Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews further relaxed restrictions on metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria on Sunday – including on visitors to aged care homes.

Under the steps for the third stage of lifting restrictions in Victoria, the limit on only having one or two people visit an aged care resident for up to two hours under specified exceptions (such as end-of-life and palliative care) will be expanded to allow one household to visit a resident for up to two hours per day.

Hairdressers will also be permitted to attend to provide hairdressing services to residents.

From Sunday 22 November, Victoria will move to the final stage of lifting restrictions which will allow up to five people from two households to visit aged care, with no time limits, children allowed, and residents able to go out on excursions with one household.

The Premier acknowledged the changes would “mean a whole lot to a whole lot of families”.

“Individual hospitals and facilities though may continue to have their own policies – reflecting the needs of their patients and whatever the virus might be doing in our community,” he added.

We take this to mean that providers will still be able to implement visitor restrictions, should there be a positive case in the local community.