-site

Workers also received an extended deadline for their third shot

BY Dexter Tilo 23 Feb 2022

The Victoria government announced that they’re removing their work-from-home advisory for employees as the state's mask mandate eases in workplaces starting 11:59PM on February 25. The government cited the declining hospitalisation rates and increasing third dose vaccinations behind the development.

"Victorians have done such a great job getting vaccinated, so we're able to take safe steps to get more people to return to the office," said Health Minister Martin Foley in a statement.

Aside from the removal of public health recommendation for Victorians to work or study from home, the announcement also said masks will no longer be needed in most indoor settings. According to the notice, face masks will only be worn by the following individuals:

People on public transport, in taxis and rideshare, on planes, and indoors at an airport
People working or visiting hospitals, and indoor areas at care facilities
Workers in hospitality, retail, and the court system
Workers at justice and correctional facilities
Students in year three or above at primary school, and workers at early childhood centres and primary schools (masks can be removed in secondary school)
People working indoors at an event with more than 30,000 people attending

Masks are also still required for people with COVID-19 and for close contacts who need to leave their homes. The accessory is also recommended for other workers whose jobs involve facing the public, such as meeting guests or serving customers.

"We're balancing the need to support our health system with the benefits of easing restrictions in a careful and sensible way," said Foley.

Deadlines extended

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health said it is extending the deadline for workers that need to receive their third COVID-19 vaccine dose.

Education facilities workers who were fully vaccinated on or before October 25 have until March 25 to receive their third shot, according to the ministry.

Fully vaccinated workers who are also not yet eligible for their third dose will have their deadlines three months and two weeks from when they had their second COVID-19 shot.

Workers who recently arrived in the country will need to have their third dose four weeks from the date of their arrival, while workers with temporary medical exemptions will need to have their third dose two weeks after the expiration of their medical exemption.

Victoria reported 6,786 new COVID-19 cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, according to its health department, with 47,464 active cases. On the other hand, 55.9% of its eligible population have received their third vaccine doses, while 93.9% of those who are eligible also got their second vaccine dose.