Fixed! Melburnians Misinformed about Lockdown Rules for Exercise
Update: July 17 2020
The Victorian Govt has updated restrictions to say you cannot travel further than necessary for exercise.
Stay at Home Directions (Restricted Areas) (No2) was released on 10 July 2020.
(1A) A person may only leave their premises under subclause(1) where it does not involve unreasonable travel or travelling to a place for an unreasonable amount of time.
Note 2: unreasonable travel would include travel within the Restricted Area to exercise or outdoor recreation where that type of activity can be done closer to home. Travelling to an area outside the Restricted Area for exercise or outdoor recreation is prohibitied under these directions
Update: July 9 2020
I was pleased to receive a response informing me that www.vic.gov.au has been updated to remove the ambiguity.
It’s great that this was addressed so promptly in what I’m sure is a very busy time for the people involved.
A page on the Victorian Government’s website has led many to believe they cannot leave their Local Government Area (LGA) for exercise.
Additionally, there will only be 3 reasons to cross the border of these metropolitan areas:
Shopping for food and supplies Medical care and caregiving Study and work – if you can’t do it from home”
This is in contrast to advice on the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) website which makes clear the new Stay At Home restrictions prevent people leaving Greater Melbourne for exercise, but not their LGA.
I live in Melbourne - can I exercise outside with someone who is not part of my household?
From 11:59pm on 8 July, changed gathering limits apply to the Melbourne metropolitan area and the Shire of Mitchell. If you live in this area, you are only allowed to exercise outside with one other person, or members of your household.
In order to help stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) across the state, you cannot leave metropolitan Melbourne or Mitchell Shire to exercise.
While exercising outside you should keep 1.5 metres distance between yourself and others and avoid sharing equipment.
Further down the page the DHSS makes clear you can leave your LGA as long as you don’t leave the Melbourne metro area:
I live in Melbourne. Can I visit the beach?
Yes. As long as it is for the purpose of exercise and within the Melbourne metropolitan area. You are only allowed to exercise outside with one other person, or members of your household.
While exercising outside you should keep 1.5 metres distance between yourself and others and avoid sharing equipment.
In order to help stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) across the state, you cannot leave metropolitan Melbourne or the Shire of Mitchell to exercise.”
This is an important distinction for many Melburnians but particularly for those living alone without family/friends in their LGA. Six weeks without seeing a friend or loved one in person could seriously exacerbate an already challenging time in isolation.
I’ve already spoken with a couple of people who are convinced they cannot leave their LGA for exercise based on the wording on www.vic.gov.au. I’m convinced that there has been a misunderstanding and that DHSS is the more credible source in this instance.
I’ve submitted a request through https://www.vic.gov.au/contact-us to ask that they update the wording on their page to make clear that we are not prevented from crossing LGA boundaries for exercise within Melbourne Metro area.
The public deserve clarity on the Stay at Home restrictions being applied to them. Every effort should be made by government to ensure information provided is correct and able to be understood. If and when mistakes are detected, they should be corrected promptly because misinformation spreads like a virus.