News | 23 March

2.00pm – Tuesday, 23 March 2021

To: CCF Victoria staff, members and industry stakeholders.

Further Relaxation of COVIDSafe Settings

Today, the State Government announced a further relaxing of Victoria’s COVIDSafe settings, allowing for more visitors in the home, reduced mask wearing and an increase in the number of people allowed in live music venues and other settings.     

From 6pm on Friday 26 March, masks will no longer be required in retail settings but Victorians will still need to carry one with them at all times and wear it on public transport, in rideshare vehicles and taxis and in sensitive settings such as aged care facilities and hospitals.

Victorians will be able to host up to 100 people in their home per day. Outdoor gatherings in public places – the beach, the park – can also increase to 200 people.

Density limits in venues still operating under more restrictive settings – like casinos, karaoke venues and nightclubs – will move from 1 person per 4sqm to 1 person per 2sqm. This is in line with cafes, pubs and restaurants.

Additional people will also be allowed in indoor non-seated entertainment venues with an increase from 50 per cent to 75 per cent capacity however, the limit of 1000 people per space remains. Dancefloors will move to the same density limit of the venue and the 50 patron cap will also be removed.  There will no longer be limits on class sizes for outdoor and indoor physical recreation or fitness classes – and unstaffed gyms will be moving from a density limit of 1 person to 8sqm to 1 person per 4sqm.

The 75 per cent cap on private and public offices workers will also be removed, which coincides with a revised flexible work policy for the Victorian Public Service (VPS) released today. While all workplaces are still required to ensure people can work from the office in a COVIDSafe way – with a density limit of 1 person per 2sqm – they will no longer be required to permit workers to work from home.

More information on the new coronavirus settings are available here: https://www.ccfvic.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/COVID-Safe-Settings-26-March-21.pdf

Or visit www.coronavirus.com.au

Vaccination Rollout

The rollout overseas of the AstraZeneca vaccine has resumed in many of the countries that suspended the rollout over early reports about possible blood clotting.

The European Union’s Medicine Agency reviewed five million citizens who had been vaccinated found that the vaccine was not associated and increased risk and concluded that ‘This is a safe and effective vaccine’. The vaccine rollout steps up this week to the 1B Group which includes elderly and medically at risk folk together with frontline workers and other at risk sections of the community. The Federal government is funding 100 clinics across Australia to start delivering the first vaccinations and distributing about 500,000 doses of the Astra Zeneca vaccine.

Update on Electronic Workplace Mapping and Compatibility

Many employers and their IT consultants have raised concerns about the Victorian Government’s requirement for electronic contact tracing systems to be compatible with the Government’s QR Code Service by 27 March.

Last week, there were fruitful discussions with the government to explain the complexities for some IT providers and some companies being able to technically comply within the timeframe outlined. We are confident that our concerns have been heard and the department is working collaboratively with our Building & Construction Industry Liaison Officer, Michael Paynter, us to address these concerns and the timeframe for compliance. We expect to hear more about this shortly and I will report back to you all accordingly as information comes to hand.

Industry COVID-19 Guidelines (Revision 11)

Just a reminder and link to the latest version (Revision 11) of the Building & Construction Industry COVID-19 Guidelines to use within your operations.

https://www.ccfvic.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/COVID-19-Construction-Industry-Guidelines-Rev-11-040321.pdf

Mental Health & Well-being Summit

Just a “last minute plug” for those who have not registered for our CCF Mental Health & Well-being Summit, this Thursday, 25 March at Caulfield Racecourse, to do so. 

We have a great line up of speakers and presenters, who will greatly assist all of us as business leaders adopt a preventative approach to mental injury in the workplace by identifying and taking key actions to address work related factors.  Contact Julia Barraclough for any last minute bookings on jbarraclough@ccfvic.com.au or register via the link in the signatory below of this email.

I look forward to catching up with many of you at the Summit, as we explore Leadership and Culture in promoting positive mental health outcomes in the workplace.

Until my next update …. keep well – keep safe.

Kind regards

Kind regards

Latest News