In brief
Victoria will return to stricter COVID-19 restrictions after a hotel quarantine worker tested positive to the virus.
This means offices will no longer be able to increase their workforce capacity to 75 per cent as scheduled for Monday, 8 February.
Mandatory masks have been reintroduced and are now required in all indoor settings, including offices.
In detail
As of 11.59 pm on 3 February 2021 there have been a number of new statewide restrictions imposed regarding workplaces. These include:
- A pause on the 75 per cent 'return to work' cap in the private and public sectors. Workplaces will continue to operate at 50 per cent of their workforce capacity.
- Mandatory masks in the workplace. The directions issued on 3 February 2021 state that masks must be worn 'while in an indoor space, other than in the premises where the person ordinarily resides' which includes office settings. However, if a person is working by themselves in an enclosed indoor space, they are not required to wear a mask until another person enters that indoor space.
The Workplace Directions state that an "employer must take reasonable steps to ensure the worker, when working at a Work Premises... wears a face covering when required to do so in accordance with any other Directions currently in force."
