Melburnians Will Be Able to Leave Home for Any Reason from June 1

In late March, Australians were restricted to leaving their homes for four reasons: to buy essentials, for medical needs, to exercise or for work and education. A fifth reason was added in Melbourne in mid-May — to visit friends and family — and exercise was expanded to encompass a range of outdoor recreational activities, including golfing and kayaking. From Monday, June 1, however, you'll be able to leave your home for any reason at all.

Premier Daniel Andrews announced today, Friday, May 29, that Victorians "have achieved something remarkable" and flattened the COVID-19 curve, and because of this more restrictions were being eased. "We've made sacrifices. We've missed loved ones. We've given up getting on the beers. And in doing so, we've helped keep one another safe," the Premier said in a statement. "Because of those efforts, we've been able to gradually ease restrictions. And from Monday, we'll no longer be giving Victorians a definitive list of reasons to leave home."

Instead of a list, Melburnians have been asked to use "common sense" when deciding to leave the house. But, something that is not changing is working from home. The Premier said that if you're currently working from home you must continue to work from home, until at least the end of June.

The primary reason for the push to keep WFH where possible is because of public transport and traffic, with the Premier warning that the usual number of people on transport would be unsafe and if Melburnians all started to drive into work in the city "we'll see commute times worse than anything any of us have ever experienced". "Two hours from Werribee to the city, 90 minutes from Reservoir and two and half hours from Mulgrave," the Premier predicted for commute times if Melburnians did not continue to WFH.

On Monday, June 1, a whole heap of eased restrictions will come into play in Victoria, including the reopening of restaurants, pubs and cafes for dine-in service and indoor and outdoor gatherings of up to 20 people. We've broken down exactly what you can and can't do from Monday over here.

For more information about the state of COVID-19 in Victoria, head to the Department of Health and Human Services website.

Top image: Julia Sansone