Victoria's COVID-19 roadmap has restrictions in the regions easing a touch ahead of their city counterparts but joining as one by Christmas.
Significant outbreaks may however require more localised lockdowns, with communities along the Great Ocean Road plunged back into lockdown on Sunday.
The regional local government areas of Geelong, Surf Coast and Mitchell Shire will be in lockdown until at least 11:59pm on September 26.
Ballarat joined Melbourne in lockdown earlier in the week, which is expected to last until 11:59pm on September 22.
If those lockdowns work to suppress the spread of COVID-19, the areas will again join the rest of regional Victoria, which is enjoying a few more freedoms.
If you want to know what that will look like for Melbourne, read our Melbourne explainer.
The roadmap's dates are based on vaccine rollout projections, and it is important to remember that these could be subject to change if our vaccination rollout speeds up or slows down.
And, as has been the case throughout the pandemic, each step of eased restrictions will also be dependent on local health advice at the time.
Density limits feature throughout the roadmap, which it crunches down into these two abbreviations:
DQ4 = a density quotient of one person per 4 square metres
DQ2 = a density quotient of one person per 2 square metres
80 per cent of those aged 16+ are single-dosed (about September 26)
There are only two minor changes here, with masks able to be removed for an entire booking at the hairdresser or other beauty services, and final-year VCAL students able to return to on-site learning. Otherwise, the existing rules apply.
There is no lockdown and you can travel across any area with the same restrictions (so steering clear of those locked-down regions around Geelong and Ballarat).
Household visits remain banned and movement between metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria is heavily restricted.
You can cross the boundary to get vaccinated if it is a local government area right next door.
You can also cross the boundary if you are an authorised worker, but the roadmap states workers in childcare and education who are moving between regions must undergo twice-weekly COVID-19 tests.
Fully vaccinated regional Victorians will be able to return from interstate if they have a negative pre-arrival COVID test.
Employees should still work from home if possible, with DQ4 and a capacity limit of 25 per cent or 10 people in place for office settings.
The plan for school will be announced closer to term 4
Under the plan for Melbourne, students will be progressively brought back into the classroom from October 5.
At the moment, all regional students in prep to grade 2 and students studying final-year subjects are back doing on-site learning.
The roadmap states the Chief Health Officer will provide a more detailed timeline on how regional students will be brought back on campus by September 30.
70 per cent of 16+ Victorians fully vaccinated (about October 26)
From this point, many restrictions will differ based on a person's vaccination status.
For those whose vaccination status is unknown, lots of restrictions stay frozen where they were.
But for those who are fully vaccinated, bigger gatherings are allowed.
Face coverings will still be compulsory indoors and out and household visits will remain banned.
If you are fully vaccinated, you will be able to gather in groups of up to 20 people outdoors, or 10 if the vaccination status is unknown.
Likewise, religious gatherings, including funerals and weddings, will grow to up to 30 people indoors with DQ4 if they are fully vaccinated, or 100 outside and DQ2.
But there is no change from the cap of 20 for religious gatherings (or 10 for weddings) if the vaccination status is unknown.
Fully vaccinated regional Victorians will be able to use indoor physical recreation facilities with up to 30 people at DQ4 or 100 outside at DQ2.
Community sport remains restricted to training only, with public gathering limits applying to spectators.
Similarly weighted restrictions come into place for most venues, including pools, creative studios and community facilities.
Hospitality can expand for fully vaccinated patrons, with DQ4 and a cap of 30 people indoors and DQ2 and 100 outdoors. The same rules apply to real estate.
Nightclubs can open in line with food and drink restrictions.
All retail will reopen at DQ4, with masks mandatory at all times and no exemption for removal to eat or drink.
Hairdressers and beauty services can expand their capacity to 30 people indoors with DQ4 if everyone is fully vaccinated.
Entertainment venues will be able to host up to 30 fully vaccinated patrons in each indoor space or 300 outdoors, at DQ2.
