LATEST VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT COVID SAFE SETTINGS

CONTINUING COVID RESTRICTIONS
Announcement by Acting Premier on 2 June 2021

4 June 2021 - Updated to include INTERACTIVE ADDRESS CHECKER

Yesterday, the Acting Premier announced an extension of COVID restrictions to come into effect at 11:59 pm Thursday 3 June 2021.

The restrictions remain mostly the same for Melburnians, with some minor changes. With no community transmission in regional Victoria this week, regional restrictions are proposed to begin easing from 11:59pm Thursday 3 June. The easing of these restrictions has been confirmed, following further tracing and testing.

Check your address to find if you live in a Restricted Zone and where you are able to travel:
https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/how-far-10km-your-home

COMPULSORY USE OF QR CODES

Across Victoria, it is now mandatory to use the Victorian Government QR Code Service, which is free for all Victorian businesses, organisations, clubs and events. This service helps contact tracers contain a COVID-19 outbreak. How important this is having been demonstrated over the past week.
It is NO LONGER PERMISSIBLE to use your own QR Code service, and all organisers, clubs, or events should ensure that anyone attending your event/club or grounds is checking in using the Government QR Code.

https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/about-victorian-government-qr-code-service

We strongly recommended that Agistment Centres and Riding Schools also use the Victorian Government QR Code Service for all that attend their premises. We will advise if that recommendation changes.

RESTRICTIONS FOR MELBOURNE

Effective from 11.59pm Thursday 3 June there are still only five reasons to leave your home:

1. Shopping for necessary goods and services
2. Authorised work or permitted education
3. Exercise – with a 2hr limit and with one other person
4. Care giving, compassionate and medical reasons
5. To get vaccinated

• People will be now able to travel further for shopping and exercise, with the limit now set at 10km from your home.
• Face masks must be worn indoors and outdoors unless you have a valid exemption.

CARING FOR YOUR HORSE
You are still able to leave home to care for and attend to your horse, under the fourth reason to leave home: Care giving, compassionate and medical reasons. This includes if your horse is housed more than 10km from your home.

We recommend carrying proof of ownership (i.e., registration papers), the location of your horse and the reason that you are travelling.

If you need to leave home to tend to your horse(s), the restrictions travel with you and so you need to follow the same rules as if you were at home. Face masks must be worn at all times even when outside, unless exemptions apply.

You should provide care for your horse in as limited time as possible, at all times government social distancing and hygiene requirements must be adhered to.

What is permitted
• Riding to exercise your horse for welfare reasons (Reason No 4)
• Riding your horse as part of your exercise for 2 hours with one other person within 10km of your house (Reason No 4)

What is not permitted
• Riding for YOUR exercise outside of 10km from your home.
• If you are riding your horse for your exercise, then the exercise guidelines apply to YOU (Reason No 3).

Face masks must also be worn at all times when you are outside of your home, unless exemptions apply.

VETERINARY CARE, FEED SUPPLIERS, FARRIERS AND ANIMAL WELFARE WORKERS
The following workers are classified as authorised providers:

• services connected with animal health, husbandry or welfare, including the RSPCA; or
• zoos and nature reserves for the purposes of treating or caring for animals, performing an animal rescue function or maintaining the facility/reserve and broadcast; or
• animal saleyards, knackeries and animal transportation services (including livestock and pets); or
• pet grooming mobile services that can be undertaken in a contactless manner (businesses with an ABN) and operate solely outdoors where physical distancing can be maintained at all times

HIGH-PERFORMANCE SPORTSPERSON
At this stage the current allowance for professional or high-performance sportspersons remains

What does professional sport mean?
A professional athlete is someone who:
• performs their sporting activity in an open-aged national or international competition
• is contracted to an employer (for example, a professional club) to perform that sporting activity as their primary source of income
• is a National Institute Network Scholarship holder derives regular and meaningful employment from competing in their sport

The professional nature of these sports means that there are additional processes and resources in place to ensure that players and officials conduct activities in a safe way that reduces the risk of COVID-19 transmission. This is why professional teams and sportspeople are currently allowed to undertake more activities than community sports. Please refer to the following website for further information: https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/sport-and-exercise.

This effectively means that high-performance sportspeople can travel and compete but note that there are border crossing challenges you will have to navigate, and that any restrictions from your home state/jurisdiction travel with you.

Equestrian Victoria cannot accept any liability in the event you do decide to travel.

INDOOR AND OUTDOOR SPORT AND PHYSICAL RECREATION
Indoor and outdoor physical recreation and sport is closed (playgrounds remain open).

REGIONAL VICTORIA

There has been several easing of restrictions announced for Regional Victoria. This easing is planned from 11:59pm Thursday 3 June. 

• The 5 Reasons to Leave have been removed, and there is no longer any restriction on movement WITHIN REGIONAL VICTORIA, however, Regional Victoria cannot visit Melbourne, just as Melbourne cannot visit Regional Victoria. If you live in Melbourne, but work intrastate, you are permitted to travel for work purposes only and you must abide by the Melbourne restrictions, when visiting regional Victoria.

• Face coverings
o must be carried at all times
o Must be worn indoors except if at home, or if an exception applies
o Must be worn outdoors where 1.5 metres physical distancing cannot be maintained

• Community Sport is permitted for children. However, for adults, it is for Training purposes only. There are no competitions allowed.

• Outdoor Physical recreation and sport (rallies, training days etc) – for training purposes only (adults).
o is open for a maximum patron cap of 50 people per venue.
o Group sizes to a maximum of 10 people. Density quotient of 1 person per 4sqm applies. No competition is allowed.

• Clubrooms and facilities. At this stage it is not clear if these facilities can open. We will advise once we have more information.

• Coaching may commence in Regional Victoria for training purposes. Everyone participating in training must always adhere to 1.5 metre physical distancing and wear a mask if that distance cannot be maintained.

• Indoor Physical Recreation remains prohibited.

We know this is a challenging time, especially for anyone with events in the next 7 days (and near future). Reach out if you need any help or want further clarity.

We will continue to provide updates as more information comes to hand.

Stay safe and take care,

Matthew Brown
CEO – Equestrian Victoria