Social gatherings

Seeing friends and family outside

Current restrictions 

• Groups of up to 200 people can meet in a public outdoor space from any number of households. Children  under 12 months of age are not included in this limit.   
• You must carry a face mask with you to the place of gathering. It is strongly recommended that you wear a face mask if you cannot maintain 1.5 metres distance from others. 

Is there a limit on the number of people I can see outdoors? 

Yes, you can meet in a group of up to 200 people in an outdoor space. This means a place that is publicly accessible.

Remember to keep at least 1.5 metres distance between you and anyone you don’t live with.  

It is strongly recommended that you wear a face mask if you cannot maintain 1.5 metres distance from others.

What is an outdoor place?

An outdoor space is a park or garden in a public place outside of the home. It does not include your backyard.

There is a lower risk of spreading COVID-19 between people if you are outdoors. To keep your friends and family safe, you should meet up outdoors in a public place.

You must carry a face mask when you leave home. It is recommended that you wear a face mask if you cannot maintain 1.5 metres distance between you and others. Wash your hands when you return home.

Visitors to your home

Current restrictions:

• You can travel to see friends and family who live anywhere in Victoria.
• From 6:00pm on Friday 26 March 2021, you can have up to 100 visitors to your home per day.
• There is no limit on the number of households those visitors come from. 
• It is recommended that you wear a face mask when someone visits you at your home.   

How can I keep myself and my friends and family safe?  

Everyone has a role to play in slowing the spread of COVID-19.  As these settings ease, it is even more important that we take extra steps to keep each other safe.  

• Only visit people when you, and the person you are visiting, are healthy.
• If you are feeling unwell, you should immediately self-quarantine at home and get tested. Likewise, if the person you are visiting feels unwell, they should immediately isolate at home and get tested. You should not visit that person or have that person over to visit if either of you are unwell.
• It is recommended that you wear a face mask while visiting friends and family in their homes.
• You should wash your hands regularly and cough and sneeze into your elbow or a tissue.  
• If you can, meet people outside rather than indoors. Being outdoors reduces the risk of spreading the virus significantly.
• You should also keep a list of the people you see and when you saw them.

Can I have visitors stay overnight? 

There are no limits on the length of time someone can visit you at your home. Friends and family can stay overnight. People staying overnight are counted toward the 100 person visitor cap for that night and the next day. 

When you leave home, stay safe by washing your hands regularly, coughing and sneezing into your elbow or a tissue, and keeping at least 1.5 metres from others. It is recommended that you wear a face mask when you have visitors present. 

Stay home if unwell, get tested and remain at home until you get your negative test result.

My relatives or parents are elderly – how can I keep them safe?   

If the person you are visiting is at a higher risk of becoming very sick from COVID-19, you should wear a fitted face mask while visiting and keep at least 1.5 metres distance from them.     

If you are more vulnerable to serious complications because of coronavirus (COVID-19), it is recommended that you wear a mask while visiting. Stay home if you feel unwell, get tested and remain at home until you receive your negative test result. 

Do I have to wear a face mask when friends and family visit me at home?  

It is recommended that you wear a face mask while people visit your home or while you visit them at their home.   

Can anyone else visit my home? 

Anyone can visit your home, including people who visit your home for care or caregiving or work:  

• a tradesperson to do work
• a cleaner
• a person coming in to do child-minding or a child you are providing care to   
• a person coming in to provide services or care (for example, cooking or cleaning)   
• medical or emergency services staff coming to your home to render assistance   
• in-home personal care services such as beauticians    

You should keep at least 1.5 metres between yourself and others and practise good hygiene by washing your hands and coughing and sneezing into a tissue or your elbow.

It is recommended that you wear a face mask while people visit your home or while you visit them at their home.

Children and family 

We have children in a shared custody arrangement. How does this affect them? 

All shared custody arrangements, whether informal or court-ordered can continue as normal. 

Visits as part of shared custody arrangements are not counted as part of the 100 person visitor limits.

Visiting people

Can I visit people in nursing homes or care facilities?

You can visit people in care facilities but there are rules to keep people safe.

Can I visit people in hospital? 

You can visit people in hospital but there are rules to keep people safe.

Can I visit people in prisons? 

For information on personal visits to prisons visit  Corrections Victoria.

Can I have a wedding or funeral?  

For information on weddings, funerals and cemeteries visit the religion and ceremony page.