To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Melbourne Erupts Into Cheers At Midnight As City Ends World's Longest Lockown

Melbourne Erupts Into Cheers At Midnight As City Ends World's Longest Lockown

Premier Daniel Andrews says Melburnians have 'sacrificed so much' during lockdown but it's 'saved countless lives'.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

Melbourne has erupted into cheers and applause after the clock stuck midnight (October 22).

As the city went from Thursday to Friday, it finally signalled the end of lockdown.

Melbourne has endured the world's longest non-consecutive lockdown and its residents have been cooped up in their homes for a collective 263 days since the Covid-19 pandemic began.

Victoria managed to get to the all-important vaccination rate earlier this week, with 70 per cent of the population aged over 16 now double-dosed against the coronavirus.

It's hoped this means neither the state nor the city will have to be plunged back into lockdown again for Covid-19.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said: "Victorians have sacrificed so much to protect their families, friends and the whole community from coronavirus - and have saved countless lives because of it.

"The milestone we're about to hit marks a new and hopeful path for the whole state - allowing businesses to reopen and Victorians to get back to things they love."

For people in the new, post-lockdown Melbourne, they will now be able to travel more than 15kms from their home and they won't be subjected to the highly controversial 9pm to 5am nighttime curfew.

Melburnians won't be allowed to travel into regional Victoria as the state is still experiencing thousands of new cases every day and they don't want that to spill outside the metropolitan area.

Action Plus Sports/Alamy Live News

People are still encouraged to work from home where possible and those on the Authorised Workers List will have to ensure they've had at least one dose of the vaccine.

Residents can have up to 10 people to their homes and it's hoped that number could climb to 30 by Christmas.

Cafes, restaurants, pubs, cinemas and outdoor recreation facilities will be allowed to reopen with up to 50 people per venue.

Only fully vaccinated people will be permitted to enjoy these establishments and the locations will be subjected to density limits.

Retail won't reopen until the state hits 80 per cent vaccinated because Premier Andrews believes it's still too risky.

"We've tried to be balanced, we've tried to be as fair as possible," he said. "Wherever you draw lines, whenever you write lists, there will always be some people who are on the wrong side of the line or not on the list and I get that."

Face masks will sadly still be required for indoor and outdoor locations, so don't toss them in the bin just yet.

People planning religious gatherings, weddings and funerals will now be able to welcome up to 50 fully-vaccinated guests outside and 20 inside.

Featured Image Credit: Alamy

Topics: Australia