Melbourne retail to reopen last Friday

It’s been a grueling 20 months for many Victorians who have gone in and out of lockdown, but on Friday the state is set to welcome a raft of new freedoms — and will potentially say goodbye to some COVID-19 restrictions once and for all.

As the state reaches its 80 percent double-dose vaccination milestone, regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne will follow the same rules, while gyms, retailers and entertainment venues will reopen to the fully vaccinated.

Leanne Walsh, an instructor and co-owner of a small martial arts school in Craigieburn to Melbourne’s north, said she was excited to welcome students again.

“We’re just looking forward to opening up when we can,” Ms Walsh said.

“During the lockdown, we lose contact with our students and obviously then have to rebuild our student base.”

Her center has been closed for most of the year, but she said it has been “coping very well” thanks to business grants provided by the state government during the pandemic.

But Ms Walsh said questions remained around the reopening of her business and said it would be a challenging journey to “COVID normal” as her martial arts school negotiated new policies like the vaccine mandate.

“I don’t know that we can open on Friday, as I need to clarify if the students need to be double-vaccinated,” she said.

“It’s really just the vaccinations that are a little unclear as we don’t fall into the mainstream gym or community sport.”

The Victorian government has said it will move into a “vaccinated economy” once 90 percent of people over the age of 16 receive their two doses, with only fully vaccinated people allowed to go to gyms, retail stores, theatres, and other venues.

At that 90 percent milestone, expected on November 24, caps and density restrictions will also be scrapped and masks w