Residents in virus-free regional areas including the Grampians region could be still wearing masks at Christmas, with the Victorian government beefing up rules around face coverings.
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Premier Daniel Andrews announced on Sunday, as part of metropolitan Melbourne's move to step two on his road map out of restrictions, all Victorians would be required to wear a fitted face mask covering the nose and mouth for the foreseeable future.
"Some of the concessions we made as we adjusted to this new normal, things like wearing a scarf or a bandana or a face shield, will no longer apply," he said.
"As I've said before, wearing a face covering is a small sacrifice, but it makes a huge difference in keeping all of us safe.
"None of it's easy, but all of it matters."
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There will be a two-week adjustment to the new directive on masks with fines in place for incorrect face wear, even in regional Victoria where there are nine active cases and the 14-day rolling average has dropped again to 0.6 new cases.
Mr Andrews confirmed there was no timeline on removing the requirement on wearing masks.
"We will look at that very carefully," he said.
"As we get into the warmer months we know that the degree of discomfort associated with them potentially gets higher.
The benefit is really clear. And it is something we can control."
There is a $200 fine for not wearing a mask.
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