Arcades, escape rooms and bingo centres can reopen, but only to fully vaccinated patrons, with a cap of 30 people at DQ4 indoors and 100 people with DQ2 outdoors.
Brothels and sex-on-premises venues reopen to fully vaccinated patrons only, with a cap of 30 indoors at DQ4.
Visitor restrictions should ease in aged care homes.
80 per cent of 16+ Victorians fully vaccinated (about November 5)
At this stage, all of the state will move to the same settings, with Victorians free to travel anywhere within the state.
Interstate borders are flagged as an issue to be worked through at a national level in the coming weeks.
The roadmap also flags revised quarantine arrangements for citizens or permanent residents returning from overseas, subject to National Cabinet approval.
Facemasks will no longer be mandatory outdoors but will remain in place indoors, and it is likely they will still be recommended if you are in a crowd where you cannot socially distance.
Household visits are set to be allowed once again, beginning with up to 10 people including dependants. Vaccination status is not mentioned in the roadmap here.
Outdoor gatherings will increase to 30 fully vaccinated people outdoors. But if the vaccination status is unknown, they will remain restricted to just five people. Victorians will be permitted to remove their mask to drink alcohol.
After months of working from home, fully vaccinated Victorians will be able to head into the office, with DQ2 in place. Masks will remain mandatory indoors in workplaces.
The roadmap suggests unvaccinated workers should still work from home if they can.
Childcare and early education centres will be open to all and all schools will be back with on-site learning by this point, but adult education will still be asked to run from home if possible.
Fully vaccinated congregations of 150 people indoors (DQ4) and 500 outdoors (DQ2) can gather for services and funerals, but if the vaccination status is unknown it will be stuck at just 20 people.
A similar restriction applies to weddings, with fully vaccinated groups of 150 indoors and 500 outdoors, but just 10 people if the vaccination status is unknown.
Hairdressers and beauty services can open to fully vaccinated patrons indoors with DQ4 and a cap of 150.
Caps will expand for hospitality venues, with up to 25 fully vaccinated people allowed in smaller venues before a density limit applies.
For fully vaccinated hospitality patrons, up to 150 will be allowed indoors with DQ4 and 500 outdoors, DQ2. The same rule applies to real estate.
Accommodation services can run in line with private gathering limits.
Exercise businesses will remain restricted by DQ4 indoors and a 150 person cap of fully vaccinated patrons, and DQ2 outdoors with a cap of 500. Community sport will be permitted indoors and outdoors with a minimum number required and public gathering limits applying to spectators.
Outdoor seated physical recreation, entertainment and community sport must be fully vaccinated and can only fill to 25 per cent capacity or 5,000 per venue, whichever is smaller.
Significant venues will be considered for larger crowds, but otherwise, there will be specific limits for venues depending on whether they are seated/non-seated and indoor/outdoors.
Swimming pools will be able to open indoors with DQ4 and a cap of 150 patrons and DQ2 and a cap of 500 people outdoors. The roadmap does not state if change rooms remain closed or not.
Community facilities and creative studios can operate indoors with DQ4 and a cap of 150, and DQ2 and a cap of 500 outdoors.
Amusement parks can expand for fully vaccinated patrons, hosting 150 people indoors with DQ4 and 500 per outdoor space with DQ2.
Visitor restrictions are expected to ease at hospitals.
80 per cent of Victorians aged 12+ fully vaccinated (no projected time)
This final target in the roadmap casts a wider net around the population down to those aged 12 and older.
By this point, the roadmap indicates Victoria should be in alignment with the National Plan's Phase D.
In the National Plan, this "may include" open international borders, boosters as necessary, uncapped inbound arrivals for vaccinated people and an approach to COVID-19 consistent with management of influenza or other infectious diseases.
By Christmas, Victoria's roadmap indicates 30 visitors should be allowed in the home, the same limit which was in place last year.
