Victorians will be breathing a sigh of relief after Premier Daniel Andrews confirmed the state's snap five-day lockdown will end at midnight on Wednesday night.
Mr Andrews made the announcement on Wednesday morning after the state recorded zero new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours.
"I am very pleased to be able to announce that this will be a five-day short, sharp circuit-breaker, and that restrictions will come off at midnight tonight," he said.
The results come from almost 40,000 tests - a record high number of tests.
While Mr Andrews announced the lockdown would end, some of the restrictions will need to remain in place, he said.
"This circuit-breaker has worked, but this is not over, the virus is not gone. So we need to maintain some of those settings," he said.
What Victorians can do from midnight tonight
• The four "essential" reasons for leaving home - essential shopping, travelling to work or school, caregiving or physical exercise - have been lifted.
• The five kilometre travel limit has been removed.
• Retail and hospitality will be allowed to reopen again with density limits.
• People can return to work from either the public or private sector, but only up to 50 per cent capacity.
• Religious gatherings and ceremonies can resume with density limits.
• Sports and recreation will be permitted again, with density limits.
• Weddings can resume with density limits.
• Funerals can resume with no limits on numbers.
• Entertainment and public events can resume.
• Schools will reopen.
Restrictions to remain in place for Victoria
The following restrictions will remain in place until 27 February:
• Masks will be required indoors and outdoors where social distancing cannot take place.
• Public gatherings will be limited to 20 people - down from 30.
• Only five visitors will be allowed in homes - down from 15.
The Holiday Inn cluster currently stands at 19 cases - all of which are believed to be the highly infectious UK variant of the virus.
The entire state was plunged into its third coronavirus lockdown on Friday at midnight as a "circuit breaker", with Mr Andrews saying it wasn't known how far the virus may have travelled in the community.
The state has reported low numbers of new cases in each of the subsequent days.
Mr Andrews also defended the lockdown saying it was "absolutely necessary" to stop the spread in the community.
"Five days, no matter how painful it is, is better than taking a chance and having a five-week lockdown or something much worse," he said.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your jurisdiction's restrictions on gathering limits.
If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080. News and information is available in 63 languages at sbs.com.au/coronavirus.
Please check the relevant guidelines for your state or territory: NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory, ACT, Tasmania.
