Victoria has recorded no local cases of COVID-19 and just one in hotel quarantine, health officials have confirmed.
Just over 30,000 tests were conducted in the past 24 hours.
It’s estimated the most recent shutdown, and the state’s third, has cost businesses $1 billion dollars capping off a turbulent year of hardship amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Victorians are being urged to go out and dine out in the coming days to support businesses in the retail and hospitality sectors.
Pierrick Boyer, who runs a cafe in Prahran, told Today he was eager to get back to work describing the closure as “catastrophic”.
“Just over three days (we lost) $20,000. We had to pay for the cost of goods, labour and also the last-minute warning, it wasn’t great,” Mr Boyer said.
“Last minute we had to cut the roster, we had to close all the stores for the last three, four days. Catastrophic.”
Students will also return to classrooms shortly.
But the premier has not ruled out another lockdown in the future and it’s likely more positive coronavirus cases could be recorded in the coming days.
Crowds will return to the Australian Open today but at a reduced capacity of 50 per cent.
Despite the breakthrough after an outbreak of the UK strain of COVID-19 last week, some restrictions will remain in place and cross-border travel is still limited.
There will also be no travel distance limit in place for people headed out to exercise or hit the store.
However, when out of doors, Victorians will need to carry a mask.
Masks are mandatory indoors, and outdoors when social distancing is impossible, such as at shopping centres, on transport, or in crowds.
A temporary limit on house guests is also in place until Friday next week, with a maximum of five visitors allowed. Out of doors, 20 people can gather in public.
Schools, universities and TAFE centres will all be allowed to open, though it will be up to individual institutions to determine how they approach the final days of the week.
Offices will also be open, though high-density workplaces will still be limited by the 50 per cent cap.
Funerals and weddings do not have a specific cap, but crowd numbers will be limited by the venue density limit.
This content first appear on 9news