DENSITY quotients of one person per two square metres will soon be lifted for small to medium sized venues across the state.
However, Victorians will need to continue checking in using the state government’s QR code service through the Service Victoria app.
From May 28, venues which have up to 200 people per space (such as dining rooms or band rooms) won’t have any density limit, provided COVID marshals are on site ensuring all patrons are checking in to each space.
These changes will apply for spaces that are 400 square metres or below – larger spaces still need to observe density limits.
This means Victoria’s live music venues, restaurants, bars and nightclubs, will be able to welcome more patrons. For places of worship, people will be able to register their details and gather in greater numbers within spaces smaller than 400 square metres.
From May 28, all venues and businesses required to undertake electronic record keeping must use the state government QR Code Service through the Service Victoria app.
Density quotients will also be removed for outdoor non-seated venues such as recreation facilities, community sport, pools, tourism services and non-seated outdoor entertainment.
Existing COVID-safe requirements will still apply, supported by use of the Victorian government QR code service.
Health Minister Martin Foley said the changes meant checking in would be quick and easy, and ensured the data was high-quality and easily available to contract tracers, should any venue be listed as an exposure site.
Government Services and Creative Industries Minister Danny Pearson said getting every Victorian to check in using the QR code was the goal.
“This is great news for many live music venues, restaurants and nightclubs who can open the doors to up to 200 people per space,” he said.
The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry welcomed the progression for hospitality and events, but was frustrated with another change to the QR code system, which would mean many Victorian businesses would have to change their record-keeping procedures.
Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Paul Guerra said the increase in density limits for hospitality and events was a step in the right direction, but “we should be taking all the restrictions off and opening up COVID-safe to full capacity, or 100 per cent”.
“If we are asking businesses to accept the inconvenience and disruption of swapping their record keeping systems, we need to let them operate at viable levels,” he said.
“Just one week ago, the state government told us that QR systems that could communicate with the state QR system would be acceptable for the purposes of COVID-19 contact tracing.
“Today, the goal posts have shifted once again.
“Business needs certainty, and this constant chopping and changing is making it difficult to keep up.
“Mandated state QR code systems work well in other states and we are confident it will work well here too, as well as making it quicker and easier for customers and clients, but this process has been confusing and disorganised.”
