• Melbourne businesses will reopen from midnight on Tuesday night, after zero cases of community transmission were reported on Monday.
• Restaurants, cafes, pubs and retail will reopen under strict conditions.
• Further announcements will be made about other industries and home visits on Tuesday.
• Visit Business Insider Australia’s homepage for more stories.

Restaurants, cafes, pubs and retail will reopen in Melbourne from midnight on Tuesday, after the state reported zero new cases of local COVID-19 transmission.

In a press conference on Monday afternoon, Premier Daniel Andrews announced that venues in the above categories can reopen from 11:59pm on October 27, with a limit of 20 seated patrons indoors, and a maximum of 50 socially distanced patrons outdoors.

Beauty, personal services and tattoo shops can also reopen, provided masks are worn.

Staff who are required to make a business ready for opening will be able to go to work on Tuesday, before the official lifting of the restrictions, as part of what Andrews called a ‘dark opening’.

The existing four reasons to leave home – exercise, school or work, care or caregiving, and to buy essentials – will be removed, while the 25 kilometre travel limit remains in place.

Weddings will increase to a maximum of 10 people, and limits on funerals will increase to a maximum of 20 mourners.

Outdoor gatherings are still limited to 10 people, but those people can be more from more than two households. Further announcements will be made on Tuesday about home visits, with Andrews saying “the most dangerous environment for the spread of this virus is in your home.”

Gyms and fitness studios in Melbourne will open on November 8.

“The most important thing today is to acknowledge that with zero cases and so much testing over the weekend – not just in the north but across the whole state – we are able to say that now is the time to open up,” Andrews said.

“Now is the time to congratulate every single Victorian for staying the course. Now is the time to thank every single Victorian family for being guided by the data, the science and the doctors. Not letting our frustration get the better of us but, instead, proving equal to this wicked enemy. Indeed, better than this wicked enemy.”

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