On the advice of the Chief Health Officer, the seven-day lockdown in the City of Ballarat will lift at 11:59pm tonight, 22 September, with public health officials increasingly confident that the spread of cases in the city is under control.
The Ballarat community’s extraordinary efforts and sacrifice to date have helped slow the spread of COVID-19 locally, prevent a longer lockdown, and protect others in Ballarat and across western Victoria.
With these changes, Ballarat will move to the COVIDSafe settings it was under before the lockdown, with no reasons required to leave the home and no limit on travel throughout regional Victoria.
However, there are still important public health restrictions in place. Masks must still be worn indoors and out. No one can come to your home to visit. And getting tested and vaccinated is just as important as ever.
You can’t travel to metropolitan Melbourne (or another regional Local Government Area currently in lockdown, such as Geelong or the Surf Coast) except for very limited reasons, including authorised work and permitted education, care and compassionate reasons, necessary goods and services and to visit your intimate partner.
Similarly, people from metropolitan Melbourne (or another area in lockdown) can’t come to Ballarat for anything other than the permitted reasons – and businesses are required to check IDs for addresses.
You can see friends and family outdoors in a public place in a group of up to 10 people. Religious gatherings and ceremonies are allowed with no more than 20 people – just make sure you check in with the Service Victoria app.
Albury and Lismore LGAs
The stay-at-home orders introduced last week for the Albury and Lismore Local Government Areas (LGAs) will no longer apply from midnight tonight.
However, these LGAs will continue to operate under some restrictions to ensure community safety. For more information, please visit: www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19
